Love, Unlocked!

Chapter 1: The Beginning

It was a humid day, and the first day of college.

I wasn't scared, but I wasn't excited either.I remember getting ready in my dorm while my roommates discussed what to wear.They were excited about all the new faces they were going to see that day.Meanwhile, I stayed quiet. I've never really liked getting to know new people.It always felt exhausting to me. In my mind, I was better off alone.

I picked up my bag, grabbed my water bottle, and headed to college.

I wasn't always like this.

Back in school, I was a bright and energetic child. Everything changed after 11th grade. My grades, my spark... everything slowly faded away.

After wandering around for a while, I finally found my classroom. Most of the seats were already taken, even though I had arrived early.I didn't want to sit in the first row, but that was the only seat left.Two of my roommates were in the same class, and of course, they sat next to each other.

Yeah... what was I expecting?" I thought to myself.

A few minutes later, the professor walked in. She introduced herself and started calling our names one by one.Everyone looked so energized, as if they had sunshine for breakfast.

When it was my turn, I introduced myself. I could feel everyone's eyes on me.It was as if they were paying attention to every single word that came out of my mouth.

As soon as I finished, I heard a few whispers.

I may seem timid and boring to people who don't know me, but that's far from who I really am.I'm confident. I love standing on a stage. I love speaking in front of a huge crowd.

As I observed the class, I noticed that many students looked nervous during their introductions. Some struggled just to get their voices out.

As everyone continued introducing themselves, a few names stood out.

One of them was...

"Dhruv Vickram."

I smiled to myself.

"That's a nice name."

It reminded me of a very handsome actor.

Before I knew it, an entire month had passed, and I still hadn't made many friends.

I kept myself busy with my books and only spoke when it was absolutely necessary.

We had orientation programs, awareness sessions, and several other events.

The perks of being a fresher, I guess.

During those sessions, I often caught people staring at me.

One guy even came up to me and confessed his feelings.I politely turned him down.

Another thing about me is that I don't trust people easily,Especially men who tell me they like me.I'd had a few unpleasant experiences with boys during my school days.

It's not that I had ever been in love. It's just that almost every guy I'd come across was either genuinely cruel or pretending to be someone he wasn't.

And then there's my best friend, Regina.

She's the kind of woman every man claims he wants. Smart,Pretty, and genuine.Yet she was the one who got played.

The guy she trusted turned out to be manipulative and toxic.Watching her go through all of that made me lose whatever little trust I had left in men.So now, whenever a guy tries to talk to me, I already know exactly what to say to make him lose interest.

It feels safer that way.

Little did I know know that my life's about take a huge turn.