After entering the college campus, Azaan quietly walked toward his classroom, but his thoughts were nowhere near the lessons waiting for him inside.

His mind was completely occupied by Viki.

The way Viki had looked at him earlier… the softness in his eyes… everything kept replaying inside Azaan's heart again and again.

No matter how much he tried to stay calm, something inside him had already started changing.

A few minutes later, Viki entered the classroom to take attendance.

The moment he stepped inside, the noisy classroom became even louder.

Some students greeted him while others rushed back to their seats pretending to behave properly.

Viki adjusted the attendance sheet in his hand before speaking.

"Everyone, listen carefully. The college has arranged a two-day trip for students begins tomorrow."

The entire classroom instantly exploded with excitement.
"What?! Really?"

"Sir, where are we going?"

"This is going to be amazing!"

Students started shouting happily while discussing plans among themselves. The classroom was filled with laughter and excitement, but Azaan didn't pay attention to any of it.

His eyes remained fixed only on Viki.

To him, the loud classroom noise slowly faded away until only Viki's voice remained in his ears.

Viki then started taking attendance one by one. His calm voice echoed throughout the classroom as students answered back casually.

But the moment he was about to call Azaan's name, his voice suddenly paused.

For a brief second, Viki's eyes unconsciously lifted toward Azaan.
Their gazes met.

Azaan froze slightly in his seat.

There was something different in Viki's eyes today… curiosity, softness, and something Azaan couldn't fully understand.

It felt as if Viki was silently trying to read every hidden emotion inside him.

That one small moment made Azaan's heartbeat rise uncontrollably.

Unable to handle the intense eye contact, Azaan slowly lowered his gaze, but the warmth spreading inside his chest refused to disappear.

Once viki was done, he looked up at the class and announced the destination for their two-day trip.

The moment the places left his lips, excited murmurs spread across the room.

The students instantly broke into cheerful chatter, their faces lighting up with excitement as they eagerly discussed the trip ahead.

After that, Viki quietly left for the staff room while students excitedly continued talking about the trip.

Sam kept speaking beside Azaan, but Azaan barely listened. His thoughts stayed with Viki.

During lunch break, Azaan finally gathered enough courage and slowly walked toward the staff room.

When he reached there, he noticed Viki sitting alone while eating lunch and checking some files at the same time.

The sunlight entering through the nearby window softly fell across Viki's face, making him look unbelievably beautiful in Azaan's eyes.

For a moment, Azaan simply stood near the door staring at him.

He didn't even realize he was smiling slightly.

As if sensing someone's presence, Viki slowly lifted his head and looked toward the entrance.

Their eyes met again.

"Azaan?" Viki called softly.

Azaan immediately became nervous and quickly walked inside.

"Sir… are you feeling okay now?" he asked carefully, genuine concern clearly visible in his voice.

For a second, Viki looked surprised.

Then a soft smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"I'm completely fine now," he replied gently.

Hearing that answer instantly relieved Azaan.

The worried expression on his face slowly disappeared, and Viki quietly noticed every little change in his expression.

Seeing someone care for him this sincerely made Viki's heart feel strangely warm.

Neither of them understood why their hearts reacted so differently whenever they were near each other.

Soon, lunch break ended and everyone returned to class.

The rest of the day passed quickly, but both Azaan and Viki found themselves secretly thinking about each other again and again.

After college hours were over, students slowly started leaving the campus. Near the gate, Viki stood silently waiting.

A few minutes later, Azaan arrived there and immediately became surprised seeing Viki still standing there.

"You waited for me, sir?" Azaan asked softly, unable to hide the happiness in his voice.

Viki slightly nodded.

"You said you wanted to tell me something."

A small smile instantly appeared on Azaan's face.

"This isn't the right place to talk, sir… can we go somewhere else?"
Without questioning further, Viki silently agreed.

From a distance, Sam noticed both of them leaving together. Confusion and curiosity immediately filled his expression, but before he could call Azaan, both of them had already walked away.

The evening sky slowly turned orange as Azaan and Viki walked side by side through the streets.

Neither of them spoke much, but the silence between them felt strangely comforting instead of awkward.

After walking for some time, they finally reached a quiet park nearby.

A cool breeze softly passed through the trees while the peaceful atmosphere surrounded them.

Both of them sat down on a bench beside each other.

For a few seconds, silence remained between them.

Viki then turned slightly toward him.

"What did you want to say, Azaan?"

The moment those words reached his ears, Azaan's heartbeat became faster.

His fingers tightened nervously while he lowered his gaze.

"Actually, sir…" he started softly before stopping halfway.

Viki patiently waited.

After taking a deep breath, Azaan finally spoke again.

"When I was ten years old… my parents died in a car accident."

The moment those words left his mouth, Viki's expression changed completely.

Pain slowly filled his eyes.

"After that… I grew up alone," Azaan continued quietly. "I never trusted anyone. Honestly… I never even cared about anyone."

His voice carried years of loneliness hidden deep inside his heart.

"But now…" Azaan slowly looked toward Viki. "Things feel different."

Viki silently listened to every word without interrupting him.

"When I'm with you, sir… I feel warm." Azaan's voice became softer. "I feel safe too. I don't know why… but I trust you more than anyone."

Those honest words completely stunned Viki.

For a moment, he couldn't even speak properly.

Nobody had ever trusted him with such pure sincerity before.

A strange emotion slowly spread through Viki's chest while he stared at Azaan silently.

Finally, Viki smiled faintly.

"Thank you for trusting me, Azaan…" he whispered softly. "But I'm not really a trustworthy person."

The moment he heard that, Azaan immediately shook his head.
"Please don't say that."

His voice was firm yet emotional.

That sincerity touched Viki's heart deeply.

For the first time in a very long time, Viki felt his cold heart slowly becoming warm again.

Then suddenly, Viki stood up from the bench.

"Come with me," he said quietly.

Confused but curious, Azaan followed him without asking questions.

After walking for a few minutes, they stopped in front of a small cake shop glowing warmly under the evening lights.

Azaan looked at Viki in confusion while Viki calmly walked inside.

A few minutes later, Viki returned holding a chocolate fudge cake.

The moment Azaan saw it, his eyes widened in shock.

It was his favorite cake.

Viki gently handed it to him.

Azaan looked completely speechless.

"How did you know this was my favorite?" he asked softly.

Viki smiled slightly.

"I once saw you buying it near the bus stand."

Those simple words deeply shook Azaan's heart.

The fact that Viki remembered such a tiny detail about him made his chest feel unbearably warm.

Nobody had ever paid attention to him like this before.

Azaan looked at Viki silently, unable to stop the emotions growing inside him anymore.

And Viki… unknowingly found himself unable to look away from Azaan either.

That evening, without either of them realizing it, the distance between their hearts became much smaller than before.

Later that night, Viki sat alone in his room remembering Azaan's words again and again. A small smile unknowingly appeared on his lips.

At the exact same time, Azaan lay on his bed staring at the ceiling while smiling softly to himself.

For the first time in years, both of them felt less lonely.

And somewhere deep inside their hearts…
love had already begun to bloom.