Chapter 1: Before I met her
The year was about to end.
Winter had quietly settled into the city, and everyone seemed busy with someone — friends, lovers, laughter, plans. The world looked warm for everyone else.
Except me.
Some people are born loud.
Some are born confident.
And then there are people like me — the background characters.
Too shy to start a conversation.
Too quiet to be noticed.
Too ordinary to matter.
Sometimes I feel like if I disappeared for a day, no one would even realize.
And honestly… that thought hurts more than anything.
My daily life, my college life — it feels heavy. Like carrying an invisible weight that nobody else can see.
Like every day, my alarm rang at 6:00 a.m.
The same irritating tone.
The same sleepy eyes.
The same ceiling staring back at me.
I turned it off and sat up slowly.
Another day.
I folded my blanket, arranged my bed neatly, and got ready. It’s funny how even when life feels messy, we still make our beds perfectly. Maybe it’s the only thing we can control.
By 7:50 a.m., I left home with my bag hanging loosely on one shoulder.
Cold air brushed against my face.
The sky was grey — thick clouds covering everything. Heavy winds. A few raindrops falling now and then.
It looked like the kind of day where the sun simply gives up trying.
But strangely… I liked this weather.
Cloudy days match people like me.
Quiet. Dull. Unnoticed.
My college is near the foothills of a hill station, about 24 kilometers away.
The bus ride takes almost an hour.
I sat near the window like always.
Same seat. Same route.
Trees passed by.
Fog covered the roads.
Music played softly in my earphones.
Other students laughed in groups behind me.
Some shared snacks.
Some slept on each other’s shoulders.
Some talked non-stop.
And me?
Just watching.
Like always.
Sometimes I wonder what it feels like to belong somewhere like that.
When I reached campus, the rain got heavier.
I looked up at the sky.
“No snow today either…” I muttered.
I don’t know why, but I always secretly hope for snow. Maybe because it makes everything look new. Clean. Different.
Maybe I just want life to feel different too.
Then suddenly —
I froze.
My hand was empty.
Umbrella.
I forgot my umbrella.
“Great… just great,” I sighed.
After struggling for a while and asking around, I somehow managed to borrow one. Not mine, but it would work.
The campus was filled with couples sharing umbrellas.
Two people under one umbrella.
Laughing. Talking. Walking slowly.
It felt like a movie scene.
And there I was…
Walking alone.
But I smiled a little.
“Single… but peaceful,” I whispered to myself.
Maybe I was trying to convince myself.
Classes ended.
Rain still falling.
Wind getting stronger.
I opened the borrowed umbrella and stepped outside the building.
Cold air hit my face.
The campus looked almost empty now.
Just the sound of rain… and my footsteps.
For a moment, everything felt calm.
Then suddenly—
Tug.
Someone pulled my umbrella from behind.
“What the—?!”
My heart jumped.
For the first time in my life, someone just grabbed something from me like that.
Anger rushed up.
I turned quickly, ready to shout.
“Hey, what are you—”
But the words stopped.
Got stuck.
My throat went dry.
Because standing there…
Holding my umbrella…
Was a girl.
Her hair slightly wet from the rain.
Breathing fast.
Eyes wide.
She looked just as surprised as me.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Time felt… slow.
My heart started beating louder than the rain.
And for the first time in a long, long while…
Someone was looking straight at me.
Not through me.
Not past me.
At me.
I didn’t know it yet…
But maybe…
That ordinary rainy day
was about to change everything.
To be continued…
