Chapter 1 When Our Eyes Met
The evening sky was painted in shades of orange as Nila stood alone on the terrace of her house.
A book rested in her hands, but she wasn't reading it.
Instead, she stared into the distance, lost in her own thoughts.
This had become a habit for her.
She would often hold a book just to escape questions, while her mind wandered somewhere else entirely.
Suddenly, the sound of laughter caught her attention.
It came from the terrace of the neighboring house.
Curious, Nila turned to look.
A group of people were standing there, talking and laughing.
Among them was a boy she had never seen before.
He looked cheerful, smiling as he spoke to everyone around him.
As if sensing her gaze, the boy turned toward her.
Their eyes met for the first time.
To Nila's surprise, he flashed a friendly smile and waved.
"Hi!"
Nila hesitated for a moment before giving him a small smile.
"Hi..."
The boy walked a little closer to the edge of the terrace.
"I'm Akash," he said with a grin.
"Nila," she replied softly.
"Nice name."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"I've never seen you here before," Akash said.
"That's because we moved here today."
"Oh, really?" he asked excitedly. "Welcome to the neighborhood then."
"Thank you."
There was a brief silence.
Then, with the same cheerful smile, Akash said,
"Let's be friends."
Nila blinked in surprise.
"Friends?"
"Yeah," he said. "You seem like someone who could use one."
For the first time in a very long while, Nila felt something she hadn't felt in months.
A tiny spark of happiness.
And neither of them knew it yet...
But this simple conversation was about to change both of their lives forever.
Akash was about to say something when a voice called out from downstairs.
"Akash!"
It was his mother.
He turned toward the staircase and sighed dramatically.
"Looks like my mom is calling me."
Nila let out a small laugh.
Akash smiled.
"I'll be back in a while. We can talk later, okay?"
"Okay," Nila replied softly.
Before leaving, he looked at her and said,
"Don't get mad that I'm leaving."
Nila shook her head.
"No... it's okay."
"Good."
With that, Akash went downstairs.
The terrace suddenly felt quiet.
For some reason, Nila didn't feel like going downstairs anymore.
Instead, she stood there, replaying their conversation in her mind.
His smile.
His voice.
The way he casually asked her to be his friend.
A small smile slowly appeared on her face.
Without realizing it, she found herself waiting.
Waiting to hear his footsteps again.
Waiting for him to come back.
A few minutes later, she heard someone climbing the stairs.
Immediately, Nila moved away from the edge of the terrace, pretending she wasn't waiting for anyone.
A moment later, Akash appeared.
The moment he saw her, a grin spread across his face.
"You're still here?"
Nila looked away.
"Yeah..."
"I thought you'd have gone downstairs by now."
"No... I didn't feel like it."
Akash studied her face for a moment.
Then his smile slowly faded.
"Hey..."
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
Nila's eyes lowered.
Something about his question made her feel emotional.
No one had asked her that in a very long time.
Akash noticed the change in her expression.
"Hey, relax," he said gently.
"It's okay."
Nila remained silent.
"Look at me, Nila."
Slowly, she lifted her head.
The moment her eyes met his, her heart skipped a beat.
There was something comforting about the way he looked at her.
Something safe.
Something she couldn't explain.
Trying to lighten the mood, Akash smiled.
"By the way..."
"Hmm?"
"Can I have your number?"
Without even thinking about it, Nila gave him her number.
Akash saved it with a satisfied smile.
The two continued talking.
For the first time in a long while, Nila felt happy.
Suddenly...
📱 Nila's phone started ringing.
She glanced at the screen.
Mom Calling.
The smile on her face disappeared instantly.
Her body tensed.
Akash noticed it immediately.
"What happened?"
Nila quickly looked away.
"It's... my mom."
"Then answer it."
Nila hesitated before picking up the call.
The moment she answered, a loud angry voice echoed through the phone.
Her mother's harsh words hit her one after another.
Nila's face turned pale.
The happiness she had felt moments ago vanished completely.
She quietly lowered her head.
Without saying anything, she ended the call and rushed downstairs.
Akash stood there, watching her leave.
Confused.
Worried.
And for the first time...
He realized that behind Nila's silence, there was a pain she was trying very hard to hide.
To Be Continued.
