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