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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRM9xkhb0q
Twenty.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXKiRjBUeg
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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR653OLpuDX
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:159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqYVZT3OhD
One — light, smiling, joyful — the version of me that found a friend.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdNYhckuSd
The other — quiet, heavy — the version that almost said something he shouldn’t have.
Because here’s the thing about feelings:159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFEUlwdth8
They don’t ask for your permission.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCUQj2fVNa
They just show up.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmYzR6tVYp
And when they arrive too fast — it’s scary. For you, and especially for the other person.
Imagine it from her side:159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLHvt2ztFr
You meet someone by chance, a coincidence wrapped in everyday moments…159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzCSj3qgpw
and suddenly they’re showing up in your sky like a comet.
That’s terrifying.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrrWi1RJYU
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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9MDQawbk5
Just imagine a guy who threw on a shirt while arguing with his hairbrush and lost.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABdcXaG6I1
My hair was doing interpretive dance.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFkNpHtrpx
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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwkORGCCLl
Not as strangers.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr76k93UA9t
Not as accidental classmates.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNkbKNqy7Y
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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJnc2YZL7q
And — surprise — our classes are side by side. Same floor, barely a few steps apart.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLAj2jjC8r
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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMbxhiCBqj
Okay, maybe I do.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUniSQyL6ci
Okay fine, I watch a lot.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzOBpHx4YY
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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgXmovDx0a
But here she was.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2oPrKeaes
Leona.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqjCkSKDCE
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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPPQnyS6fG
Eventually, she asked for my Insta.
I gave it.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrtsV2LTSU
We chatted as we walked.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUxhdp5kQK
The buses arrived. We said goodbye.
But in my head, I was spinning.
Why would someone want to talk to me?159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrw1mUXXzY5
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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4swaCH2Lvt
Not suddenly. Gradually.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3J6Fr1Uys
So, no one would notice.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgB9jQ7mckX
Because I had achieved what I came there for.
The plan?
Operation: One conversation with Seren.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAcGOYIFjZ
Status: Complete.
Bonus: We became friends.
And I didn’t care about anything else.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKo4M2iOOi
Because when you find one person who feels like more than a coincidence — that’s enough.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFAAhegzSM
Whether it’s a friend, a crush, a someday-maybe-never.
One is enough.
I tried texting her again from the bus.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVD28qLYWV
But the signal?159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKJIm1drlB
Well, it had other plans.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpr1JF33DNk
