Chapter 1 – The First Glance
The first day of 11th grade always felt like the beginning of another ordinary school year.
For Aria Bennett, however, it became the day that changed everything.
The morning sun poured through the tall classroom windows, painting golden streaks across the polished floors. Students rushed through the hallways, laughing, introducing themselves, and searching for their classrooms.
Among the crowd walked a girl with sparkling hazel eyes and a smile bright enough to light up the corridor.
Aria Bennett.
She was the kind of person who could trip over absolutely nothing, laugh at herself, and somehow make everyone around her laugh too. Her heart was as innocent as a child’s, and she believed that kindness always found its way back.
"Aria! Hurry up!" Stella called from the end of the hallway.
"I'm coming!" Aria laughed as she adjusted her backpack and hurried after her best friend.
The two girls chatted endlessly until Stella suddenly stopped walking.
"What happened?" Aria asked.
Stella didn't answer.
Instead, she looked toward the opposite end of the hallway.
A group of students had gathered there.
At the center of the crowd stood a tall boy dressed neatly in the school uniform. His black hair was slightly messy, his posture confident, and his calm expression made him seem untouchable.
Sebastian Knight.
The most popular student in school.
Top grades.
Captain of the business club.
Every teacher admired him.
Almost every girl had a crush on him.
Aria had never seen him before.
The moment their eyes met...
Time stopped.
Her heartbeat skipped.
The noise around her faded into silence.
She simply stood there, staring at him.
Sebastian looked at her for barely a second.
His expression didn't change.
Without saying a word, he looked away and continued walking.
That was all.
Just one second.
Yet somehow...
That single glance stayed with Aria long after he disappeared into the crowd.
"Aria?"
No response.
"Aria!"
Still nothing.
Stella waved her hand in front of Aria's face.
"Earth to Aria!"
Aria blinked.
"H-Huh?"
Stella folded her arms and smirked.
"Oh my God..."
"You've got a crush already, don't you?"
"W-What? No!"
"Oh really?" Stella laughed. "Then why were you staring at Sebastian Knight like your soul left your body?"
Aria's cheeks instantly turned pink.
"I wasn't staring!"
"You were frozen."
"I was not!"
"You absolutely were."
Aria covered her burning face with both hands.
"I hate you."
"No, you don't."
The two girls burst into laughter as they walked toward their classroom.
That night...
Aria opened a small blue diary that no one knew about.
She picked up her pen.
For a few seconds...
She smiled to herself.
Then she wrote—
"Dear Diary,"
"Today, I saw someone I've never met before."
"His name is Sebastian Knight."
"He only looked at me for one second..."
"But somehow..."
"I can't stop thinking about him."
She gently closed the diary and hugged it to her chest.
Outside her bedroom window, the stars quietly filled the night sky.
Neither Aria nor Sebastian knew it yet...
But that one glance had already begun a story that would change both of their lives forever.
End of Chapter 1...
✨ Next Chapter: The Kitten in the Rain ☔🐈
