"chapters of us "

A week into college, things were finally falling into place.

The chaos of the first day had settled into something resembling routine. Classes were good—great, actually. My schedule was running smoothly, my notes were color-coded to perfection, and best of all, I had not tripped, stumbled, or otherwise embarrassed myself in public again. Success.

Naina and I had adjusted to our new life surprisingly well. Our apartment was starting to feel like home, late-night pasta sessions had become a tradition, and somehow, we hadn't killed each other over who got to use the bathroom first in the morning. A miracle.

And then there was Meera.

If I had to describe her in one word, it would be brilliant. She was sharp, witty, and had an encyclopedic memory that made me want to step up my game. What started as a mental competition quickly turned into actual friendship—study sessions, shared notes, and deep conversations about historical theories over cafeteria fries. She was still technically my academic rival, but also, undeniably, my friend.

Life was good.

So good, in fact, that I had completely forgotten about him.

The guy from the corridor. The ridiculously tall, hoodie-wearing, music-obsessed guy who had caught me in a painfully cliché romcom moment. I hadn't seen him since that day, and honestly? I barely even thought about it anymore.

Clearly, he was just a passing moment in my otherwise well-structured college life.

Or so I thought.

Professor Kapoor adjusted his glasses and tapped the whiteboard. "Before we wrap up today's lecture, I have an announcement."

The room quieted as he continued, "The college is introducing a new workshop on human psychology. It's open to all students, regardless of major, and will explore human behavior, decision-making, and emotions."

I perked up immediately. Human psychology? That sounded... intriguing.

Professor Kapoor placed a flyer on his desk. "For those interested, details are on the board. I encourage you to attend—understanding history also means understanding people."

I nodded to myself. That made sense.

Across the room, Naina leaned over. "Oh no. I see that look. You're interested."

I smirked. "Maybe."

She groaned. "Hazel, why do you willingly sign up for more brain work?"

I shrugged. "Because it's interesting?"

She sighed dramatically, but I was already set. After class, I made my way to the board and signed up.

This was going to be fun. Or at least, I hoped so.

---

After class, I caught up with Naina as we walked toward the cafeteria. "So, are you signing up for the workshop?"

She snorted. "Absolutely not. I respect your nerdy enthusiasm, but I'll pass."

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing instead?"

"Volleyball," she said, grinning. "I need a sport to balance out all the sitting around in class. Plus, have you seen the volleyball team? Pure talent."

I rolled my eyes. "Right. Talent."

"Hey, don't judge," she said, nudging me. "You go analyze brains, and I'll enjoy some action-packed fun. We both win."

I sighed. "So, I'm doing this alone."

"Yep," she said cheerfully. "But don't worry! You might meet some interesting people."

I didn't like the way she said that.

With Naina off chasing volleyball dreams, I was officially on my own for this psychology workshop. Hopefully, it would be worth it.

I stepped into the workshop room, scanning for a seat.

Oh no.

It was packed. Every chair was taken—except one.

I exhaled in relief and rushed over, sliding into the seat before anyone else could claim it. But just as I settled in, I turned to my right and—

No. No. No. No. No.

This was not happening.

Sitting next to me, leaning back with an easy confidence, was him.

Same height. Same wavy hair. Same stupidly good-looking face. But this time, he wasn't in a hoodie—he was wearing a fitted black T-shirt that did way too much justice to his muscles, paired with dark jeans and a silver watch that caught the light just right. The effortless, I-don't-even-try-but-still-look-hot kind of vibe.

My life? Officially cursed.

My body went rigid, my brain short-circuited, and suddenly, I was questioning all my life choices.

Because not only was I now stuck sitting next to the guy I literally fell into a week ago… but I also never said thank you.

I had just bolted. Like an absolute idiot.

Cue instant regret.

Maybe if I stared straight ahead and pretended I didn't exist, I could survive this workshop.

Or maybe—just maybe—I was about to endure the most painfully awkward two hours of my life.

The entire lecture passed in agonizing silence.

I sat there, stiff as a board, pretending to focus while my brain spiraled. He hadn't looked at me once. Not a single glance.

Did he even recognize me? Or was he just completely uninterested?

