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.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZSd4uxpVc
Twenty.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnarX7gtMb
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.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKOpsO1Bbq
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:19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4nduAVk1V
One — light, smiling, joyful — the version of me that found a friend.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWYV8tY2ms
The other — quiet, heavy — the version that almost said something he shouldn’t have.
Because here’s the thing about feelings:19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcwtB7ijbS
They don’t ask for your permission.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJd1OpaqVk8
They just show up.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkn82vDUzpq
And when they arrive too fast — it’s scary. For you, and especially for the other person.
Imagine it from her side:19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIk26d98Vp
You meet someone by chance, a coincidence wrapped in everyday moments…19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8C8cvvpyj
and suddenly they’re showing up in your sky like a comet.
That’s terrifying.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3uB7BkiYU
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.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwDKhUFEp0
Just imagine a guy who threw on a shirt while arguing with his hairbrush and lost.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTQniKvxMc
My hair was doing interpretive dance.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicdwH7FjqX
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.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQWk7WIDvs
Not as strangers.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoY8ZvJgbyO
Not as accidental classmates.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcG5eW0nvGO
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.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsxn4n8HOk
And — surprise — our classes are side by side. Same floor, barely a few steps apart.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiRlh1JOrM
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.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgEEczIGX6
Okay, maybe I do.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDF1ggYgS9F
Okay fine, I watch a lot.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaqjXgXpSc
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.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcRHyluMrL
But here she was.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZQzZ25Ags
Leona.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSGhrAviAx
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.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLc34S08CM
Eventually, she asked for my Insta.
I gave it.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrmJNCaizn
We chatted as we walked.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInUkNjogpF
The buses arrived. We said goodbye.
But in my head, I was spinning.
Why would someone want to talk to me?19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQZ1bFRLT7
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.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcw42wZuqjb
Not suddenly. Gradually.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UMKwYiBwS
So, no one would notice.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Su5L8F2Fg
Because I had achieved what I came there for.
The plan?
Operation: One conversation with Seren.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPR2vLhVkof
Status: Complete.
Bonus: We became friends.
And I didn’t care about anything else.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYbU7NYNfg
Because when you find one person who feels like more than a coincidence — that’s enough.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1oRgpwaaj
Whether it’s a friend, a crush, a someday-maybe-never.
One is enough.
I tried texting her again from the bus.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1bdNUt6Tn
But the signal?19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiN444BRunO
Well, it had other plans.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqoJWCsLxo
