STELLA
The sun feels unusually harsh today, like summer has already claimed victory. Heat shimmers above the playground. Somewhere in the distance, crickets are already singing, impatient for evening.
Funny.
Out of all the ways I imagined spending the last day of school, I never thought I’d be sitting here…
…comforting the broken heart of the boy I’ve loved for years.
“Ahem.”
Aman’s voice pulls me back.
“Stella? Are you even listening? Where’s your mind at?”
I blink and force a small smile.
“I’m sorry, Aman. It’s nothing. What were you saying again?”
He sighs dramatically, running a hand through his hair.
“I said… how could she reject me?”
His voice cracks a little.
“Can’t you talk to her? You two are childhood friends after all.”
Right.
Her.
The girl he loves.
The girl he confessed to yesterday.
The girl who rejected him.
And the girl I’m apparently supposed to convince to love him back.
I inhale slowly.
“Aman… I can’t do that.”
He frowns.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s her choice.”
The words taste strange in my mouth.
“I can’t force her to like you. You need to respect her decision.”
He scoffs.
“Bullshit. I want her.”
“Hey.”
My tone sharpens before I can stop myself.
“Mind it.”
He looks startled.
I soften my voice.
“Listen… I know it’s hard to move on.”
Silence stretches between us.
“But sometimes,” I continue quietly, “letting go of someone is also a form of love.”
He doesn’t say anything.
So I keep going.
“Besides… there are people who stay just to see you smile.”
My fingers trace random patterns on the bench.
“And for your own mental peace… you need to move forward.”
Aman stares at me for a moment.
Then he sighs.
“Yeah… you’re right, Stella.”
A small smile appears on his face.
“Thanks. I feel better now.”
Of course you do.
Because the person who loved you silently just helped you get over another girl.
We talk for a while after that. Random things. College plans. Future dreams. Normal stuff.
Then my auto arrives.
I stand up.
“So… this is goodbye?”
“Yeah.” Aman smiles. “Take care, Stella.”
“You too.”
I step into the auto and wave as it drives away.
A strange heaviness settles in my chest.
I look back one last time.
Aman is already walking away.
I lean back in the seat and close my eyes.
Guess this is how my chapter of finding true love ends.
Four months later.
First year of college.
Life has moved on like nothing happened.
Classes. Assignments. Crowded hallways. New faces everywhere.
By the time I get home today, my brain feels like mashed potatoes.
All I want is sleep.
Glorious, uninterrupted sleep.
I throw my bag on the bed and collapse face-first onto the pillow.
Five seconds later…
My phone starts ringing.
I ignore it.
It rings again.
And again.
And again.
“Whoever you are,” I mumble into the pillow, “I hope you step on a Lego.”
The phone keeps ringing.
Fine.
I grab it and answer.
“Niki, if this is not life or death, I swear—”
“STELLA!”
I pull the phone away from my ear.
“What?”
“How can you sleep at a time like this?!” Niki screeches.
“Very easily,” I groan. “Watch me.”
“NO.”
“Yes.”
“NO.”
I sigh.
“Girl, let this poor soul sleep.”
“Stella,” she says dramatically, “I just encountered a guy with your brain.”
I blink.
“…what?”
“You need to talk to him.”
“Babe,” I mumble, “are you drunk?”
“What?!”
“You sure you didn’t drink on your way back? If not, you’re definitely sleep deprived.”
“UGHHHH.”
“For once,” she groans, “just listen to me.”
“Fine. Shoot.”
“Okay. So I was scrolling when I suddenly got a text from an unknown number.”
“Mm.”
“It said, ‘Yo dude, let’s hit the theatre tomorrow.’”
I snort.
“Wrong number.”
“Exactly!”
“So I replied, ‘Wrong number. Who might you be?’”
“And?”
“He goes, ‘Oh shit I’m sorry. I thought I was texting my friend. I’m Zed.’”
I sit up a little straighter.
“Wait.”
Niki pauses.
“What?”
“Zed?”
“Yeah.”
“…Zed from 10th grade?”
“YES.”
For a second my brain completely short-circuits.
“No way.”
“What no way?”
“You don’t mean THE Zed, right?”
“The transfer student?”
“The one who joined our class halfway through the year?”
“Uh… yeah?”
I stare at the ceiling like I’ve just been struck by lightning.
“You’re telling me,” I say slowly, “that the Zed who stole half the girls’ hearts in school just by existing…”
“…texted you by mistake?”
Niki laughs.
“Yes!”
I sit up fully now, wide awake.
“That quiet guy?”
“The shy one who barely talked?”
“The one who looked like he walked straight out of some anime?”
“Yes, that one!”
I run a hand through my hair.
“Dude… girls literally had crushes on him without him even trying.”
“I know!
“And I said, ‘I’m Niki. Your classmate.’”
“And?”
“And then we started talking!”
“How long?”
“Two hours.”
I blink.
“Two hours?”
“Yes!”
She practically squeals.
“Stella… he reads manga.”
I freeze.
“He watches anime.”
My sleep disappears instantly.
“And he likes the same genres as you!”
My brain slowly wakes up.
Because all my life…
No one in my friend circle ever shared those interests.
Not once.
And now suddenly…
“Dude,” Niki continues, “he’ll only surprise you more.”
A strange excitement bubbles inside me.
“Niki.”
“Yeah?”
“How do I say this…”
I grin.
“I’m weirdly pumped.”
“I knew it!”
“Send me his number.”
“What?”
“I need to see it for myself.”
“You mean—”
“If this guy actually exists…”
I grin wider.
“…then I need him as my friend.”
Meanwhile…
Niki is already texting him.
“Hey there. A friend of mine wants to talk to you.”
“Who?”
“Stella. You remember her?”
There’s a pause.
Then a reply.
“Oh yeah.”
“The house captain.”
“And the topper of our class.”
Niki laughs.
“Yeah yeah. That one.”
“She wants to talk to you.”
Another pause.
Then he replies.
“…what if I make things awkward for her?”
“Why?”
“I’m an introvert. And very shy.”
Niki bursts out laughing.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Why?”
“That girl?”
“She’s the queen of extroverts.”
“She won’t let things get awkward even if she tries.”
A few seconds later…
“Let’s see.”
My heart is beating a little faster than normal.
Okay calm down Stella.
You’re just texting a human being.
Not a celebrity.
Probably.
I type slowly.
Hey. I’m Stella.
I got your number from Niki.
You’re Zed right?
Send.
The message delivers.
A second later…
Seen.
And suddenly my heart starts racing for absolutely no reason.
Why am I nervous?
It’s just a conversation.
Right?
…right?
