Akif Malik’s POV:

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I wasn’t supposed to notice her.

I had my routine.

Basketball. Class. Gym. Silence.

No drama. No detours. No distractions.

And then one morning, she walked into the Xavier courtyard…

Wearing oversized sleeves, clutching her bag like it held her whole world, eyes darting like a deer stepping into a jungle it wasn’t ready for.

That was the first time I saw her.

Didn’t even know her name.

But something about her made the world go a little slower for a second.

---

At first, I thought maybe it was just… curiosity.

You don’t see girls like that here — quiet, yet full of something you can’t explain.

She didn’t try to impress anyone.

She didn’t force herself to speak.

She just existed. And somehow, her silence said more than most people’s screaming.

But then… I caught myself watching her too often.

In the canteen.

Across the corridor.

Once in the library — where she fell asleep over a poetry book and her pen was still in her hand.

I should’ve walked away. I almost did.

But instead, I just… watched.

Like a fool.

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I don’t know what it is about her.

Maybe it’s the way she looks at the world like she’s already been broken by it once.

Maybe it’s the sadness she hides behind that one awkward smile.

Or maybe it’s the way she sits on the edge of every conversation — like she’s still trying to decide if she deserves to be part of it.

> I’ve seen loud girls. Pretty girls. Smart girls.

But I’ve never seen someone who made silence look so… powerful.

---

And then Jiya made that stupid comment.

I wasn’t going to say anything. I never do.

But the second she mocked Zoya’s quietness…

I felt something rise in my chest.

> “Maybe that’s better than faking laughter for attention.”

I said it without thinking.

Even surprised myself.

Her eyes flew to me like she didn’t expect anyone — especially me — to say anything.

But what shocked me more?

The way she looked at me.

Not like I was a hero.

Like I was… human.

And damn, that was dangerous.

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Truth or Dare night?

Yeah, I wasn’t even supposed to go.

But when Aarfa said she was bringing Zoya, I showed up.

No one asked why.

And that night, when they asked me if I’d ever liked someone in the group?

I could’ve lied.

But her eyes were on me.

So I told the truth.

> “No. But maybe now.”

I didn’t plan those words.

They just… slipped.

Because I wasn’t just talking to the group.

I was talking to her.

And I think she knew that.

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The kitchen.

God, the way she stood there, pouring soda like it was a science experiment.

I walked in, and her whole posture tensed like I’d caught her doing something illegal.

I said the first thing that came to my mind:

“You’re quiet tonight.”

Stupid, I know. She’s always quiet.

But she answered. Honestly. Softly. Like she didn’t have walls around her.

> I wanted to ask her a million things.

Why she came here.

What broke her.

What she writes in that damn notebook she guards like a secret.

But I said nothing.

Because I didn’t want to scare her away.

---

Later, when we sat side by side during the game, and our shoulders touched for a second — she flinched.

Not because she was afraid.

But because she felt something.

And so did I.

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That night, I couldn’t sleep.

I stared at my ceiling fan thinking about her.

The way her hair curled at the ends.

The way she tucks her sleeves over her fingers when she’s nervous.

The way her laugh is rare… but unforgettable.

> I didn’t fall for her.

I noticed her.

And somehow, that felt even more dangerous.

---

My friends say I’m cold.

But with her?

I feel like a flame waiting to burn slow.

She hasn’t smiled at me properly yet.

But I’ll wait.

Because I have a feeling…

once she does —

it’ll ruin every other smile I’ve ever

seen.

---

She doesn’t know it yet.

Maybe she never will.

But she’s already in my head.

In my day. In my silence. In my breath.

Her name is Zoya.

And her eyes?

> They look like home.

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To be continued...

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One more chapter uploaded ✅

I myself is falling for my own story don't know about you. Are you also falling? Let me know in the comments!

Love yaa🪞🎀

~Annie💗