THE AWKWARD MEET

The first day of college was busy and messy, and Anya was loving it. The campus courtyard was full of the excitement of new beginnings. Music played from a welcome tent, clubs tried to get students to join, and hundreds of students walked around looking excited and nervous. For a friendly person like Anya, it was all very exciting.

Anya: (to herself) "Okay, building C for math, then find the library to meet Maya. Easy."

She held an unsteady pile of binders to her chest. Each one was neatly labeled for her new classes. While holding the binders, her big bag, and a melting iced coffee, she smiled at everyone she saw. She offered a friendly, "Hi!" to a group of students who looked just as lost as she felt.

That's when it happened. While trying to avoid a frisbee game, her foot got stuck on a bumpy stone on the path. For a second, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Her iced coffee flew into the air. The binders fell, and papers flew everywhere. Then Anya fell too, landing with a soft "oof" on the grass.

She felt embarrassed right away. Before she could even see how big the mess was, a pair of simple, dark sneakers appeared in front of her.

A quiet voice that sounded a little shy and unsure spoke.

Sameer: "Uh... are you okay?"

Anya looked up. A guy with dark, messy hair was standing over her. He looked worried, but also like he really wanted to be somewhere else. He was already kneeling and picking up her papers without waiting for her to answer.

Anya: "Oh my god, I am so sorry! I'm fine. My pride might be a little hurt, but otherwise, I'm good. You don't have to do that!"

She hurried to help, and her face felt hot. He just gave a small nod, focused on picking up the papers. He was careful and organized, which was very different from how messy she was feeling. For a moment, they worked quietly. Their hands sometimes touched when they reached for the same paper. Each time, it felt like a small shock.

When the last paper was back in a binder, he handed the pile to her. Their eyes met for the first time. He had deep, smart brown eyes. For a quick moment, the shyness in his eyes was gone and replaced by something else. A small, tiny smile touched his lips.

Sameer: "Here."

Anya: "Thank you. Really. You're my saviour. "

Her friendly nature took over, and she tried to talk more. He seemed to get smaller at her words and looked down at the ground.

Sameer: "It was nothing. Just... watch out for the frisbees."

With that, he gave one last nod and walked away into the crowd of students. Anya was left sitting on the grass, holding her binders and feeling a little out of breath.

From far away, leaning against a tree, Maya watched it all with a big, teasing grin.

Later that day, in their quiet dorm room, Anya was telling the story in a dramatic way.

Anya: "...and then he just disappeared! Like a ninja. A very polite, paper-collecting ninja."

Maya: "Mhmm," Maya said, not looking up from her laptop. "Did this ninja have a name? Or was he too busy being mysterious and serious?"

Anya: "I don't know! It all happened so fast. One minute I was a mess, the next minute he was there." She sighed and fell back on her bed. "He was kind of cute, in a way that makes you think he's super smart but too cool to talk."

Maya finally looked up, her grin getting wider.

Maya: "Kinda cute? Anya, I was watching. You were staring at him like he was a puzzle you just solved."

Anya: "I was not! I was... confused. From the fall."

Maya: "Right. Confused. You had a cute meeting, Anya. The clumsy girl, the handsome stranger who helps her... you just needed it to start raining."

Anya: "It was not a cute meeting! It was an awkward meeting. And he's not a handsome stranger, he's just... binder boy."

Maya: "Binder boy," Maya said again, clearly loving the name. "It's perfect. Well, here's to your knight in shining... well, probably a hoodie. Long live Binder Boy!" She raised her soda can in a toast.

Anya threw a pillow at her, but she was smiling. Even though she fell, the first day of college wasn't so bad.