Chapter 2: The Boy Who Didn’t Wait

His name was Daniel.

She found out five minutes into the lecture, when he leaned slightly toward her and whispered, “Do you have the course outline? I missed the first class.”

Amara hesitated.

She didn’t like sharing. Not because she was selfish, but because sharing led to conversations… and conversations led to familiarity.

Still, she passed her notebook to him.

“Thanks,” he said, glancing at her briefly. “I’m Daniel.”

She nodded once. “Amara.”

That should have been enough.

But Daniel didn’t seem like someone who stopped where others did.

“You always this serious?” he asked, flipping through her notes.

Amara didn’t look at him. “You always this talkative during lectures?”

He chuckled under his breath.

“Only when I’m sitting next to interesting people.”

That made her pause.

Interesting?

No one had ever described her that way before.

She didn’t respond, but something in her chest shifted slightly—like a door that had been shut for too long had just been nudged open.

After class, she packed her things quickly, ready to leave before anything else could happen.

“Hey,” Daniel called, catching up with her outside. “You walk this fast every day or are you avoiding me specifically?”

Amara sighed softly. “I just don’t like wasting time.”

“Then walk slower,” he said easily, matching her pace. “You might enjoy it.”

She glanced at him.

He wasn’t trying too hard. He wasn’t forcing anything.

He was just… there.

And somehow, that made him harder to ignore.