The first thing Rayan did after coming back into my life was erase me.
Not slowly.Not gently.
Publicly.
I was standing near the blackboard, my name half-written in chalk, when the classroom door opened and the teacher said, "We have a transfer student joining us today."
I turned without thinking.
Rayan stood there.
For a moment, the world fractured.
My breath stopped so suddenly it hurt. My fingers tightened around the chalk until white dust coated my skin. He looked exactly the way memory had preserved him—and yet not at all the same. Taller. Sharper. Quieter in a way that didn't ask for permission.
Our eyes met.
I waited.
I waited for recognition. For shock. For anything.
Rayan's gaze passed over me like I was part of the wall.
Not even a flicker.
Someone behind me whispered, "Oh wow…"
The teacher smiled at him. "Introduce yourself."
"Rayan," he said calmly. "That's all."
His voice hit deeper than it should have. Familiar. Controlled. Like he'd practiced sounding unaffected.
"Take the empty seat," the teacher added, pointing to the desk beside mine.
My heart slammed.
This had to be a mistake.
He walked forward, footsteps steady, unhurried. I stood frozen, chalk slipping from my fingers and clattering to the floor. No one noticed. Everyone was watching him.
He stopped beside me.
Close enough that I could feel warmth. Close enough that the past pressed painfully against my ribs.
Still nothing.
No glance.No pause.No sign he even knew my name.
He pulled out the chair, sat down, and opened his notebook like this was any ordinary day.
Something inside me broke cleanly.
"Are you okay?" the teacher asked, frowning.
I swallowed. "Yes."
My voice didn't sound like mine.
The class continued, but I wasn't in it anymore. Words floated past me without meaning. All I could focus on was the steady movement of Rayan's pen, the calm tilt of his head, the way his presence rewrote the air around us.
Beside me, he was a stranger.
That hurt more than if he'd been cruel.
A folded note slid onto my desk.
You know him? my friend had written.
I stared at the paper until the letters blurred. I didn't answer.
When the bell rang, I stood too fast. My chair scraped loudly. People turned. I didn't care. I shoved my books into my bag and moved toward the door, needing space, air—anything.
"Wait."
The word stopped me.
I turned.
Rayan was standing, bag slung over one shoulder. His eyes were finally on me—steady, dark, unreadable.
Hope flared before I could kill it.
"Yes?" I asked.
He looked past me.
"You dropped this," he said, holding out my chalk.
Just chalk.
Nothing else.
"Oh," I murmured, taking it from him. Our fingers brushed for half a second. Electricity shot up my arm, violent and unwanted.
He didn't react.
"Thanks," I said.
"You're welcome."
That was it.
He walked away.
Laughter broke out somewhere behind me. Life resumed. I stood there holding a piece of chalk like it meant something, my chest tight, my thoughts spiraling.
Outside, the corridor buzzed with rumors already forming.
"Did you see him?""He's from the other section.""They say he left because of some fight.""No, because of a girl."
I flinched at that last one.
Down the stairs, I spotted him again—surrounded by people, effortlessly distant. A girl I didn't recognize leaned close, saying something that made him smile slightly.
Not the smile I remembered.
This one was careful.
I told myself not to look again.
I failed.
At the bottom of the stairs, I felt it—that unmistakable pull, like a hand closing around my spine.
I turned.
Rayan was watching me.
Not openly. Not carelessly.
Like someone checking a locked door.
Our eyes held.
This time, he didn't look away first.
Something cold slid into my stomach.
That look wasn't indifference.
It was restraint.
That evening, my phone buzzed nonstop.
Did you hear about the new guy?Apparently he doesn't talk to anyone much.My cousin says he avoids drama now.He's not here to make friends.
I stared at the screen, unease curling tighter.
Avoids drama.
I laughed softly to myself. If only he knew how impossible that was.
Just before midnight, a new message appeared—from an unknown number.
Don't misunderstand today.
My breath caught.
Before I could reply, another message followed.
Silence is safer.
Then the typing bubble vanished.
I stared at my phone, heart pounding, one thought repeating over and over:
Rayan hadn't forgotten me.
He was choosing distance.
And whatever reason he had for that choice…was about to change everything.