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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZG2ttucM30
Twenty.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZH7z3h1f2G
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCF744sfnKP
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ui64fIHjk
One — light, smiling, joyful — the version of me that found a friend.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WWJL6sSdE
The other — quiet, heavy — the version that almost said something he shouldn’t have.
Because here’s the thing about feelings:19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrQRaKAg0v
They don’t ask for your permission.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL620j8WNqY
They just show up.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRZo3n91gN
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qu3HiHUvj
You meet someone by chance, a coincidence wrapped in everyday moments…19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSLkTyGS5H
and suddenly they’re showing up in your sky like a comet.
That’s terrifying.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTunvDiy2p
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4znNOwUXj
Just imagine a guy who threw on a shirt while arguing with his hairbrush and lost.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTM0GRQ4iHJ
My hair was doing interpretive dance.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiRSdGYb6K
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoEWQdCWg2
Not as strangers.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERDLQPPHq7
Not as accidental classmates.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPWvGpteKr
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolgg0GjriO
And — surprise — our classes are side by side. Same floor, barely a few steps apart.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEUdN5WwyO
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mh5x8Bd96
Okay, maybe I do.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJl3OLwBeM
Okay fine, I watch a lot.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqtR7twMYB
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdmDUSGXSJ
But here she was.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfdqYZB1Ju
Leona.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudPmeAY2v5
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6VtT3NuEI
Eventually, she asked for my Insta.
I gave it.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2ZY0qatLN
We chatted as we walked.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27mlIAxM9a
The buses arrived. We said goodbye.
But in my head, I was spinning.
Why would someone want to talk to me?19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelXAgLcpUd
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMtTZy4WoV
Not suddenly. Gradually.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzQ8n3iBpv
So, no one would notice.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzPW1yigsg
Because I had achieved what I came there for.
The plan?
Operation: One conversation with Seren.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGpDgBIzem
Status: Complete.
Bonus: We became friends.
And I didn’t care about anything else.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkd8AQPIYM
Because when you find one person who feels like more than a coincidence — that’s enough.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMwV3ph5ki
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtzTkgtt75
But the signal?19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKaykUEVrH
Well, it had other plans.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8jwSx9CYq
