The morning sun spilled golden light across the campus, painting the old lecture halls in warm hues. Students hurried along the pathways, laughter and chatter echoing through the air, but Amara moved quietly, clutching her notebook as if it were a shield.
Her first day at university. She had dreamed of this moment for years, yet now that it had arrived, excitement tangled with a knot of nerves in her chest.
"Amara! Wait up!"
A cheerful voice broke through her thoughts. Tolu, her roommate, was jogging toward her, almost tripping over a pile of scattered books.
"I… I'm fine," Amara mumbled, managing a small smile.
"You'll be more than fine," Tolu said, giving her an elbow nudge. "You're about to enter the best years of your life. Don't look like you're about to faint!"
Amara chuckled, a little awkwardly. She adjusted her bag strap and peeked around. The campus was alive — students carrying books, chatting, laughing, and sometimes bumping into one another. She felt a pang of isolation.
Then she saw him.
Daniel.
Tall, confident, his easy smile drawing eyes like a magnet. He walked with an effortless grace, chatting with friends, completely unaware of the effect he had on anyone watching. And yet… something made Amara's heart skip a beat.
"Focus, Amara," she whispered to herself, flipping open her notebook. Maybe it was safer to hide behind her words.
"Don't look so serious! It's just the first day," Tolu said, tugging her toward the lecture hall.
Inside, the classroom buzzed with excitement. Amara found a seat near the back, trying to make herself invisible. But fate, it seemed, had other plans. Daniel's group project partner hadn't shown up, and the professor, glancing over the classroom, made a small announcement:
"Amara Ade, please join Daniel for the project."
Her stomach dropped.
"What? Me?" she whispered to Tolu.
"Don't panic," Tolu said with a wink. "Just… be yourself. You've got this."
Slowly, she walked to the front of the class, each step heavier than the last. Daniel's gaze lifted, meeting hers for the first time. A flicker of surprise crossed his features, quickly masked by a polite smile.
"Hi," he said simply.
"Hi," she replied, her voice barely audible.
And that was how it began — an unexpected partnership, a tentative connection, and the start of a story neither of them knew would change their lives.