CHAPTER THREE: FIRST GLANCE

Chapter 3: First Glance

CAMBRADGE UNIVERSITY – 9:27 AM

The low morning sun spilled over the tidy expanse of the Cambradge University parking lot, catching on polished windscreens and casting long shadows of students hurriedly moving toward their respective departments.

Maya pulled up in her weathered dark blue Peugeot, its engine humming softly as she eased into a spot near the Law Faculty building. She turned off the engine and sat for a moment, fingers resting on the steering wheel. The faint thrum of nerves stirred in her chest. Not fear exactly—just the quiet anticipation of a new semester. A new year.

She reached over and grabbed her bag from the passenger seat. It was simple and plain. Just the way she liked it. Inside, her notebooks, pens, and—buried beneath a scarf—her camera. She always brought it along – not out of habit, not even out of need. She hadn't taken a photo in months. Still, she liked having it with her. Like a thread connecting her to something unspoken. Something old.

Outside, the autumn air was brisk, the kind that nipped playfully at your cheeks and turned exhaled breath into soft clouds. Maya stepped out and shut the door behind her. Before she could scan the crowd for familiar faces—

"MAYAAAAAA!"

The shout cracked across the lot like a firework. Maya turned just in time to see Ava jogging toward her in a wildly mismatched outfit—an oversized mustard sweater over a plaid mini skirt, chunky boots stomping with cheerful aggression. Her copper curls bounced with every step, and she carried her phone like it was a weapon.

Beside her, Charlotte followed more elegantly but with no less energy, pulling a coffee flask from her bag and rolling her eyes affectionately.

"Oh God," Maya murmured with a smile. "Here they come."

"Why do you look like you're about to argue a murder trial?" Ava demanded, throwing an arm around Maya's shoulders.

"That's because we are walking into a courtroom—eventually," Maya replied, smirking.

"See?" Charlotte said, wagging her flask at Ava. "She's already smarter than us this morning."

"Unacceptable," Ava said. "No one is allowed to outsmart me before ten."

They burst into laughter, the three of them falling into step as they crossed toward the main entrance of the building. Students milled around them in all directions—some shouting over coffees, others dragging their feet, faces still half-asleep.

"I forgot how ugly this building is," Charlotte said, glancing up at the brutalist block of concrete and glass. "You'd think a prestigious law faculty could at least pretend not to look like a prison."

"I like it," Maya said. "No distractions."

"Classic Maya," Ava muttered. "Loves structure. Obsessed with control."

"Loves us anyway," Charlotte added.

"Against my better judgment," Maya deadpanned.

LECTURE HALL – 9:46 AM

By the time they slipped into the large lecture theatre, the rows were already half-filled with students settling in. The walls were a dull beige, and the tiered seats rose steeply toward the back. At the front, Professor R.A. Cartwright, an older man with silver-rimmed glasses and the voice of someone who didn't care if you listened or not, was setting up his slides.

They slid into a row halfway up, Charlotte in the middle, Ava to her left, Maya to her right. Maya pulled out her notepad, clicked her pen twice, and was about to copy down the course code when the door opened.

It was subtle at first—just a flicker of movement as someone slipped into the room a few minutes late. No one paid much attention, except Maya. She didn't know why she looked up, but she did.

And there he was.

Tall, neatly dressed in a navy blazer and crisp shirt, with soft brown skin and curls that looked like they'd deliberately defied a comb. He scanned the room with quick, searching eyes, holding a black backpack loosely over one shoulder. He looked calm—but not indifferent, but deliberate. Present, but... unfamiliar.

Professor Cartwright didn't even glance up from his notes. "Close the door quietly, please. And don't make a habit of being late."

The boy—Ethan—nodded silently and started scanning for a seat. His eyes flicked up toward their row. For half a second, Maya swore he looked directly at her.

Charlotte caught Maya staring intently at the guy who'd just walked into the lecture hall. She then tapped Ava to also notice Maya long stir at the hot but cold new guy.

"Maya," Charlotte whispered suddenly, nudging her. "Love at first glance?"

"Hm? What?"

Ava leaned across her. "Girl, your eyes have not moved since he walked in."

"I was just wondering why he's late," Maya muttered, flustered.

"He's new," Ava whispered. "Probably just got lost. That or he's the mysterious brooding type. You know... tortured soul, broody voice, deep secrets."

Charlotte gave a delighted gasp. "He looks like a walking poem. Dangerous."

Before Maya could respond, a voice called out from across the room:

"Yo! Over here, mate!"

It was Dave—a second-year who was loud, confident, and always in the middle of every social circle whether you liked it or not.

Ethan looked up, gave a brief nod, and made his way to the empty seat beside him.

Maya forced herself to look away and back at her notebook, but her mind had already wandered. There was something about him—something quiet and collected. The kind of presence that didn't ask for attention but commanded it anyway.

Beside her, Ava smirked knowingly. Charlotte raised a brow and whispered: "This year's already looking interesting."

Maya said nothing. Instead, she straightened her posture, pressed her pen to the page, and fixed her gaze on the board. She couldn't afford distractions. Not over some boy with sharp eyes and quiet confidence. She'd promised herself: Straight A's. No falling, no slipping, no getting lost.

CAMBRADGE UNIVERSITY – 4:03 PM

The lecture ended with a dull thud of closing notebooks and low murmurs as students filtered out into the hallway. Their third lecture of the day had finally ended. Maya moved with the crowd, Ava and Charlotte flanking her like chaotic satellites.

"That man's voice could cure insomnia," Ava muttered, rubbing her temples.

Charlotte yawned. "I swear I entered a different dimension around the second slide."

Maya chuckled under her breath but kept walking. Her mind kept drifting—back to the boy who had walked in late. He didn't belong, yet somehow... did. There was something about him she couldn't place. Like a puzzle piece from a picture, she hadn't started yet.

As they stepped into the cool afternoon air, Ava stretched like a cat. "Alright, I'm headed to Charlotte's. She's promised me caffeine and bad decisions."

"Drive safe," Maya said.

Ava saluted. "I'm chaos, not reckless."

Maya just rolled her eyes and waved as they climbed into Charlotte's car, their laughter echoing faintly as they pulled away.

"Text me when you get home!" Charlotte shouted through the rolled-down window.

"I always do," Maya called back, smiling.

"Don't overthink the mysterious stranger!" Ava added with a teasing smirk before blowing a kiss and disappearing into the passenger seat.

The car peeled out of the lot with a screech that made Maya wince.

She turned toward her Peugeot, clutching her keys loosely in her hand. The brisk air had a late-autumn bite now, tugging gently at her coat sleeves. She walked slowly, mind half-focused on her evening plans—just reading, maybe reheating the jollof her mum must have left in fridge, and probably visiting the gym, since she'd been putting off getting into shape for weeks.

Maya slid into the driver's seat and shut the door. She sat there a moment, gathering her thoughts. Her hands moved on autopilot—mirror, reverse, ease out.

Crunch.

A sharp jolt.

Metal against metal.

Her heart dropped like a stone.

"Oh my God," she breathed.

Her foot slammed on the brake as she whipped her head around. The rear of her Peugeot had nudged the front bumper of a sleek, black BMW parked just a few feet behind her—clearly one of those high-end models that looked expensive even before the insurance estimate.

Panic seized her chest.

Maya shoved the gear into park and scrambled for the door handle.

"I'm so, so sorry," she started to say, pushing the door open.

But the words froze on her lips.

Because the BMW's driver door opened at the same time—

And out stepped Ethan.

For a moment, everything stilled.