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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyAtnmDd2o
Twenty.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCQ2EQW0Ok
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjhxKRMfPh
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:75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwMw5FMqKE
One — light, smiling, joyful — the version of me that found a friend.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bb92xS2rs
The other — quiet, heavy — the version that almost said something he shouldn’t have.
Because here’s the thing about feelings:75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwGXOKRpqg
They don’t ask for your permission.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGGTKXZLMj
They just show up.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9d6gPnisc
And when they arrive too fast — it’s scary. For you, and especially for the other person.
Imagine it from her side:75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ReDoDzPs7
You meet someone by chance, a coincidence wrapped in everyday moments…75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHskxw41PY
and suddenly they’re showing up in your sky like a comet.
That’s terrifying.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYVYjsH9qx
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31092lmlxD
Just imagine a guy who threw on a shirt while arguing with his hairbrush and lost.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTqklobrlX
My hair was doing interpretive dance.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nrGH49srh
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGgHO81vyL
Not as strangers.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQzF0GwAp9
Not as accidental classmates.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGVYtMaEpf
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2nYpNawyH
And — surprise — our classes are side by side. Same floor, barely a few steps apart.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHTcWBCNP2
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNB0Kp2HHSb
Okay, maybe I do.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lPrZOOACW
Okay fine, I watch a lot.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIabGPmCXV
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLf3wjjEDTl
But here she was.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnz2O0cLFk
Leona.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkD8r5PLDf4
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHfIeksrry
Eventually, she asked for my Insta.
I gave it.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyb5dFOaLi
We chatted as we walked.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYqCEbFSYM
The buses arrived. We said goodbye.
But in my head, I was spinning.
Why would someone want to talk to me?75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXpo9khLV5
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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZSpn8Gc5D
Not suddenly. Gradually.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGtc2LWNoM
So, no one would notice.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GEcT2Mf60
Because I had achieved what I came there for.
The plan?
Operation: One conversation with Seren.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwCE65eqKa
Status: Complete.
Bonus: We became friends.
And I didn’t care about anything else.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84D5LaUMZK
Because when you find one person who feels like more than a coincidence — that’s enough.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpuD0DcaI4
Whether it’s a friend, a crush, a someday-maybe-never.
One is enough.
I tried texting her again from the bus.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYrIeOgrRx
But the signal?75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdsSXcmBkP
Well, it had other plans.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCT6OQaoe4
and then Add to home screen.