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.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFrs6Ywnkx
Twenty.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTvade2yvu
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.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIuOUoomo2
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:450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8kzyoW4L0
One — light, smiling, joyful — the version of me that found a friend.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnxOJpQrTj
The other — quiet, heavy — the version that almost said something he shouldn’t have.
Because here’s the thing about feelings:450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzckMNUYjP
They don’t ask for your permission.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoFyclCpLy
They just show up.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbTOt3nhNo
And when they arrive too fast — it’s scary. For you, and especially for the other person.
Imagine it from her side:450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1m5bFFSm3X
You meet someone by chance, a coincidence wrapped in everyday moments…450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxWmMEVURj
and suddenly they’re showing up in your sky like a comet.
That’s terrifying.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdpEXpees1
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.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DknNCSKBj
Just imagine a guy who threw on a shirt while arguing with his hairbrush and lost.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MxWy6nUvW
My hair was doing interpretive dance.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZx7eDbDPh
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.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyevP1BQkjE
Not as strangers.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TLr43MYt2
Not as accidental classmates.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjK5OPIMbKM
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.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NvK78QJFr
And — surprise — our classes are side by side. Same floor, barely a few steps apart.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNh5xmvWhL
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.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgEg854UpV
Okay, maybe I do.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdhpI5Zx9G
Okay fine, I watch a lot.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7Aa6g8TU3
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.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUpzb20U8K
But here she was.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmClEsMPEk
Leona.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzj4m81sqSW
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.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1ABLG5Zuq
Eventually, she asked for my Insta.
I gave it.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSqTmw5tqK
We chatted as we walked.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrULxZbkmC
The buses arrived. We said goodbye.
But in my head, I was spinning.
Why would someone want to talk to me?450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzorIkh25F
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.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3REVoUKyPN
Not suddenly. Gradually.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCPBbCQJ2f
So, no one would notice.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKmU9isfML
Because I had achieved what I came there for.
The plan?
Operation: One conversation with Seren.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkO6zDcGhZ
Status: Complete.
Bonus: We became friends.
And I didn’t care about anything else.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnV10CLltz3
Because when you find one person who feels like more than a coincidence — that’s enough.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnagfXL5UjZ
Whether it’s a friend, a crush, a someday-maybe-never.
One is enough.
I tried texting her again from the bus.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngQSbcbusG
But the signal?450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiDmC1xDNO
Well, it had other plans.450Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8wz0Ja1u9
and then Add to home screen.