Author's POV
Morning sunlight stretched lazily across the campus courtyard, warming the cold stone pathways and turning the quiet university grounds into something lively again. Students moved in scattered clusters—some laughing loudly, others rushing toward lecture halls with half-finished coffees in their hands.
It was a perfectly ordinary day.
Except for the two people standing in the middle of it, completely frozen.
Meera Narayanan had just collided with a stranger.
A very tall stranger.
A stranger who looked oddly familiar.
And at that exact moment, neither of them moved.
Her shoulder had bumped directly into his chest, and if his hand hadn't caught her arm in time, she would have probably stumbled backward onto the pavement.
Instead, she remained standing there—held firmly yet gently by the stranger who had appeared in her nightmares for weeks.
For a second, the world seemed to pause.
Because Meera suddenly realized something.
Those eyes.
She had seen them before.
Her breath caught.
The courtyard noise faded into the background as her mind replayed every late night, every strange feeling of being watched, every shadow she had glimpsed outside her dorm window.
And now—
Those same eyes were staring directly at her.
Calm.
Focused.
Almost… amused.
Her heart began pounding violently in her chest.
The stranger's hand was still holding her arm.
Steady.
Strong.
Meera pulled her arm away almost immediately.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, her voice slightly breathless.
The man didn't reply right away.
Instead, he simply looked at her.
Carefully.
Like he was studying something he had been curious about for a long time.
And that silence alone made her nervous.
Very nervous.
"Um… excuse me?"
Still nothing.
His gaze didn't move.
Meera's brows knitted together.
"Are you going to say something?"
The man blinked once, as if returning from deep thought.
"Yes," he said calmly.
"You walked into me."
Meera stared at him.
"That's your response?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"You did ask."
Her mouth opened.
Then closed again.
Something about his tone made her feel strangely irritated.
But also strangely aware.
He had a deep voice.
Calm.
Confident.
The kind of voice that didn't rush.
And the kind that definitely didn't belong to a nervous college student.
Which made her notice something else.
His clothes.
A perfectly fitted dark suit.
Not a casual jacket.
Not a hoodie like every other student on campus.
A suit.
Meera crossed her arms slowly.
"Okay."
The man raised one eyebrow.
"Okay what?"
"First of all," she said, "you're not a student."
He looked almost entertained.
"Is that your professional conclusion?"
"Yes."
"Interesting."
"And second of all—"
Her voice slowed.
Her eyes narrowed.
"I think I've seen you before."
The man said nothing.
But something in his expression shifted very slightly.
Not panic.
Not fear.
More like quiet curiosity.
"Have you?" he asked calmly.
Meera nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Her gaze didn't leave his face.
"You were outside my dorm."
Silence.
The wind moved softly across the courtyard trees.
Students walked past them without noticing the tension building between the two strangers.
The man looked at her for another long second.
Then he spoke.
"I doubt that."
Meera blinked.
"You doubt that?"
"Yes."
"That's your answer?"
"Yes."
Her jaw tightened.
"You're a terrible liar."
The corner of his mouth moved slightly.
"I didn't lie."
"Then explain."
"Explain what?"
Meera stared at him like she couldn't believe the conversation was happening.
"You were outside my dorm window last night."
"No."
"You ran away."
"No."
"I saw your face."
"That's unfortunate."
"Why?"
"Because you're clearly mistaken."
Meera threw her hands into the air.
"Wow."
He watched her calmly.
"Wow what?"
"You're unbelievably annoying."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I understood."
She stared at him again.
And then something strange happened.
Her brain suddenly remembered something important.
His face.
The shape of it.
The sharp jawline.
The calm eyes.
Yes.
That was definitely the man she had seen outside.
Even if the lighting had been faint that night.
Even if it had only been for a second.
She knew.
And now he was standing right here pretending nothing had happened.
Meera took a step closer.
"You're stalking me."
The sentence landed between them like a small explosion.
Several students walking past glanced at them curiously.
The man didn't react.
Not even slightly.
He simply folded his arms slowly.
"That's a serious accusation."
"You deserve it."
"Do I?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Meera stared at him in disbelief.
"Because you were watching me."
"I wasn't."
"You ran away."
"I didn't."
"You were hiding near the trees."
"I like trees."
Meera blinked.
"You like trees."
"Yes."
"That's your defense?"
"It's a good defense."
She rubbed her forehead.
"Am I being pranked?"
"No."
"Then explain why you look exactly like the man who was watching my dorm."
The stranger leaned slightly closer.
His voice lowered just enough that only she could hear it.
"Maybe," he said quietly, "you've been thinking about that man too much."
Meera's cheeks flushed immediately.
"I have not."
"Your imagination might be exaggerating things."
"My imagination does not create six-foot-something men in expensive suits."
"That's very specific."
She pointed at his jacket.
"You're literally wearing one."
He glanced down casually.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I like suits."
"You're on a college campus."
"I noticed."
"Students don't wear suits."
"Some do."
"Not like that."
"What's wrong with it?"
"It looks expensive."
