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.167Please respect copyright.PENANA08UwJ4MMsg
Twenty.167Please respect copyright.PENANAXjbooldmDZ
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.167Please respect copyright.PENANAl2zafEQIh4
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:167Please respect copyright.PENANAHAhOrh1ssp
One — light, smiling, joyful — the version of me that found a friend.167Please respect copyright.PENANAarwfTK08av
The other — quiet, heavy — the version that almost said something he shouldn’t have.
Because here’s the thing about feelings:167Please respect copyright.PENANAUoTZAIW7SA
They don’t ask for your permission.167Please respect copyright.PENANAokStLUfnZx
They just show up.167Please respect copyright.PENANASszvLc2MeQ
And when they arrive too fast — it’s scary. For you, and especially for the other person.
Imagine it from her side:167Please respect copyright.PENANAt0rz7nG3ki
You meet someone by chance, a coincidence wrapped in everyday moments…167Please respect copyright.PENANA9iH7T6OG6V
and suddenly they’re showing up in your sky like a comet.
That’s terrifying.167Please respect copyright.PENANAaSG0zrctl2
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.167Please respect copyright.PENANA9BnG7L4Olj
Just imagine a guy who threw on a shirt while arguing with his hairbrush and lost.167Please respect copyright.PENANACBEmVWjNIM
My hair was doing interpretive dance.167Please respect copyright.PENANAuMGqMIbkhi
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.167Please respect copyright.PENANAW7ibye2ntg
Not as strangers.167Please respect copyright.PENANAinhJpRrZlk
Not as accidental classmates.167Please respect copyright.PENANADs88z1GGao
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.167Please respect copyright.PENANAHGkBmFYlk8
And — surprise — our classes are side by side. Same floor, barely a few steps apart.167Please respect copyright.PENANAGhgljZTwHI
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.167Please respect copyright.PENANADx0jEi6CNC
Okay, maybe I do.167Please respect copyright.PENANAOCqqBe7PMS
Okay fine, I watch a lot.167Please respect copyright.PENANANBx49HLWZn
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.167Please respect copyright.PENANAEdROXvaX7P
But here she was.167Please respect copyright.PENANAOvTcl9uOjs
Leona.167Please respect copyright.PENANAEOhE5rO2zL
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.167Please respect copyright.PENANAXmtdd3g4ul
Eventually, she asked for my Insta.
I gave it.167Please respect copyright.PENANA38AWITxR9k
We chatted as we walked.167Please respect copyright.PENANAiS0IBm1QaN
The buses arrived. We said goodbye.
But in my head, I was spinning.
Why would someone want to talk to me?167Please respect copyright.PENANAWAagsFBBya
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.167Please respect copyright.PENANAnV1b4foOht
Not suddenly. Gradually.167Please respect copyright.PENANASgtzm1j5YP
So, no one would notice.167Please respect copyright.PENANAnHwvE3rshZ
Because I had achieved what I came there for.
The plan?
Operation: One conversation with Seren.167Please respect copyright.PENANAuCELF6HhcZ
Status: Complete.
Bonus: We became friends.
And I didn’t care about anything else.167Please respect copyright.PENANA6ljs3bSYmW
Because when you find one person who feels like more than a coincidence — that’s enough.167Please respect copyright.PENANAIScXbWbkyv
Whether it’s a friend, a crush, a someday-maybe-never.
One is enough.
I tried texting her again from the bus.167Please respect copyright.PENANAh43HwrckzD
But the signal?167Please respect copyright.PENANAs0BQ4yzCvO
Well, it had other plans.167Please respect copyright.PENANA4yJWRtSppZ