The first day of college felt strangely nostalgic, as if I were stepping back into the whirlwind of my high school days—charged with excitement, the promise of fresh beginnings, new faces, new adventures, new love. As I settled into my seat for the first class of the semester, my eyes instinctively drifted to the pair seated just ahead of me—a boy and a girl, side by side. There was something about the way they sat together, so perfectly at ease, that sent a flutter through my chest, a feeling I hadn’t expected to feel. 

Was that us? Was that how we used to be, once upon a time? 

The thought lingered, a quiet ache that stirred something deep inside me, pulling me back to a memory I wasn’t sure I was ready to face.

Flashback

It was the day of highschool entrance exam. The air was thick with nervous energy, everyone lost in their own thoughts. But after the exam, as I stepped into the hallway, my gaze found you across the crowd.  I couldn’t help but notice you—tall, lean, features were striking, sharp yet effortlessly graceful. It’s funny how I could tell  the subtle strength in his posture, the quiet power in his gaze even from across the room—maybe it was the way your hair framed your face or the confident way you carried yourself. Your pale features seemed to glow, almost ethereal, like you were meant to be seen in that very moment, at that very place. I couldn’t look away. From that moment, something in me shifted. The memory of you lingered in my mind like a soft, haunting melody.

 It was the day I first saw you. 

The day I met you, even if we hadn’t spoken a word, felt like the start of something larger than either of us could understand at the time.

 We were both first-year students. The campus buzzed with the excitement of fresh beginnings, the air thick with anticipation, as if the entire world was holding its breath. And, as if by some cosmic twist of fate, we found ourselves seated next to each other in the same section. The moment felt so surreal, as if the universe itself had conspired to bring us together. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something greater was at play, pulling us toward each other. It was as though the stars in the sky had aligned just for us, creating this perfect, inevitable meeting. Something about it made me feel like this was how it was always meant to be.

“Hi, my name’s Matt. What’s your name?” His voice broke through my thoughts, pulling me back into the present.

I blinked, caught off guard for a moment. "Oh, hey," I stammered, feeling my cheeks heat up. “My name’s Melanie. I’ve seen you at the entrance exam—” Whoops! I hadn’t meant to say that. What was I thinking? Now he might think I was some sort of weirdo, noticing him in a crowd of hundreds. My face turned bright red, and I immediately fell silent, not able to finish what I was going to say.

Matt chuckled, a warm sound that made the air around us feel lighter. “Oh really? Guess I was the weird one for you to notice in the crowd.”

“Whattt, nooo—” I laughed, trying to recover from the awkwardness. My heart raced, but it felt... good. Like there was something strangely comfortable about him.

“Anyways, nice meeting you.” He grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief, and for a moment, I felt like time had slowed down just for us.

“Nice meeting you too,” I said, offering a smile that I hoped didn’t make me look too awkward.

As the bell rang, signaling the start of homeroom, the classroom began to buzz with introductions. Everyone started standing up, introducing themselves in front of the class.

When it was Matt’s turn, I noticed the way the other girls in the room looked at him—some blushing, some trying to act nonchalant, but all of them caught up in the magnetic pull of his presence.

“Hey guys, my name’s Matteo Leonardo, but you can call me Matt,” he said with a casual grin, standing up in front of the class. “I draw and play a little bit of guitar. Nice to meet you.”

As he sat down, I couldn’t help but notice how the girls’ eyes followed him. It was like a magnetic pull, drawing every gaze toward him. I don’t know if he even realized it—if he knew how much attention he was getting. It was almost like he was completely unaware, effortlessly charming in that way that made it impossible not to notice him.

Then it was my turn. I stood up, my palms a little sweaty. “Hi, I’m Melanie. I love playing the piano, and I love reading books.” My voice felt small compared to Matt’s confident tone, but I managed a smile and quickly sat back down.

Just as I settled into my seat, I heard Matt’s voice again, directed at me. “Oh, you play the piano?” he asked, looking over with genuine interest.

“Yeah,” I answered, my heart picking up speed. “I’ve been playing since I was little.”

He smiled, his eyes lighting up in the way that made it hard to focus on anything else. “Do you wanna join the music club?”

I couldn’t believe it. He was inviting me to join the same club he was in. But, for some reason, I didn’t mention that I was also part of the Martial Arts club. It was a small detail, one I wasn’t sure how to explain just yet.

With excitement bubbling up inside me, I nodded quickly. “Yes. I’d love to.”

It was funny, really. I had only just met him, and yet, something told me that this was just the beginning. The beginning of something unpredictable, something I wasn’t sure I was ready for, but something I knew would change everything.

It wasn’t long before we started talking to each other frequently—during snack breaks, lunch hours, and walking home in the same direction. As seatmates, it felt inevitable that our conversations would drift to more personal topics—favorite colors, hobbies, little details that made us who we were. We both shared a deep love for music. That connection drew us to the Music Club, where we began to grow closer. 

“A little bit of guitar? You’re a prodigy!” me telling to Matt.

“Haha, it would look like I’m bragging if I said I was really good at it infront of new classmates.”

“Well, that’s fair.”

Your fingers moving over the strings with an effortless grace that left me in awe, while I was trying the piano in the Music Club, played for a little bit.

On a whim, I picked up a guitar. And that moment, small as it seemed, marked the beginning of something I hadn’t yet fully understood. A shift in my heart, a quiet recognition that I wasn’t aware of. 

I sat on the floor, fingers hovering awkwardly over the strings, attempting to place my left hand on the G chord. When I strummed, the sound that filled the air was sharp and off-key. "Ah, that hurts my ear," he muttered, frowning at the guitar.

Without a word, he lowered himself in front of me, leaving just enough distance for his eyes to meet the guitar yet his presence filling my space. He reached for my guitar, his fingers brushing against mine as he began to adjust the tuning. His face, so close now, was inches from mine—so near that I could feel the warmth radiating from his skin. His gaze remained fixed on the strings, remained oblivious to the proximity between us.

And then, it hit me—the scent of fresh laundry, a clean, sea-like freshness that surrounded him. It was intoxicating. In that very moment, I realized with a rush what I had been feeling. My heart raced, and I could feel the blush creeping up my neck. I quickly looked away, flustered beyond belief.

"Done!" he said, his voice cheerful, oblivious to the turmoil inside me.

But when he looked up, his eyes met mine—and he noticed. The slight flush on my cheeks, the way my breath caught in my throat. He saw it. He saw me—and I wondered, just for a fleeting moment, if he felt it too.

A beat of silence passed, thick and heavy, before he broke it with a playful tilt of his head, his lips curving into a teasing smile. "This should be okay now." he said, his voice light, but his eyes never leaving mine.

Before I could respond, he flicked my head gently, like a brother would do to a sibling, the action both endearing and completely disarming. It was a small, almost careless gesture, but it sent a shiver down my spine. I stared at him, unsure whether to laugh, blush, or run away entirely.

"Thanks for adjusting it," I said, the words coming out more rushed than I intended.

And that was when it happened. In that quiet, unspoken moment, with the soft strum of the strings filling the air, I felt something stir deep within me—a realization I had been avoiding. The truth of my heart suddenly became clear. 

I like you.

I brushed of that feeling, thinking it would just go away.