"Love Reborn:A tale of unlikely reunion"

chapter 2: Lost in the crowd

I stepped into the school building, my hands gripping my schedule and map like they were lifelines. 8th C, that’s all I knew. Now, if only I could figure out where that was.

The hallway stretched out before me, packed with students buzzing with nervous energy. I glanced around, trying to stay calm, but the knots in my stomach tightened with each step. I walked along the balcony, scanning the doors. 8th A... 8th B... Where’s C?

The air buzzed with chatter as students shuffled past, all of us looking equally lost. My heart pounded, and in my distracted state, I bumped into a couple of girls.

"Sorry!" I mumbled, quickly stepping aside.

"Excuse me!" I added, weaving through the crowd.

"Sorry again!" I muttered when I collided with yet another student.

I rounded a corner too quickly, and before I could stop myself, I smacked straight into someone—a tall, well-built boy in uniform. My forehead hit his chest with a dull thud.

"Oh, sorry!" I stammered, my cheeks flaming with embarrassment as I looked up at him. His dark eyes flickered with amusement.

Before he could say anything, I quickly sidestepped, my heart racing for all the wrong reasons. Great. Just great, I thought to myself.

Still disoriented, I accidentally bumped into another student, this time a girl. We both froze for a second, and then, as if synchronized, we said, "Sorry!" in unison.

She smiled hesitantly, her eyes wide with the same nervous energy I was feeling. "Hi, I’m Arunima Gopal. New here?"

I exhaled in relief. "Yeah, I’m Sathya Vishwanath," I replied, grateful for the small reprieve from my earlier chaos. "I’m trying to find 8th C."

Arunima’s eyes lit up. "Same here! I’ve been wandering around for what feels like forever."

A wave of relief washed over me. Finally, someone who was as lost as I was. Together, we walked through the maze of corridors, comparing schedules, squinting at our maps like we were on some treasure hunt. Each corner turned into a shared laugh or groan as we stumbled over the unfamiliar layout of the school.

At last, we spotted the sign we’d been searching for: 8th C.

"Yes!" we both squealed in unison, high-fiving like we had just won a marathon.

We slid into an empty bench at the back, exchanging smiles of relief. The classroom was already filling up with students, all trying to settle in. The unfamiliar faces, the echoing voices—everything felt overwhelming, but with Arunima beside me, it felt just a little more manageable.

“I’m so glad I found you,” Arunima whispered, leaning closer. “This school is… a lot.”

I nodded, the tension finally easing from my shoulders. “Tell me about it. But at least we’ve got each other now.”

The teacher started calling out names, and I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I scanned the room, taking in the faces of my new classmates. That’s when my gaze landed on him—the boy I had bumped into earlier. The same tall, well-built guy with the teasing eyes.

He was sitting across the room, his eyes already on me. And to my surprise, he smiled—an easy, almost playful smile that made my heart skip a beat.

Oh no, I thought, my cheeks heating up again. Not him.

But something told me that was just the beginning.