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.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXv1WvbEZh
Twenty.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgylvXpxj9q
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.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyQrNtZEuY
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:161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92Kx5oLDRx
One — light, smiling, joyful — the version of me that found a friend.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1lLUli2Pq
The other — quiet, heavy — the version that almost said something he shouldn’t have.
Because here’s the thing about feelings:161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwoY9qKsbH
They don’t ask for your permission.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjP8cZVrbqi
They just show up.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2uCkLtjgu
And when they arrive too fast — it’s scary. For you, and especially for the other person.
Imagine it from her side:161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfoDq7X3is
You meet someone by chance, a coincidence wrapped in everyday moments…161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrL5uskxnZ0
and suddenly they’re showing up in your sky like a comet.
That’s terrifying.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbrymDESrT
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.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAcTkLoqfk
Just imagine a guy who threw on a shirt while arguing with his hairbrush and lost.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9w7rhlMaMg
My hair was doing interpretive dance.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MIieFY9eK
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.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpukWEu4ur2
Not as strangers.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQT5zeGXmY
Not as accidental classmates.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibBajwsiKa
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.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNU9RmLOnaW
And — surprise — our classes are side by side. Same floor, barely a few steps apart.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhRCNzAf1t
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.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WJJ4nzE9y
Okay, maybe I do.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgwMGDr1QJ
Okay fine, I watch a lot.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuxrgvNwr5
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.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8F4Tot5En
But here she was.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVY36Qde5KE
Leona.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WONqc0jP1
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.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1E6V5lfNj
Eventually, she asked for my Insta.
I gave it.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxlkJ3xiHG
We chatted as we walked.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63yu78GM1D
The buses arrived. We said goodbye.
But in my head, I was spinning.
Why would someone want to talk to me?161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYjaX32Op5
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.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLe1PEsR4z7
Not suddenly. Gradually.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbp7YEmxit
So, no one would notice.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7MJJEYFpt
Because I had achieved what I came there for.
The plan?
Operation: One conversation with Seren.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfi8UvzMWd
Status: Complete.
Bonus: We became friends.
And I didn’t care about anything else.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmL3g5P1msV
Because when you find one person who feels like more than a coincidence — that’s enough.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnunL8WxEYP
Whether it’s a friend, a crush, a someday-maybe-never.
One is enough.
I tried texting her again from the bus.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb103bEPFqA
But the signal?161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Q6wek9vN0
Well, it had other plans.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xajY0Z5Yj
and then Add to home screen.