People say the people who change your life usually arrive when you least expect them

I never believed that until my first day at the university

The campus was crowded with students dragging boxes, carrying files and trying to figure out where to go. Parents were everywhere, asking questions and helping their children settle in.

My dad came with me for my registration. We had spent hours moving from one office to another before we finally got to a cyber café to print the remaining documents.

Everything was going well until I tried to log into my email.

I entered one password.

Wrong...

I tried another...

Wrong again...

My heart started racing

I had completely forgotten my password.

The people behind me were waiting and I could feel their eyes on me. I wanted to disappear.

"You look like you're about to cry."

I looked up.

A young man was standing beside me with a small smile on his face.

"I forgot my password," I admitted, feeling embarrassed.

He laughed softly and that happens more often than you think

He pulled a chair closer and patiently helped me recover my account.

Within a few minutes, everything was sorted.

I finally printed my documents and let out a deep breath.

"Thank you so much," I said.

"It's nothing," he replied with a smile.

Even my dad thanked him before we left.

As we walked away, I quietly told myself I would probably never see him again.

After all, the university had thousands of students.

What were the chances?

Later that evening, I left my hostel to buy a few things.

As I walked past the same cyber café, I heard someone call out.

"So... have you forgotten your password again?"

I turned around and laughed "it was him" I replied NO

I said I made sure to write it down this time

He laughed and said smart move

For a few minutes, we stood there talking.

Nothing serious.

Just the stress of registration, getting lost on campus and how confusing the whole admission process was.

Then he stretched out his hand.

"I'm Abdulrahman."

I smiled before shaking it.

"I'm favour"

"It was nice meeting you... again."

"You too."

There was an awkward silence before he spoke again.

"Can I have your number? It would be nice to have at least one familiar face on campus."

I hesitated for a second.

Then I gave it to him.

That night, my phone buzzed.

Unknown Number

Hi

Password Girl.

I burst into laughter.

Very funny.

At least you remembered your password

That was how everything began

Days turned into weeks

Weeks slowly became months

We talked every single day

Sometimes about school

Sometimes about random things that didn't even matter

He always knew how to make me laugh

Whenever I had a bad day, he somehow found a way to make it better.

Before long, we became inseparable.

If people saw me on campus, they expected to see Abdulrahman too.

If they saw him, they would ask where I was.

It became normal.

He was in his second year while I had just resumed as a fresher.

Whenever I struggled with assignments, he helped me.

Whenever I was confused about school procedures, he already had the answers.

He never made me feel like I was bothering him.

Instead, he would say,

"That's what friends are for."

One afternoon after lectures, we bought snacks and sat under one of the trees on campus.

The weather was calm and students walked past us laughing and taking pictures.

"You know," he said, breaking the silence.

"When I first saw you at the cyber café, I thought you were going to cry."

I laughed.

"I almost did."

He replied "i'm glad you didn't because then we probably wouldn't be sitting here today."

I smiled without saying anything.

For some reason, that sentence stayed in my mind.

As the semester went on, our friendship only grew stronger.

People started asking questions.

"So... are you two dating?"

We would laugh and say no.

At least that was the truth.

Back then.

One evening, after we had been talking for hours, my phone suddenly lit up with another message from him.

Can I tell you something?

Sure.

Promise you won't laugh.

I promise.

A few seconds passed before another message appeared.

I think I'm starting to like you.

I stared at my screen.

My heart skipped a beat.

I read the message again.

And again.

Without realizing it, I was smiling.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

I liked him too.

To be continued......