Day 6: Campus Crush

"Ah, Day 6. The day I found myself spiralling deeper into my totally manageable crush on Amanda. (Yes, I found out her name. Don’t ask how. I might’ve overheard it during a roll call.)

It all started during my Business Communication lecture. I walked into the hall, scanning the room for a seat, and there she was, sitting near the window. She looked up from her notebook and smiled, not at me but in my general direction. My brain ignored that detail and took it as a sign from the universe.

Determined to sit nearby, I chose a seat two rows behind her. Close enough to admire her handwriting (neat and bubbly, of course) but far enough to avoid looking like a stalker.

The lecture began, but I didn’t hear much. The professor was saying something about “effective communication,” which felt ironic considering I couldn’t string two coherent thoughts together if Amanda ever spoke to me.

Halfway through, she raised her hand to answer a question. Her voice was confident, clear, and—okay, I might be romanticising this, but it sounded like music. The professor nodded approvingly. ‘Excellent point, Amanda.’ I mentally added “smart” to her growing list of perfect qualities.

Then came the group activity. The professor divided us into teams by rows, which meant—yes!—Amanda and I were in the same group. I tried to act casual as we rearranged our seats. ‘Hi, I’m Eddie,’ I said, hoping my voice didn’t crack.

‘Amanda,’ she replied with a smile. (Okay, so I did know her name already, but it felt good to hear it officially.)

Our task was simple: come up with a pitch for a fake product. Amanda suggested an app that connects students to study buddies based on their interests. Everyone loved the idea, but I couldn’t focus on the app. I was too busy marvelling at how she spoke with so much enthusiasm.

‘What do you think, Eddie?’ She asked, snapping me out of my daze.

‘Uh, yeah, great idea!’ I blurted out, hoping I didn’t sound like an idiot.

By the end of the activity, we had the best pitch in the class (thanks to Amanda, obviously). As we packed up, she turned to me and said, ‘Good job, Eddie. You had some great points.’

I think my heart skipped a beat. What points? I hadn’t said anything remotely useful. But hey, I wasn’t about to correct her.

Later, Faisal caught me grinning like an idiot outside the lecture hall. ‘What’s with you?’ he asked.

‘Nothing,’ I said, but the goofy smile gave me away.

Lesson of the day: Crushes turn you into a cliché, but sometimes clichés are the best parts of life."