“There’s nothing but upcoming election news everywhere,” David muttered as we walked through the corridor after class, his eyes glued to his phone.

Nora glanced at me. “So… your dad,” she began, clearly expecting some kind of reaction.

“Let’s not talk about it,” I said firmly, my tone serious.

Nora raised both her hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. No pressure.”

As we stepped out of the department building, I saw him.

Rowan. He stood outside, talking on the phone, dressed in a perfectly fitted black shirt tucked into equally black pants. He didn’t look like the careless, chaotic boys on campus, he looked like a man, like someone who didn’t belong to this messy little college world.

His long hair fell casually over one side of his forehead. And God, I had been staring at him all day.

“I’m leaving,” Nora said, her voice flat as she placed a hand on my arm. But then she caught sight of Rowan too. Her eyes rolled almost instinctively, and she turned to walk off.

Just a few steps later, Jake suddenly popped up behind her and leaned in, his voice low near her ear.

“Nora,” he said softly.

She turned with a glare sharp enough to kill.

Jake smiled sheepishly, clearly enjoying the chaos.

“I think we should start working on the assignment,” he offered.

“Not today, I have an appointment,” she snapped, spinning back around and walking away without another word.

Rowan ended his call and looked straight at me. His gaze locked in, and then, without saying a word, he tilted his head slightly, gesturing silently toward the library.

Just that. A simple movement. And yet it nearly knocked the breath out of me.

“Are you going too?” David asked, grabbing my hand like a lost puppy. “Don’t leave me here alone!”

But I gently pulled my hand free.

“It’s Rowan. I have to go, you go home,” I said, already half-walking toward him.

“Hey!” David called behind me, but I didn’t even turn. My heart was racing. My feet moved before my brain could catch up. Rowan and I walked side by side to the library, wordlessly.

We sat across from each other at a long wooden table. The afternoon sun poured in through the windows, lighting the dust in the air like tiny golden flecks.

Rowan opened his laptop and got to work immediately. Focused. Calm. Like nothing could touch him.

“What’s your email ID?” he asked, eyes still fixed on the screen, fingers already typing.

“aria0206@gmail.com,” I said quickly.

“I’m sending you some links. Go through them, take notes, and send me the important points.”

I nodded, even though he wasn’t looking.

Was he a top student or something? A complete workaholic? I couldn’t even listen properly, my focus was completely stolen by his hair, the way it fell, slightly tousled, and those thin, transparent glasses perched perfectly on his nose.

  He looked like a walking romance novel.

And then He looked up.

Our eyes met. And I froze. My mind went completely blank.

“Are you not opening your laptop?” he asked, his voice calmly breaking the spell. “Open it. Start working.”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, fumbling to open mine.

I checked the email.

Rowan0301.

Was that… his birthday?

“Is 0301 your birthdate?” I asked, almost in a whisper.

He didn’t even glance up.

“Focus on the work.”

And that was the end of the conversation.

For the next hour, he said nothing else, except about the assignment. No jokes. No small talk. Just silence.

And I sat there, pretending to type, sneaking glances at him every few seconds.

He didn’t look at me once.

And I couldn’t look away.

He didn’t look at me, and I couldn’t look away.

I was sitting in a café near my house when Nora called. It felt a little awkward,

I never sat in the middle of cafés.

But that day, it was the only seat left. No cozy window corner. No quiet booth. Just the middle table, like a spotlight had been placed over me. It felt like everyone was watching.

I sat there silently, waiting for Nora. Time passed slowly. The clinking of cups, quiet chatter, coffee machines humming, it all faded when I noticed someone walk into the private section of the café.

Rowan’s friend.

I didn’t know his name, but I’d seen him before, always around Rowan. He was with an older man and two others. All of them looked serious. Dressed in formal clothes like they were in the middle of a business meeting.

He didn’t see me, and I didn’t stare too long.

Before I could think more, Nora dropped her bag on the table with a soft thud and sat down.

“What’s wrong? Why did you call me here?” I asked, my voice low.

She didn’t answer immediately.

“You look sad. What happened?” I added.

She sighed. “I’m just frustrated. I mean, I never complained when my parents were always busy with work. I was okay with not having ‘family time.’”

She paused to drink some water. “But today, when we finally had some ‘quality family time,’ they started fighting. And then they dragged me into it. by the away, let’s talk about something else”

She leaned forward and rested her head on the table.

“Ma’am, your order?” a waiter asked.

“Two black coffees and a slice of pineapple cake,” I replied.

As soon as I said it, she sat up with a small smile.

“You know what makes me feel better?” she said.

I smiled back. “Of course. We’ve been together since childhood.”

“Where’s David?” she asked.

“He couldn’t come. He’s working on his assignment.”

She pouted. “Poor him, doing it all alone.”

Then she glanced at me. “Should I help him?”

“Are you… Worried about him?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No! It’s not like that. He’s just stupid. I’d only help so he doesn’t mess it up,” she muttered.

I chuckled. “What’s with you? Your dad must be busy with the upcoming,”

“Let’s not talk about him,” I interrupted quickly.

Our coffee arrived just then, saving us from the silence.

“Okay, I won’t talk about him,” she said, sipping her coffee. Then she grinned. “So… how was the date with Rowan?”

“What date?” I scoffed. “He didn’t even look up from his computer screen. We just worked on the assignment. That’s it.”

“Aria,” she said, calling my name as I was chewing a bite of cake.

“Hm?” I looked up, cake still in my mouth.

Her expression was suddenly serious. “Do you really think you love him?”

I stopped chewing. Put my fork down slowly.

“I don’t know what love is,” I admitted. “But I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”

She nodded silently and returned to her cake.

I’d only ever read about love in books. I never lived it. But whatever those books described… I was starting to feel it with Rowan.

  I felt lost when he looked at me. Everything blurred when he came near. The world turned colorless when he wasn’t around. And when he was, everything felt alive.He was the only person I ever wanted to see. So maybe, just maybe, I could say it. I was in love with him.

My comfort note

Dear comfort note,

Today at the café, I saw Rowan’s friend. He didn’t look like a college student at all. He was sitting with three older men, all of them dressed sharply, and he wasn’t in casual clothes either, he wore proper business attire. It felt more like a meeting than a hangout.

There’s something about him that feels familiar, like I’ve known him before… but I just can’t remember where or how.

He hasn’t spoken a word to me yet, but sometimes, I feel like I know him, and then, there are moments… when he looks at me from across the room or during class. Not casually, intentionally. Like he’s watching me. Like he’s keeping an eye on me.

I don’t know what it means, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s not just my imagination.

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