By the time the professor dismissed us, I was drowning in my own overthinking. But no—I had to do this. Just say thank you and be done with it.

I turned to him, heart pounding. "Uh… hey."

He finally looked up, and in that second, I saw it. Recognition. He definitely remembered.

I swallowed. "I just—um—wanted to say thanks. For… you know."

He didn't reply. Didn't smirk, didn't joke, didn't say anything.

Just nodded. A single, unreadable nod. Then, he grabbed his stuff and walked out.

I blinked. That's it?

No words? No reaction? Just… a nod?

I sat there for an extra second, processing. Then, with a huff, I gathered my things and left.

Well. At least I finally said it. Even if the response was… minimal.

Small victories. I guess.

As I stepped out of the workshop, still processing the whole awkward exchange, Naina came charging toward me, practically buzzing with excitement.

"Hazel! Hazel! You won't believe what happened! My volleyball session was insane! I might've pulled off a spike that—" She paused when she noticed I was barely listening, her voice faltering. "What's wrong with you?"

I shrugged, a little distracted, but not in the way she probably thought. "Just tired. Long day."

Naina didn't seem convinced but rolled with it. "Okay, fine. But you have to hear this—guess what? They just announced the fresher party!"

I blinked, only half-focused on her words. "Fresher party?"

"Yep! Next week!" Naina grinned. "And you better come, or I swear, I'll drag you there myself. It's going to be epic!"

I shrugged again, a bit more present now. "Yeah, sure. I'll go."

"Good!" she said, as if she had already won some kind of victory. "This is going to be so much fun!"

I smiled, nodding, still feeling the remnants of that weird interaction in the workshop. But whatever. It wasn't a big deal.

After the fresher party discussion, Naina's eyes widened in playful excitement. "So, are you going to spill about this party, or are you just going to leave me hanging?"

I chuckled, leaning back in my chair. "We'll see. I'm not making any promises."

"Not making promises, huh?" Naina said, raising an eyebrow, but her grin softened as she noticed the change in my mood. "Okay, okay, enough about that. What else is going on?"

I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to share. Then I sighed, realizing she'd notice if I kept quiet. "Well, I'm having lunch with my dad today."

Her face instantly softened, and she gave me a reassuring smile. "Oh, that's good. How's that going? You nervous?"

I shrugged, trying to play it cool even though I felt a little knot in my stomach. "I don't know. It's weird. We don't talk much. But I guess it's time to try and do something about it."

Naina nodded, her expression turning serious. "You know I'm here if you need anything. It's not easy, but you'll get through it. Just be yourself, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll try," I said, appreciating her support more than I could express. "Thanks, Naina."

She gave me a quick, tight hug. "Anytime, Haze. Now go and survive that lunch. I'll be here waiting to hear all about it."

I smiled, feeling a little lighter, and then grabbed my bag. "I'll see you later, then."

---

Lunch with Dad:

Walking into the restaurant where I was meeting my dad felt like stepping into a new chapter. The place had an air of familiarity, but the distance between us made everything feel like a first meeting.

I spotted him right away. He was sitting at a table, looking down at his phone, probably wondering if I'd actually show up. My dad was a man of few words, always guarded, but I could tell he was trying. He looked up as soon as I approached, giving me a quick smile.

"Hey," I greeted him, sitting down across from him. "Sorry, I'm a little late."

"No problem," he replied, putting his phone down. He studied me for a moment, his eyes softening slightly. "How's college?"

I felt a brief twinge of hesitation before answering. "It's good. Classes are going well. History's actually pretty interesting. We're covering the war of 1930 in one of the courses."

His eyes lit up a little at that. "You've always loved history."

I smiled, a bit surprised at how that simple comment made me feel. "Yeah, I guess some things don't change."

The rest of the lunch was filled with light updates—nothing too heavy. He asked about my friends, and I mentioned Naina, how she was busy with volleyball and how we were settling in.

As lunch ended, we both sat back, the conversation running dry for a moment. There was a lot unsaid, but the silence between us wasn't as uncomfortable as it used to be.

"Thanks for lunch," I said, standing up. "It was... good."

