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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IfJTtLr0L
Twenty.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYkajvKzpd
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk27Cn59UxC
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:180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oGOfFjkpC
One — light, smiling, joyful — the version of me that found a friend.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwUvz9TgzT
The other — quiet, heavy — the version that almost said something he shouldn’t have.
Because here’s the thing about feelings:180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0JMUd1BaJ
They don’t ask for your permission.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3JoMb3Ms8
They just show up.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk07rLAoFOR
And when they arrive too fast — it’s scary. For you, and especially for the other person.
Imagine it from her side:180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmBcAgNTaI
You meet someone by chance, a coincidence wrapped in everyday moments…180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dcyQHegs6
and suddenly they’re showing up in your sky like a comet.
That’s terrifying.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7uToo7ytx
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMo4T1RlFzP
Just imagine a guy who threw on a shirt while arguing with his hairbrush and lost.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMw4ZLLA7Py
My hair was doing interpretive dance.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNODIZXXBrZ
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26fxkozyNa
Not as strangers.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu39QU5k0Ho
Not as accidental classmates.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aaHoVMBQf
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRrQJRze5A
And — surprise — our classes are side by side. Same floor, barely a few steps apart.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRl67S1jcp
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXaFhCy0nM
Okay, maybe I do.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtgNKaT5L9
Okay fine, I watch a lot.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72khx3fney
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6I2JghUpS
But here she was.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcleJJRfsG
Leona.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogRqob0eLZ
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpEMqZ44uu
Eventually, she asked for my Insta.
I gave it.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprrLPlDb5W
We chatted as we walked.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVfYEt91Jt
The buses arrived. We said goodbye.
But in my head, I was spinning.
Why would someone want to talk to me?180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxqPJkw5qx
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy40idiajKE
Not suddenly. Gradually.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCt9Azw2zXi
So, no one would notice.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViEaghnkfA
Because I had achieved what I came there for.
The plan?
Operation: One conversation with Seren.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLmRYsKuzA
Status: Complete.
Bonus: We became friends.
And I didn’t care about anything else.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqrfDQo6lj
Because when you find one person who feels like more than a coincidence — that’s enough.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3Uvx4R2Hq
Whether it’s a friend, a crush, a someday-maybe-never.
One is enough.
I tried texting her again from the bus.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdI3WCDhr6
But the signal?180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCMYvOexWC
Well, it had other plans.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQaA22MrkQ
and then Add to home screen.