"That's unfortunate."
"Why?"
"Because now you're judging me."
Meera stared at him.
He stared back.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Then suddenly she realized something.
She was still holding his hand.
At some point during their argument, she had grabbed his wrist while emphasizing one of her points.
And somehow neither of them had let go.
Her fingers were wrapped tightly around his.
The realization made her freeze.
The stranger noticed too.
But he didn't move.
Instead, something warm and amused flickered behind his eyes.
Inside his mind, a completely different conversation was happening.
Ethan Moretti was enjoying this far more than he should.
Her anger.
Her curiosity.
Her stubborn determination to interrogate him like a detective.
It was adorable.
More importantly, it confirmed something he had already suspected.
She wasn't weak.
She wasn't timid.
She had fire in her.
Which meant he needed to be careful.
Very careful.
If he scared her too quickly…
She would run.
And that would ruin everything.
So Ethan made a decision.
He would play this slowly.
No intimidation.
No pressure.
No shadows outside windows.
At least for now.
He would win her the normal way.
Or at least… a version of the normal way.
Because if she discovered who he really was too soon…
She would never trust him.
And Ethan wanted her trust.
Almost as much as he wanted her.
Meera finally noticed the silence stretching between them.
And the fact that she was still holding his hand.
She dropped it instantly.
"Sorry."
Ethan shrugged lightly.
"You seem to apologize often."
"That's because people like you appear randomly in my life."
"People like me?"
"Yes."
"Describe that."
"Tall."
"Good description."
"Suspicious."
"That hurts."
"And possibly a stalker."
He sighed dramatically.
"I see my reputation is ruined."
"You ruined it yourself."
"By standing on a sidewalk?"
"By watching girls at night."
"I told you—"
"You like trees."
"Yes."
"That's still ridiculous."
"Nature is important."
She groaned.
"You're impossible."
"And yet you're still talking to me."
That made her pause.
He wasn't wrong.
She had asked at least twenty questions already.
And somehow he had answered almost none of them.
Which was extremely frustrating.
Meera placed her hands on her hips.
"Fine."
"Fine what?"
"You're not a stalker."
"Good."
"But you're still suspicious."
"I'll accept that."
"And you're still not a student."
"Correct."
"Aha!"
She pointed triumphantly.
"So you admit it."
"Yes."
"Then why are you here?"
Ethan looked around the courtyard thoughtfully.
"Walking."
"People don't wear suits to walk around universities."
"Maybe I do."
"Why?"
He looked back at her.
His expression softened slightly.
"Maybe I wanted to see something interesting."
Meera frowned.
"Like what?"
Ethan held her gaze.
"Like you."
Her brain stopped working for a second.
"What?"
"I said you're interesting."
"That's a weird thing to say to a stranger."
"Maybe."
"Also slightly creepy."
"Also maybe."
She folded her arms again.
"You're not making yourself look innocent."
"I'm not trying to."
That answer surprised her.
For a moment she didn't know what to say.
Then she shook her head.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"I'm late for class."
"That sounds serious."
"And you're still suspicious."
"I've accepted that."
"If I see you near my dorm again—"
"Yes?"
"I'm calling campus security."
Ethan nodded calmly.
"That's fair."
Meera hesitated.
Then she turned and started walking away.
But after a few steps she stopped.
Something was bothering her.
She turned back around.
"You still haven't told me your name."
Ethan watched her quietly.
Then he smiled slightly.
"You didn't ask."
She groaned again.
"Fine."
"What's your name?"
He considered the question carefully.
For a moment.
Then answered.
"Ethan."
She nodded slowly.
"Okay, Ethan."
"And you're Meera."
Her eyes widened.
"How do you know that?"
Ethan paused.
For the first time during the entire conversation.
Then he gestured toward the engineering building behind her.
"Your friend called you that earlier."
Meera thought about it.
Marcus had shouted her name across the courtyard earlier that morning.
That explanation made sense.
Still…
Something about this man remained mysterious.
But before she could ask anything else, Ethan spoke again.
"You're going to be late."
She looked at her watch.
"Oh no."
Then she hurried away toward the building.
Halfway up the steps, she turned back again.
Ethan was still standing exactly where she had left him.
Watching her.
Not in a threatening way.
Not in a creepy way.
Just…
Watching.
She quickly turned around again and disappeared into the building.
Outside, Ethan finally exhaled slowly.
The conversation had gone better than he expected.
Much better.
She hadn't run.
She hadn't panicked.
She hadn't called security.
Instead, she had argued with him for almost twenty minutes.
And somehow that made him smile.
Because something had clearly started between them.
Curiosity.
Suspicion.
Interest.
The perfect beginning.
Ethan looked toward the engineering building again.
Soon…
He would have to find a way to stay closer to her.
Closer than random meetings in courtyards.
Closer than distant observation.
A more permanent solution.
But that required careful planning.
And patience.
So Ethan Moretti turned and walked slowly across the campus.
Already thinking about his next move.
One that would place him directly inside her world.
Very soon.