The bus screamed as it came to a halt, tires grinding against the gravel like a warning. Maria flinched.

For a brief moment, the world went silent—no laughter, no chatter, no breeze. Just her heartbeat pounding loudly in her ears as she stood at the edge of a new beginning.

The university gate towered before her, tall and unyielding, its iron bars open like the mouth of fate. Bold letters announced the institution’s name, "SORBONNE UNIVERSITY OF PARIS". glinting in the afternoon sun. Students poured in and out—some dragging boxes, some hugging tearful parents, some laughing too loudly as if joy could drown fear.

Maria tightened her grip on her small suitcase.

This was it.

For eighteen years, home had been her entire universe. The warm scent of her mother’s cooking. Her father’s laughter echoing through the house in the evenings, and her brothers jokes. The quiet comfort of being known—truly known—and deeply loved.

Now, she stood alone.

“Well,” she whispered to herself, forcing a shaky smile, “here goes nothing.”

Home had never failed her.

Maria grew up wrapped in love, the kind that shielded without suffocating. Her parents adored her—not with excess, but with constancy. They believed in her dreams even when she doubted them herself. They taught her that kindness was strength and that patience could heal most wounds.

But love, the kind written in novels and sung in songs?

That had not been kind to Maria.

There was Daniel—her first heartbreak. The boy who promised forever but left her questioning her worth. And Samuel—gentle, charming Samuel—who taught her that timing could be as cruel as betrayal.

By the time she received her admission letter, Maria had quietly decided something:

Love was not on her list.

Education was.

Freedom was.

Discovering who she was beyond her parents’ shadow—that mattered more than fragile feelings.

Yet, as she stepped through the gates, her heart betrayed her resolve by fluttering with uncertainty.

Campus was alive.

Palm trees lined the walkways, their leaves swaying lazily overhead. Voices blended into a constant hum—new friendships forming, old ones reuniting. Somewhere, music played faintly. Somewhere else, a door slammed, and laughter erupted.

Maria felt invisible and exposed at the same time.

She wheeled her suitcase forward, scanning faces she didn’t recognize, wondering which of them would matter someday—and which would break her heart without warning.

A sudden shout startled her.

“Hey! Watch out!”

She turned too late.

Her suitcase collided with someone’s foot, jerking to a stop. Papers flew into the air like startled birds.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” Maria exclaimed, dropping to her knees to gather the scattered pages.

“It’s okay,” a male voice said quickly. Calm. Warm.

Too warm.

She froze.

As she reached for the last paper, so did he. Their fingers brushed.

Electric.

Maria pulled back sharply, her breath hitching as if she had been caught doing something forbidden. Slowly, she looked up.

He was already watching her.

Dark eyes—curious, unreadable—met hers. His expression held amusement, but beneath it, something else lingered. Something heavy. Something that felt… dangerous.

“I wasn’t paying attention,” she said softly.

“Neither was I,” he replied. “Guess we’re even.”

He handed her the papers. Their fingertips brushed again, and this time, neither moved away immediately.

Maria stood, her pulse racing for reasons she didn’t understand.

“I’m Maria,” she said before thinking.

He smiled—not wide, not flirtatious. Just enough to unsettle her.

“Ethan.”

And then, as quickly as he had appeared, he stepped back.

“Good luck, Maria,” he added, as if the words carried a meaning she couldn’t yet grasp. Then he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Maria remained rooted to the ground.

Her chest felt tight.

No, she told herself. You promised.

She shook her head, picked up her suitcase, and walked away—unaware that fate had just memorized her name.

Her dorm room was small but clean. Sunlight streamed through the window, painting golden squares on the tiled floor. Maria unpacked slowly, folding her clothes neatly, placing framed family photos on the desk.

One picture caught her attention—her parents standing on either side of her, smiling proudly at her secondary school graduation.

She touched the frame.

“I’ll make you proud,” she whispered.

But as night fell, and unfamiliar sounds filled the corridor, loneliness crept in. The laughter outside her door felt distant, like a world she didn’t quite belong to yet.

Her phone buzzed.

A message from her mother.

Have you settled in? We miss you already.

Maria smiled, blinking back tears.

I’m okay, Mama. I promise.

She lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling, when a strange feeling washed over her—an uneasy sense that something had shifted.

Not just her location.

Her life.

The next morning, campus looked different—less intimidating, more curious. Maria joined the stream of students heading toward orientation, clutching her notebook like armor.

She chose a seat near the back of the lecture hall, hoping to remain unnoticed.

Then the seat beside her filled.

She stiffened.

“You again,” Ethan said lightly.

Her heart dropped.

She turned to face him, trying—and failing—to keep her voice steady. “Is this… stalking?”

He laughed, low and brief. “Relax. Assigned seating.”

Maria glanced down at the number on her desk.

It matched his.

Great.

As the lecturer began speaking, Maria tried to focus—but her awareness kept drifting toward him. The way he tapped his pen thoughtfully. The quiet intensity in his gaze.

At one point, he leaned closer.

“You look like someone who’s running from something,” he murmured.

She snapped her head toward him. “Excuse me?”

He shrugged. “Just an observation.”

Maria crossed her arms. “You don’t know me.”

“No,” he said. “But I want to.”

The words lingered between them.

Dangerous words.

Maria turned away, her heart pounding louder than the lecturer’s voice.

She didn’t notice the shadow that crossed Ethan’s face.

Or the fact that he was hiding secrets far heavier than hers.

As orientation ended, Maria stepped outside, sunlight warming her skin. She breathed deeply, trying to steady her racing thoughts.

Love was not part of the plan.

Yet campus had already whispered a question she wasn’t ready to answer:

What if the very place she came to find herself… was where love found her instead?

And somewhere across the courtyard, Ethan watched her walk away, knowing something she didn’t.

That their meeting was no accident.

And that loving her might be the most dangerous thing he would ever do.