CHAPTER TWO: FIRST CONVERSATIONS
230 Words
After that morning, Ethan didn’t expect to see her again so soon.
But fate, it seemed, had other plans.
Aisha showed up in his next lecture and, to his surprise, sat two seats away instead of beside him. He tried not to stare, but every time she flipped through her notebook or frowned at the lecturer, his attention drifted back to her.
During break, Ethan stepped out to get water and found her standing alone under a tree, scrolling through her phone with a tired expression.
“You always look like you’re fighting a silent war,” he said lightly as he approached.
Aisha glanced up. “And you always look like you observe people too much.”
Ethan chuckled. “Maybe I do.”
She studied him for a moment, then sighed. “I missed an important submission this morning. Now I’m probably starting the semester on the wrong foot.”
“That’s rough,” he said quietly. “But one mistake doesn’t define you.”
A small silence followed.
“Easy for you to say,” she replied.
“Not really,” Ethan said. “I just believe people get more chances than they think.”
For the first time, Aisha didn’t argue.
Instead, she nodded slightly… as if considering his words.
And that was the beginning of something subtle.
A friendship neither of them noticed forming yet.
- Writer
