The next morning, Hena told herself she had already forgotten him.
It had only been one conversation.
One accidental touch.
One simple introduction.
Nothing more.
Nothing that mattered.
She repeated those thoughts quietly as she walked through the college gate, her books pressed against her chest like armor.
The campus was already alive.
Students stood in groups, laughing, sharing stories, living lives that felt louder and freer than hers.
Hena walked past them, her steps calm, controlled.
Just like always.
She entered the classroom and took her usual seat near the middle row.
Safe.
Neutral.
Invisible.
She opened her notebook and focused on the empty page, waiting for the lecture to begin.
She didn't look around.
She didn't search for him.
She didn't want to.
Or at least, that's what she told herself.
But her heart betrayed her.
It reacted before her mind could stop it.
Because she felt it.
A presence.
Someone sitting beside her.
Not too close.
Not too far.
Just close enough to be noticed.
She froze.
Slowly, she turned her head.
It was him.
Arif.
He wasn't looking at her.
He was looking at the front, his expression calm, his hands resting quietly on his desk.
As if sitting beside her was the most natural thing in the world.
Her chest tightened.
Why here?
Why beside her?
He could have sat anywhere.
There were empty seats.
Dozens of them.
But he chose this one.
He must have felt her gaze.
Because he turned slightly and met her eyes.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then he gave a small nod.
"Good morning," he said softly.
Two simple words.
But they echoed loudly inside her.
She didn't know how to respond.
No boy had ever greeted her like this before.
Not without expectation.
Not without reason.
Still, she forced herself to answer.
"…Good morning."
Her voice was quieter than she intended.
He didn't laugh.
He didn't look disappointed.
He simply smiled.
Not a confident smile.
Not a proud one.
Just a gentle one.
As if he was relieved she hadn't ignored him.
The professor entered, and the lecture began.
Hena tried to focus.
She really did.
But it was harder than usual.
Because she was aware of him.
Every movement.
Every small shift.
Every time his arm brushed lightly against the desk between them.
Her heart reacted in ways she didn't understand.
She hated it.
And she didn't.
Halfway through the lecture, the professor wrote a complex formula on the board.
Students began whispering, confused.
Hena understood it.
She always did.
She picked up her pen and began writing it down carefully.
Beside her, Arif stared at his empty page.
He frowned slightly.
She noticed.
Without thinking, she pushed her notebook a little closer to him.
He looked at it.
Then at her.
Surprised.
"You can see it," she whispered.
His eyes softened.
"Thank you," he replied quietly.
It was such a small moment.
So small it should have meant nothing.
But it didn't feel like nothing.
It felt like a beginning.
After class ended, students began leaving in groups.
Hena packed her bag quickly.
She needed to leave.
To escape whatever this was.
Before it became something she couldn't control.
She stood up.
So did he.
They walked out of the classroom at the same time.
The hallway was crowded.
Noisy.
Alive.
She kept her eyes forward.
Focused.
Safe.
Then his voice reached her again.
"Hena."
Her name.
Spoken softly.
Carefully.
She stopped walking.
Slowly, she turned.
He stood there, uncertain.
As if he wasn't sure he had the right to stop her.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he said.
Her chest tightened.
"You didn't," she replied.
He studied her face.
As if searching for truth behind her words.
"I just…" he hesitated.
Then he looked down briefly.
"…I wanted to sit beside you."
Her heart skipped.
No one had ever said something so simple with so much honesty.
"Why?" she asked quietly.
He looked back at her.
His answer came without hesitation.
"Because you looked alone."
The words hit her harder than she expected.
Not because they were cruel.
But because they were true.
She had always been alone.
By choice.
By fear.
By design.
And yet…
For the first time…
She didn't know if she wanted to stay that way.
That night, Hena lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling.
The room was dark.
Silent.
Familiar.
Safe.
But her mind wasn't calm.
It replayed everything.
His voice.
His smile.
His words.
"Because you looked alone."
No one had ever noticed her loneliness before.
No one had ever tried to step into it.
She told herself it meant nothing.
Just kindness.
Just coincidence.
Just a boy.
But deep down…
She knew something had changed.
Something small.
Something fragile.
Something dangerous.
Because distance had always protected her.
And now…
She wasn't sure she wanted that distance anymore.