College had just begun. As a newcomer, everything sparked my curiosity, but girls held a particular fascination. I'd heard tales of free mixing between boys and girls in college, whispers of everyone falling in love. From the moment college started, I was filled with a joyous anticipation, a romantic expectancy hanging in the air.
I spent my days daydreaming, hoping someone would see me, notice me and fall in love with me. But as the weeks passed, no such romantic sign appeared. Disappointment grew, settling into a dull ache. College life, classes, everything felt unexciting, almost meaningless. Without a girlfriend, college felt like a stage without a play.
One afternoon, I skipped class and sat alone on the steps of the college pond. The still water seemed to reflect my somber mood. Lost in thoughts of my romantic misfortunes, I was startled when a lovely girl from our batch approached the pond. My heart leaped as she hesitated, then gracefully sat beside me.
To my utter astonishment, she turned to me, her eyes bright and said, "I need to tell you something important." Hearing these words, especially from her, my heart began to pound in my chest, pulse racing in my ears.
We walked to a nearby fast-food shop, a sudden, unexpected date. Sitting face to face, amidst the aroma of fried snacks, we ordered. As we ate, we talked, our voices low and hesitant at first, then gaining confidence. Then, she told me, her gaze direct and unwavering, that I was her first love. She confessed that she had loved me from the moment she first saw me, but until now, hadn't found the courage to express her tender feelings.
Joy surged through me, warm and intoxicating. The sweet dream I had cherished since my first day of college, the fantasy I’d held secretly in my heart– it was coming true, right here, right now. Life suddenly gained speed, color and purpose. I drifted into a daydream, my heart brimming with unprecedented joy, weaving fantasies around this charming girl who claimed I was her first love.
Barely fifteen days later, eager to deepen this newfound romance, I suggested a movie date. Reaching the campus, my eyes scanned the crowd for her. I spotted her near the canteen, in a quiet corner, engrossed in conversation with a boy from our college I vaguely recognized. Curiosity piqued and a flicker of unease stirring within me, I approached them silently, like a detective shadowing a suspect, careful not to interrupt.
Halting just close enough, I overheard her words and my blood ran cold. She was speaking to this other boy, her voice soft and earnest, expressing the very same words, the identical confession she had made to me: “You are my first love and I love you very much.”