The next morning, I woke up like a man who had accidentally hit snooze on both his dreams and his alarms.
I had 20 minutes.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6VptFuk7e
Twenty.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7N9Tp0tztK
Minutes.
To brush, bathe, dress, pack, and pretend like I had my life together.
But that’s me. I know these moments — the mornings that come faster than expected, the rushes that feel oddly familiar. It’s chaos, but it’s my kind of chaos.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYyo7xi3zu
And in that chaos, sometimes... I am speed itself.
No breakfast, obviously. Just vibes and the sound of the bus horn pulling up like a ticking clock from the universe.
I hopped in.
Today felt different, though.
Because I was carrying two versions of myself:168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8lQxPgl3h
One — light, smiling, joyful — the version of me that found a friend.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlp5VHOHWiz
The other — quiet, heavy — the version that almost said something he shouldn’t have.
Because here’s the thing about feelings:168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ibEPSPkdG
They don’t ask for your permission.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZFJ1uR30s
They just show up.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwgdwJS39a
And when they arrive too fast — it’s scary. For you, and especially for the other person.
Imagine it from her side:168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdj5F0xcSpD
You meet someone by chance, a coincidence wrapped in everyday moments…168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZ0UcaQkqn
and suddenly they’re showing up in your sky like a comet.
That’s terrifying.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIh5KHZc73
Even I would run from me.
But I didn’t think too much about it because… we messaged that morning. Just casual. Like friends do. And somewhere between the emojis and the awkward “how was the bus?” — we decided to walk to our block together.
Together.
Pause.
Now, before you think that’s normal, remember: I had twenty minutes to get ready.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnFhy5tUYy
Just imagine a guy who threw on a shirt while arguing with his hairbrush and lost.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEQX0bJsNA
My hair was doing interpretive dance.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyhC5Xrqhe
Pure chaos.
But when she said, “Let’s meet near the canteens,” I didn’t say no.
And so, under that huge tree outside the Ball Canteens — for the first time — we met.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoj5UGbLgy
Not as strangers.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVpBviwuvL
Not as accidental classmates.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDasicVVaW
But as friends.
She had another girl with her. I smiled, nodded, and immediately forgot the name. It just… didn’t stick. Because my entire focus was just being there. And she was there too.
We walked to the block together.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFT904ayY9H
And — surprise — our classes are side by side. Same floor, barely a few steps apart.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsQTFGV54h
Close. Almost like… the universe teasing me.
I was the happiest guy that day.
But evening had other plans.
After our last lecture, just as I was about to leave the building, I saw a girl — standing near the entrance — looking kind of nervous. Almost like she was waiting.
For someone.
For me.
Now, I don’t watch a lot of romance anime.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyH0w213vn9
Okay, maybe I do.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNKtiqSE7b
Okay fine, I watch a lot.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lvSo34rZU
But even I didn’t expect this to happen in real life.
She walked up to me and said, in a voice soft enough to break glass:
“Hi… I’m Leona. I’m in your class. I just wanted to talk.”
I froze.
Because no girl had ever said those words to me. Ever.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3WXc5EheO
But here she was.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ebY1y3zYy
Leona.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkYw8BDYya
From my class.
Talking. Smiling. Initiating.
And I was standing there like a deer in romantic headlights.
We talked. Or, well, she did. It felt more like a Q&A session, with her asking the questions and me pretending not to be awkward.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPYC8eXeA7
Eventually, she asked for my Insta.
I gave it.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGYgMqcy7o
We chatted as we walked.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0nZbuo34l
The buses arrived. We said goodbye.
But in my head, I was spinning.
Why would someone want to talk to me?168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQ4XV4Rorv
Why wait outside just for that?
I didn’t get it. I still don’t.
And as I climbed into the bus, I stared out the window and made a quiet decision.
I slowly stopped messaging in the class WhatsApp group.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLv5RikWqnW
Not suddenly. Gradually.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG99fmQ5iuw
So, no one would notice.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrOaZMvUa2
Because I had achieved what I came there for.
The plan?
Operation: One conversation with Seren.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwWJF42Wef
Status: Complete.
Bonus: We became friends.
And I didn’t care about anything else.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9GtfYSv8w
Because when you find one person who feels like more than a coincidence — that’s enough.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBKeXv1fBz
Whether it’s a friend, a crush, a someday-maybe-never.
One is enough.
I tried texting her again from the bus.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXuUhfk0Cm
But the signal?168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qgdtjVqQ5
Well, it had other plans.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyFYVRBOUs
