At First Sight: A Love That Couldn't Last

Chapter 3: The First Text

The rest of the day passed in a blur for Tiara. She tried to focus on her classes, taking notes, and listening to the professors, but her mind kept drifting back to that single interaction with Robin. His voice, the way he said her name, and the brief but undeniable connection they had shared lingered in her thoughts.

Later that evening, as Tiara sat in her hostel room, the silence was deafening. Her roommates were out, and she was left alone with her thoughts. She opened her phone and stared at the empty screen for a moment, wondering if she should take Robin up on his offer. The idea of messaging him felt both thrilling and terrifying. She had his number—passed on by one of the seniors who had mentioned the study group—but she hadn’t yet found the courage to use it.

Biting her lip, Tiara opened her messaging app and typed out a simple message:

Tiara: Hi, this is Tiara from class. You mentioned having last year’s exam papers? Could you send them to me?

She stared at the screen, hesitating. Her thumb hovered over the “send” button. Was this too forward? Would he even remember her? After a deep breath, she pressed send, her heart skipping a beat as the message delivered.

Minutes felt like hours as she waited for a reply, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. What if he didn’t respond? Or worse, what if he didn’t remember her at all? She shook her head, trying to push the doubts away, but they lingered like a shadow.

Then, her phone buzzed. A reply.

Robin: Hey Tiara, of course, I remember you. I’ll send the papers right away.

A rush of relief and excitement flooded through her. He remembered her. More than that, he responded quickly, as if he had been expecting her message. Within minutes, a series of PDFs popped up on her screen—exam papers from the previous year, just as he had promised.

Tiara stared at the papers but couldn’t focus on the content. Instead, her fingers hesitated over the keyboard again, debating whether to keep the conversation going. There was a part of her that wanted to know more about him, to keep this moment alive.

Before she could second-guess herself, she started typing:

Tiara: Thanks so much! By the way, how did you prepare for the exams? Any tips for scoring good marks?

She hit send before she could change her mind. She didn’t want to come off as too eager, but she genuinely wanted to know more about how he had managed to navigate the pressures of medical school.

A few moments passed before her phone buzzed again.

Robin: Honestly, it’s all about managing your time. Focus on the key topics and practice past papers. If you want, I can explain some of the harder subjects to you. It gets easier once you understand the basics.

Tiara’s heart raced. He was offering to help her. The idea of spending more time with him, even if it was for study purposes, made her pulse quicken.

Tiara: That would be amazing. I could definitely use the help. Maybe we could go over some of the tougher topics sometime?

The conversation flowed effortlessly from there. They talked about studies, shared a few jokes about the struggles of med school, and Tiara found herself smiling more than she had in weeks. She wasn’t sure where this was going, but it felt like the beginning of something important.

By the end of the night, Tiara had Robin’s number saved in her phone, and for the first time since starting college, she felt like her world had opened up in ways she hadn’t expected.