The sun beat down mercilessly on Chennai, casting long shadows across the cracked pavement of Kamaraj Higher Secondary School. The air smelled of chalk dust and freshly watered plants, a strange contrast to the heat radiating from the old school walls.
Inside, the classroom was alive with chatter. Friends laughed, shared snacks, and exchanged notes, their voices merging into a noisy, chaotic hum. But in the middle of it all, Karthik Iyer sat at his desk, silent. Invisible.
He had perfected the art of blending into the background. His black-rimmed glasses rested low on his nose, his dark eyes trained on the pages of his textbook. But he wasn't reading. His mind was elsewhere—lost in a world of dark thoughts and twisted fantasies.
Karthik liked to think of himself as the protagonist of a psychological thriller. A misunderstood genius. A boy lurking in the shadows, studying the world from a distance. He imagined the people around him as characters in a grand story—one where he played the villain no one saw coming.
And then there was her.
Ananya Yadav.
The school's golden girl. A name everyone knew. A face that graced magazine covers. She was perfect—too perfect. With her flawless smile and effortless grace, she moved through the world like she belonged to another universe entirely.
Karthik despised her. He hated how the world adored her. How she could laugh so freely, while he sat in silence, suffocating under the weight of his own thoughts.
But deep down, he knew the truth.
He didn't hate her. He was obsessed with her.
The Library Encounter
The library was his sanctuary. The one place where he could exist without being noticed.
That day, he found his usual seat in the corner, a worn-out copy of Crime and Punishment resting in his hands. He flipped through the pages absentmindedly, his thoughts still lingering on Ananya.
And then, as if summoned by his mind, she walked in.
Ananya Yadav.
She moved with effortless confidence, her long braid swaying behind her. A few students turned to look at her, whispering among themselves, but she didn't seem to care. She wasn't here for attention. She was looking for something.
Karthik watched her from behind his book. She strolled past the shelves, scanning the rows of novels. Then, to his surprise, she slipped behind a stack of books, out of sight.
Curious, he leaned slightly forward. That's when he saw it.
Ananya pulled out a small snack packet from her bag and carefully tore it open.
She was eating. In the library.
Karthik's eyes widened. This was not the behavior of a goddess-like girl. This was something normal—something ridiculous, even. She popped a chip into her mouth and chewed quickly, her gaze darting toward the librarian's desk.
He couldn't help it. A small chuckle escaped his lips.
Ananya froze. Slowly, she turned to look at him. Their eyes met.
For a second, neither of them spoke. Then, she smiled. A mischievous, knowing smile.
"You saw that, didn't you?" she whispered.
Karthik felt his pulse quicken. He glanced away, pretending to be absorbed in his book.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he mumbled.
Ananya giggled softly. She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "It's okay, I won't tell if you won't."
Karthik swallowed. His throat was suddenly dry. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. He was supposed to be the observer, the one studying her from a distance—not the one caught in her gaze.
"Fine," he muttered, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Do what you want."
She grinned. "Thanks, library boy." And just like that, she turned back to her snack, completely unfazed.
Karthik stared at her for a long moment before looking back at his book.
For the first time, Ananya Yadav wasn't just a perfect image in his mind.
She was real. And that terrified him more than anything else.
End of Chapter 1