The last day of summer break always felt heavier than the others, like the world was pausing just long enough for you to feel everything you didn't say out loud.
"Senior year is starting," I whispered to myself, the words hanging in the air like a promise.
The thought made my stomach flutter. It had been a long journey. And now, one more chapter, one final year before stepping into whatever came next.
I wouldn't miss the town, not really. But the people? Most of them, yes. Especially the ones who unknowingly stitched themselves into my story.
Everyone from our school seemed to be busy with something. That's college for you: always moving, always demanding.
When we got back to campus, there was a small welcome party, nothing too wild, just enough to remind us we were back.
Music blared from speakers someone had dragged onto the quad.
Students milled about with drinks in their hands, laughter spilling through the warm evening air.
Couples were dancing, kissing, and taking photos. It was chaotic, but lighthearted.
I sipped soda from a red cup, grateful for the cold taste and its clarity. I don't drink. Not because I'm better than anyone else, "just... personal reasons.
I'm afraid of what I might say or do under the influence. I prefer to stay grounded, present.
In control of myself.
"Nuella, will you be okay alone here? I'll be right back," Saraph called, tugging at her curls and smoothing her jeans.
I gave her a look and grinned. "I'm a big girl. I'll be okay," I replied.
She laughed. I knew exactly where she was headed; someone had caught her eye earlier, and she was going to find him.
That's Saraph for you. She loved boys. Not in the careless sense, but in the way a hopeless romantic always does.
She believed in fairytales, in sparks, in people meeting at the right time.
"Don't go anywhere," she warned, pulling me into a tight hug before disappearing into the crowd.
I sat alone for a while. I didn't mind. I liked my own company, especially on nights like this, when everything felt charged and slow at the same time.
That's when I felt it.
A sensation. Like someone was watching me.
I glanced around casually, pretending to scan the crowd, when my eyes landed on him.
A guy I didn't recognize", standing just beyond the line of students.
He had nice hair, a calm expression, and a tattoo on his forearm that I couldn't quite make out in the dark.
But what I did see… was the way he looked at me. Not like I was a stranger, like I was a puzzle.
His lips curled slightly, like a smile or a smirk, I wasn't sure.
I looked away quickly, pulse racing. I didn't know him, but I felt something. A tiny spark, one I wasn't ready to admit.
So I stood up. Walked away. Ignored the feeling.
"Why did you run away?"
I froze.
His voice came from behind me, low, gentle, almost teasing.
I turned slightly, not fully facing him, my heart skipping in disbelief. "I didn't run away," I said quietly.
He came and sat beside me. Close, but not too close. "I couldn't help myself," he said softly. "You seem different from the other girls."
I frowned, glancing at him. "You don't know me. How can you possibly tell I'm different?"
He smiled, eyes scanning the distance ahead of us. "At the party, I watched. You didn't drink, didn't take pictures, didn't pretend. You were just… you."
My breath caught. "How long were you watching me?"
"You caught my attention the moment you arrived."
I wasn't sure how to respond. My cheeks warmed, and I looked away, pretending not to be flattered.
"Why?" I asked.
He didn't hesitate. "Because you did. Simple as that."
And then, the moment that changed everything:
"You'll know me soon enough, Nuella," he said, standing.
Wait, what?
My heart thudded. "How do you know my name?" I asked, my voice a blend of confusion and suspicion.
He paused, the same smirk from earlier on his face. "You'll find out soon," he said. "See you around."
And just like that, he was gone.
Vanished into the crowd, leaving behind the smell of mystery, the heat of his words, and the rush of something I didn't yet understand.
But I would.
Oh, I would.
The sunlight crept into my room like an uninvited guest, too bright, too cheerful for how my heart felt: tangled and questioning.
I rolled over, squinting against the light, the memory of last night pouring into me like a song I couldn't get out of my head.
His voice.
His words.
His smirk.
How did he know my name?
You'll know me soon enough, Nuella…
I sat up slowly, brushing sleep from my eyes. Saraph was still curled up on the other bed, one leg kicked out dramatically from under her blanket, her hair a wild mess of curls that screamed she'd had a good night.
I smiled at her.
Saraph was always the heart of the party, loud where I was quiet, spontaneous where I was cautious.
But she also knew me well enough to know when something was different.
She stirred, mumbling something incoherent, before blinking sleepily. Then she sat up, eyes suddenly wide with interest.
"You disappeared," she said, stretching. "What happened last night? You vanished on me!"
I bit my lip, unsure of how much to say. But she was already staring at me with that look that said Don't even think about hiding it.
"Okay…" I sighed. "You remember that guy at the party? The one standing near the edge of the crowd?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Tall? Tattooed? Giving major mysterious vibes?"
I nodded. "Him."
Her eyes widened as she leaned in, fully awake now. "Tell. Me. Everything."
So I did.
The watching. The smirk. The soft, unexpected conversation. The way he knew my name without me ever giving it. And then, how he just… left.
Saraph was silent for a second, chewing her lip in thought.
"That's strange. And also… insanely attractive. Nuella, this sounds like something from a movie!"
I laughed, but even as I did, I felt the question rise again. "But who is he?"
Saraph pulled out her phone and started scrolling through our college group chat photos. "Wait… I think he might be Daniel."
I turned to her, brow furrowed. "Daniel?"
She nodded, eyes still on her screen. "Yeah, Daniel. Senior. Transferred here last semester from another college.
Quiet guy barely posts anything. But he's good at basketball, I think? I've seen him at the basketball court.
A few girls have a thing for him, but he barely talks to anyone."
Daniel.
The name felt sharp and soft at the same time.
So that was his name.
I felt a strange sense of disappointment… like knowing his name made him less of a mystery, but also more real. I didn't know what to do with the feeling.
"He said I'd find out who he was soon," I murmured.
Saraph gave me a pointed look. "Girl, I don't know what kind of connection you sparked with him last night, but trust me, he's watching. And he chose you."
Chosen.
I wasn't used to that word in this way, not from boys, not from strangers, not from someone who watched me in a room full of noise and saw something worth sitting beside.
Later that day, as I passed the student café on my way to class, my eyes instinctively scanned the area.
And there he was.
Leaning against the far wall.
The tattoo is visible this time.
Eyes are already watching me.
He didn't smile this time. He just nodded, slowly, like he'd been expecting me.
And somehow, so had I.