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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlZGO7Quwm
Twenty.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvy9bmjE4gF
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfYIuRfmGJ
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:10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1xLxJYh75
One — light, smiling, joyful — the version of me that found a friend.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2O3z44VAZ
The other — quiet, heavy — the version that almost said something he shouldn’t have.
Because here’s the thing about feelings:10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuByN7kSgg2
They don’t ask for your permission.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksNTcnmb9y
They just show up.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HjH5BZ32t
And when they arrive too fast — it’s scary. For you, and especially for the other person.
Imagine it from her side:10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHcDau37Mb
You meet someone by chance, a coincidence wrapped in everyday moments…10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwPXfQG9De
and suddenly they’re showing up in your sky like a comet.
That’s terrifying.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YMXqppMDV
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCmemV1QbJ
Just imagine a guy who threw on a shirt while arguing with his hairbrush and lost.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvGAJt7k8L
My hair was doing interpretive dance.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBw6zUZMGwO
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1MyFkpvbH
Not as strangers.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xwGXLiTlG
Not as accidental classmates.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLMJ08aJVp
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThyb0QHN1I
And — surprise — our classes are side by side. Same floor, barely a few steps apart.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscrefg0ew2
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynY3ZGnIht
Okay, maybe I do.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNyZZj1iPO
Okay fine, I watch a lot.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92IYTgCo8B
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYgaaLxZJt
But here she was.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLorz1JnqY
Leona.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAh6uvibIG
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcaOWER8vcc
Eventually, she asked for my Insta.
I gave it.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPHRmh5USP
We chatted as we walked.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRWw0UFgPo
The buses arrived. We said goodbye.
But in my head, I was spinning.
Why would someone want to talk to me?10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pv7PjOosK
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.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOiDJhMRK6
Not suddenly. Gradually.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Eo8a8D4QK
So, no one would notice.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJ7gvE0JeJ
Because I had achieved what I came there for.
The plan?
Operation: One conversation with Seren.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRBarZRv9n
Status: Complete.
Bonus: We became friends.
And I didn’t care about anything else.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBw6Xh3BKwU
Because when you find one person who feels like more than a coincidence — that’s enough.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73hNoczQiQ
Whether it’s a friend, a crush, a someday-maybe-never.
One is enough.
I tried texting her again from the bus.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnitvfBxAx
But the signal?10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYOlf7UcTO
Well, it had other plans.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8f0GzKqyY
