Chapter 1 — Window Seat
Chapter 1 — WINDOW SEAT
The wind outside brushed softly against the classroom windows, carrying the scent of wet grass and the faint echo of laughter from the schoolyard. Noava sat beside the window, her chin resting on her palm, eyes lost somewhere beyond the sky. She loved quiet mornings — the way the sunlight slid across the floor tiles, how the world outside looked softer than the one inside.
Her classmates were loud as usual, chatting and giggling about weekend gossip. Noava barely listened. She preferred silence; it was safer that way.
Then, the classroom door opened.
Everyone turned.
A boy stepped in — tall, confident, his tie loose, his sleeves rolled just enough to look carelessly perfect. His hair was slightly messy, like he didn’t care, but somehow it suited him. His eyes scanned the room, cold and sharp — until they landed on her.
The teacher smiled nervously. “Class, this is our new student — Kane Adreial. He just transferred here, so make him feel welcome.”
The girls whispered instantly, their voices buzzing like bees.
“He’s so handsome.” “Look at his eyes!” “Is he single?”
Noava looked away, pretending not to care. But when she glanced back, Kane was still watching her — his lips curving into the faintest smirk, like he had already decided something.
“Hmm…” the teacher looked around, then pointed. “There’s an empty seat next to Noava. You can sit there, Kane.”
He walked toward her desk with an easy confidence. Every step seemed too calm, too sure. Noava’s heart gave a strange, unfamiliar skip. When he sat beside her, she felt his presence like a shadow — quiet but heavy.
“Hey,” he said softly, turning to her. His voice was low, smooth. “You’re Noava, right?”
She nodded, keeping her eyes on her notebook. “Yeah.”
“You always this quiet?” he asked, teasing lightly.
Noava glanced at him — his playful grin made it hard not to smile back. “Only when I have to be.”
He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Guess I’ll have to make you talk, then.”
Noava rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at her lips.
The bell rang, and everyone began to move, but Kane didn’t. He stayed beside her, watching the way her hair caught the light, the way her eyes flicked toward him and then away.
Something inside him — something unfamiliar — stirred.
He didn’t know what it was yet. But as he sat there beside her, Kane Adreial knew one thing for sure.
He didn’t just transfer schools. He had just walked straight into the beginning of his favorite kind of trouble — her.
