Avinash was an average student, deeply focused on his studies, carrying a single dream to make his family proud. Romance had never found its way into his life. He had a few friends, nothing more. No love stories, no distractions.
As a 12th-grade science student, his board examinations were just ten days away. Known for being a heavy sleeper and a vivid dreamer, Avinash surprised even himself by studying sincerely for ten straight days, pouring his whole heart into preparation.
Finally, the day arrived, the day of his first board examination.
The night before, he revised all his subjects and went to bed early. At dawn, he woke up, revised the important points once again, freshened up, and after taking blessings from his parents and praying to God, he left for the examination center to write his first paper.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
Heavy traffic delayed him, and by the time he reached the school, only five minutes were left. Panic took over. He ran through the corridors, desperately searching for his examination room.
As Avinash hurried through the corridor, his pace suddenly slowed not because he wanted it to, but because destiny chose that exact moment.
Someone brushed past him.
Not a collision, not chaos just a gentle interruption.
A notebook slipped from her hands and slid across the floor. Avinash instinctively bent down to pick it up, and at the same moment, she did too.
Their fingers almost touched.
They looked up.
And that was it.
The first eye contact.
For Avinash, everything around him faded. Her face was calm yet unfamiliar in a way that felt strangely known. Her long black hair framed her face perfectly, and her eyes clear, quiet, and deep held something he couldn't name. It felt as if time had slowed down, giving him a moment he never knew he needed.
"I… I'm sorry," Avinash said softly, breaking the silence.
She smiled just a small one, but enough to stay with him longer than it should have.
"It's okay," she replied gently.
As he handed her the notebook, their eyes met once more. Avinash wanted to say something anything. Her name, perhaps. One word. One reason for her to stay.
"Your name..?"
But before he could complete the sentence, she stepped back, adjusted her bag, and walked away, disappearing into the corridor as quietly as she had entered his life.
Avinash stood there for a second, watching her leave.
Then reality hit him.
The exam.
He took a deep breath and ran again this time toward the examination hall, unaware that the brief moment he just lived would stay with him far longer than the exam itself.
finally finding his examination room. Inside, only a few students were present. He asked a friend about the time.
"Five minutes left for the paper," his friend replied.
Only then did Avinash realize something his mother had set his watch five minutes early, and he never noticed. Thinking he still had time, he hurried to the washroom.
When he returned, he searched for his seat and sat down. Curious, he looked around to see who else from his class was present.
And then
Right behind him, sitting quietly in her seat, was the same girl he had collided with outside.
As Avinash took his seat, his heart was still unsettled. The answer sheet lay open in front of him, yet his thoughts refused to stay confined to formulas and definitions.
He turned back once just once.
There she was.
Quiet. Focused. Real.
For a moment, their eyes met again. This time, neither of them looked away immediately. No words were exchanged, yet something unspoken passed between them something light, something unfamiliar, something impossible to ignore.
The invigilator's voice broke the silence.
"You may start writing."
Avinash lowered his gaze to the paper, pen in hand, but his mind had already wandered elsewhere. Somewhere between questions and answers, a single thought repeated itself
Who is she?
He didn't know her name.
He didn't know her story.
He didn't even know why his heart felt different.
All he knew was this
An exam that was supposed to change his future
had already changed something far more unexpected.
And somewhere behind him, just a few rows away,
sat the beginning of a story he had never planned to write.
—To be continued in Part 2.
📖 Author = Vishnu
✍️ Credit = Vishnu
🌱 Ownership = Vishnu