**An Innocent Girl's Love Story**

 
Aarohi always believed the world was full of quiet wonders—small moments of beauty that most people overlook. She found them everywhere: in the first blush of sunrise in the school courtyard, in the gentle rustling of pages in her library, in the way the breeze carried the scent of jasmine from her mother's garden.At seventeen, her life was simple and quiet. In the mornings, she would help her mother water the plants, spend afternoons sitting in a corner of the local library, and in the evenings, sketch whatever made her smile that day. She loved peace, tenderness, and small joys.

What she didn't expect was *him*.

Aarav came into her life like one of those quiet wonders she always collected, but at first, she didn't recognize him. He was a new transfer student—tall, thoughtful, his hair falling over his forehead as if he couldn't control it. He wasn't loud or showy like some of the boys in her class; instead, he possessed a calmness, as if he had his own little world.The first time they spoke was by chance. Aarohi was trying to pick up a book from the top shelf in the library—an old poetry collection with flowers stuck between some of its pages. She stood on her tiptoes, pulling helplessly, until a hand reached out from under her armpit and easily pulled it down.

"Take it," Aarav said, handing it to her. "It looked like it was going to fall on your head."

Aarohi looked at him, startled. "Oh... thank you."

"Do you like poetry?" He asked in a low, curious voice.

She nodded. "It's like you're reading someone else's heart."

"I've never thought of it that way. Maybe I should try reading something."

"Okay... you can borrow this when I finish," she said, clutching the book to her chest.

"I'll love it," she said.

And just like that, something quiet and warm began to grow between them.

---

Over the next few weeks, Aarav and Aarohi began to meet more often—sometimes accidentally, sometimes unknowingly. They would sit together in the library, sharing books and stories. She told him about her old school, her love for astronomy, and her habit of taking long walks at night to observe the constellations. He told her about his sketches, the little joys he had collected, and the jasmine flowers blooming outside his window.

One day, as they were returning home from school, Aarav stopped by an old bridge over a small river in their town.

"Do you ever feel like the world calms down around certain people?" he asked suddenly.

Aarohi bowed her head. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know." She shrugged shyly. As if even if I don't know everything yet, everything is okay."

Aarohi's heart was pounding, soft and shy, like the wings of a little bird. She didn't know what to say, so she just smiled—a light, genuine smile that made Aarav look down, trying to hide his own.

---

Their friendship deepened effortlessly. It was a relationship that grew on its own, like vines in the sun. They shared secrets, inside stories, and quiet moments.

One cold evening, Aarav surprised her with something.

"I want to show you something," he said, leading her to the hill behind their school—a place where students often came for picnics.

The sun was setting, the sky had turned golden and pink. Aarav put down his backpack, took out a small telescope, and set it up.

Aarohi was surprised. "You brought a telescope?"

"I wanted you to see the stars the way I do," he said shyly.

She leaned over the telescope, her eyes widening when she saw Jupiter glow faintly in the evening sky.

"It's beautiful..." she said softly.

Aarav looked at her, not at the sky. "Yes," he said softly.

When Aarohi looked up, she found him staring at her. They were both surprised—shocked, embarrassed, and something else neither of them could quite name.

"I—um—I should show you Saturn," he mumbled, struggling with the telescope.

Aarohi giggled, her voice light and warm. Somehow the air between them felt different—more full, soft, as if something essential had just shifted.

---

The first time Aarav realized he was in love didn't come in any dramatic moment. It happened when he saw Aarav sitting on the library floor, completely engrossed in sketching a little sparrow perched on the windowsill. A ray of sunlight fell on her hair, and she looked so peaceful, so *like her*, that his heart just... knew.Aarav realized it when Aarav suddenly left his house in the pouring rain, instead of carrying his notebook on his head. He arrived drenched and shivering, the pages of his astronomy notes stained with ink—yet he smiled at her as if it were the happiest moment of his day.

One afternoon, as they sat under a jasmine tree