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.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsB39MYvlfZ
Twenty.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdT7OfA8sfm
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.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaueD8ASHG
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:155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCb4Fxx91Ou
One — light, smiling, joyful — the version of me that found a friend.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVi4YPr8xi
The other — quiet, heavy — the version that almost said something he shouldn’t have.
Because here’s the thing about feelings:155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUCJL670oS
They don’t ask for your permission.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXegn4y9Y1
They just show up.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQrEW1neuv
And when they arrive too fast — it’s scary. For you, and especially for the other person.
Imagine it from her side:155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEFRN0uk5B
You meet someone by chance, a coincidence wrapped in everyday moments…155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySixI6nHP9
and suddenly they’re showing up in your sky like a comet.
That’s terrifying.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlto2DPqWiO
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.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sypsPcNys
Just imagine a guy who threw on a shirt while arguing with his hairbrush and lost.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSSx0PMAzi
My hair was doing interpretive dance.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgENWsqkYoH
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.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmn4QF6y0v
Not as strangers.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRhrxJ9jEH
Not as accidental classmates.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HoegvB5HE
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.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRr78Rrtk2K
And — surprise — our classes are side by side. Same floor, barely a few steps apart.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZwGcUOleU
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.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPs95MyUDs
Okay, maybe I do.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmRK66WcLE
Okay fine, I watch a lot.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrcwq0eUJV
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.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDXnamd9Jq
But here she was.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzI34egvUQw
Leona.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeofSpvPMq
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.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2inmJ865p3
Eventually, she asked for my Insta.
I gave it.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQ56Km7D43
We chatted as we walked.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9vroPlYul
The buses arrived. We said goodbye.
But in my head, I was spinning.
Why would someone want to talk to me?155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaX33kvUKrL
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.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6uqDWUbJr
Not suddenly. Gradually.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vj0Ksu1oD
So, no one would notice.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMILqsy9lN
Because I had achieved what I came there for.
The plan?
Operation: One conversation with Seren.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwIaUBh8Ya
Status: Complete.
Bonus: We became friends.
And I didn’t care about anything else.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HiRzOITZc
Because when you find one person who feels like more than a coincidence — that’s enough.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOInvXEn4zk
Whether it’s a friend, a crush, a someday-maybe-never.
One is enough.
I tried texting her again from the bus.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBY1CDAvYj
But the signal?155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8z7cEdyb7Z
Well, it had other plans.155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegjRjq6Ffa