He nodded. "I'm glad. I'll check in more often, Hazel. I know I've been distant."

"Yeah," I replied quietly, forcing a smile. "I know."

---

After lunch, I stepped back into the restaurant lobby, feeling a strange mix of relief and uncertainty. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start.

After lunch, I went back to college to grab a few books I needed for the evening. My mind was still replaying the quiet moments with my dad, but I didn't have the energy to dive too deep into it. There were too many layers, too much that wasn't said, and I wasn't sure I was ready to unpack it all yet.

Naina knew me better than anyone, and I could tell she was waiting for me when I got back to the apartment. The door was open just a crack, and the delicious smell of something savory drifted out. I sighed in relief.

"Sushi?" I called out as I pushed the door open.

Naina was in the kitchen, chopping vegetables with surprising precision. She grinned when she saw me. "Yep. But also a little extra. I figured we could have a whole sushi night, plus some homemade miso soup." She winked. "You need comfort food, girl. After what you just went through, I knew you'd need a little TLC."

I smiled, a real one this time. "You really do know how to take care of me, huh?"

She gave a dramatic shrug, still chopping. "What can I say? I'm a pro at comfort food. Now, go change into something comfy, and let me handle dinner. I've got this."

I nodded, feeling a small wave of gratitude. The truth was, no matter how hard I tried to keep everything together, Naina always seemed to know when I needed her the most. I changed quickly and came back to the kitchen to find a small spread of sushi laid out on the dining table. There were also little bowls of edamame and miso soup, everything arranged just the way I liked it.

As we settled down at the table, I noticed Naina's watchful eyes on me. "You good?" she asked gently, her tone soft but laced with understanding.

I hesitated for a moment, pushing a piece of sushi around on my plate. "Yeah... I mean, it's complicated, you know?"

Naina waited, not pressing but not letting me off the hook either.

"I—" I took a deep breath. "I haven't really talked about this to anyone, not even you, but today, I think... I think I need to."

Naina's expression shifted, her eyes softening as she leaned forward, waiting for me to continue.

I swallowed hard, feeling my heart race. This was harder than I thought. But I had to say it, had to finally talk about everything that had been eating away at me for years.

"When I was twelve... my parents got divorced," I started, my voice barely above a whisper. "It wasn't the kind of thing that happened overnight. There were... things, a lot of things I couldn't understand. And I didn't get why it happened, or why they couldn't just... fix it. But it was bad. They fought a lot, and then one day, it just ended."

I paused, watching Naina's face as she took in what I was saying. She didn't interrupt, didn't say anything, just let me continue.

"I always thought it was my fault," I whispered, looking down at my hands, unable to meet her gaze. "If I was better, if I could've done something different, maybe they would've stayed together. But I couldn't fix it, and neither of them... neither of them really talked to me about it. My mom... well, she's only ever communicated with me when it came to academics. That's the only time she'd even acknowledge I was there."

A shaky breath escaped my lips as I looked back up at Naina. "So, I worked hard, because that was the one thing I could control. If I did well, maybe she'd notice me. Maybe we'd talk. But it's been like that for years. And my dad, he... he's been distant. I know he's trying, but it's not the same."

Naina's eyes softened, and she reached across the table, placing her hand gently on mine. "Hazel, I had no idea..." she said, her voice low and full of compassion. "I didn't know it was this deep for you. You've always been so strong, but I guess there's a lot you've been carrying alone."

I nodded, biting my lip to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. "I didn't want to burden anyone with it. I just wanted to be... well, perfect. So that I didn't have to face the fact that I don't really know how to be close to anyone anymore."

Naina squeezed my hand. "You don't have to carry all of that by yourself, Hazel. I'm here for you, okay? You don't have to be perfect. You're allowed to feel all of it, even when it's messy."

I looked up at her, feeling the weight of everything I'd been holding inside begin to lift, just a little. "Thanks, Naina. I didn't realize how much I needed to say that."

Naina gave me a small, knowing smile. "That's what friends are for. Now, how about we eat our weight in sushi and forget about all the complicated stuff for a bit?"

I laughed softly, the tension easing from my shoulders. "Sounds perfect."

---