By the time I left the student center, my thoughts were a complete mess.
My coffee felt too hot in my hands, my chest still tight from that short conversation with Ethan.
You disappeared for a while.
The way he said it kept replaying in my head.
Not because it meant anything.
But because he noticed.
I walked faster across campus, trying to clear my thoughts before I reached the dorm.
The evening air was cool, and students moved around me in groups like always, talking loudly about assignments, parties, weekend plans.
I kept my eyes on the ground until someone suddenly stepped slightly into my path.
"Hey—sorry."
I looked up quickly.
A guy stood there holding a notebook and looking mildly embarrassed.
"I wasn't paying attention," he said with a small laugh.
"Oh," I said quietly. "It's okay."
For a second, I expected him to just walk away.
Instead, he smiled slightly.
"I've seen you around before."
That caught me off guard.
"You have?"
"Yeah. I think we have biology in the same building."
I blinked.
"Oh."
He shifted the notebook under his arm.
"I'm Daniel, by the way."
"Mia."
"Nice to meet you, Mia."
There was an awkward pause before he asked, "So… what course are you taking?"
"Biology," I answered softly.
His face brightened slightly.
"Seriously? Me too."
I nodded once, still a little surprised the conversation was happening at all.
Daniel smiled.
"That explains why you always look stressed leaving the science building."
I let out a small laugh before I could stop myself.
"Fair."
For the next few minutes, the conversation stayed simple.
Classes.
Professors.
How confusing college schedules were.
Nothing deep.
But still… normal.
Easy.
Eventually Daniel glanced toward the pathway behind him.
"I should probably head to class before I'm late again," he said.
I nodded.
"Yeah."
Then he smiled slightly.
"See you around, Mia."
"See you."
And just like that, he walked off into the crowd.
I stood there for a second after he left.
Surprised.
Not because the conversation was special.
But because it happened at all.
When I finally got back to the dorm, Chloe still wasn't there.
I sat down on my bed slowly and stared at the wall for a moment.
Then I realized something.
Daniel was the first guy to approach me since Ryan.
The first one to start a conversation first.
The first one who talked to me without already knowing me beforehand.
The thought felt strange.
Not exciting exactly.
Just… unfamiliar.
I pulled my knees up slightly on the bed and thought back to the conversation.
It had been normal.
Simple.
No overthinking.
No confusion.
And somehow that made me realize how long I had spent trapped inside my own head these past months.
My phone buzzed beside me.
Ryan again.
I barely even looked at it this time.
Instead, my mind drifted somewhere else entirely.
To Ethan smiling at Chloe earlier.
To Daniel casually introducing himself.
To the fact that maybe college wasn't completely closed off to me after all.
For the first time in weeks, the loneliness inside me loosened just slightly.
Not gone.
Just quieter.