By Monday, school didn't feel like school anymore.
It felt like possibility.
Sara walked through the hallways with Yumi, her bag slung over one shoulder, the diary tucked safely inside. The sky outside was dull, clouds rolling in, but inside her chest, something bright and restless hummed like a secret on the tip of a smile.
Yumi nudged her. "You're glowing. What is that? Rosewater moisturizer or infatuation?"
Sara smiled shyly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Probably both."
As they walked into class, Yumi suddenly grinned. "Heads up. Lucky Charm incoming."
Sara's heart did a backflip.
She turned her head slightly, casually—not too fast—and there he was.
Aarav.
With his usual disheveled look, schoolbag hanging off one shoulder, one shoelace loose. He was walking with his group of boys, that same casual swagger, laughing at something one of them said. His laughter was softer today, a little sleepy.
But when he reached that corridor—the corridor that passed their classroom—he slowed.
Sara and Yumi were already at their desks near the window. Lunchboxes out. Unopened.
Yumi whispered, "He's coming again."
Sara didn't answer. Her heart was too loud in her ears.
As the boys walked past the glass-windowed wall, it happened again.
One of them peered in—openly, this time.
Two more followed.
And then all of them turned their heads and stared right into the classroom… straight at Sara.
Sara blinked, mid-chew. Her eyes widened as all the boys smirked, like they were part of some elaborate prank. Some even made exaggerated faces—whistles, eyebrows raised, one guy winked dramatically.
Sara froze, the piece of sandwich hanging mid-air. Yumi dropped her spoon, staring.
And right in the center of the group—Aarav.
He wasn't looking directly at her.
No.
He was looking just past her. Chin up. Hands in his pockets. The picture of chill. Like none of this had anything to do with him.
Like he hadn't just dragged his entire friend circle to glance at the girl he had noticed.
Sara's face turned crimson.
"YUMI!" she whispered, slamming her lunchbox shut.
Yumi burst into laughter. "Oh my GOD. Sara. He literally brought his whole boy band just to show them you!"
"He didn't even look at me!" she hissed.
"He looked too much," Yumi replied. "That's why he's pretending he didn't."
Sara covered her face with both hands, groaning. "This is the most embarrassing day of my life."
"Girl, this is FLIRTING," Yumi said. "Gen Z boy flirting."
Sara peeked through her fingers, just in time to see Aarav glance back for a split second—so quick that if she'd blinked, she'd have missed it.
And that split-second glance?
It wasn't teasing.
It was… shy.
Soft.
Almost like a secret he hadn't decided to admit to himself yet.
---
From that day on, it became a thing.
Aarav walked by the corridor almost every single day.
Sometimes his group followed. Sometimes it was just him.
Sometimes he passed by twice.
Once when she arrived.
Again during lunch.
And Sara… she couldn't stop looking at him. It wasn't just about how handsome he was anymore. It was the energy—the way her heart recognized something in him before her mind could name it.
There was a boy outside her window, and every time he passed by, it felt like the sun rising.
---
One afternoon, he didn't look.
He walked by, but this time, his gaze stayed straight ahead.
Sara noticed. Of course she did.
Her heart, so used to skipping for him, suddenly stumbled.
"Yumi," she whispered. "He didn't even glance today."
Yumi looked at her sympathetically. "Maybe he's just trying to act cool. Or maybe... he's scared."
"Scared?"
"Of you," Yumi said, matter-of-fact. "Scared of what he's starting to feel."
Sara blinked at her, startled. That thought had never crossed her mind.
Could it be true?
Was she more than just a girl by the window?
---
Later that night, Sara stared out of her bedroom window, watching the stars blink slowly in the sky.
Her fingers brushed the pages of her diary before she opened it and wrote:
> Dear Lucky Charm,
Do you know what you're doing to me? You walk by like it's nothing, and you leave behind a hurricane.
I wish I had the courage to say hello.
But maybe you already know I'm watching. Maybe you're watching me too.
Either way… thank you.
For giving me something to look forward to.
---
To be continued in Chapter Five