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.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GUpvR7jIW
Twenty.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsk1D7EnZLj
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.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2A0yVCTdU
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:138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgaP0Ne3XO
One — light, smiling, joyful — the version of me that found a friend.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KnNajRxe7
The other — quiet, heavy — the version that almost said something he shouldn’t have.
Because here’s the thing about feelings:138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BefVS4nMO
They don’t ask for your permission.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMh76Mwyvby
They just show up.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpaRel0Lmem
And when they arrive too fast — it’s scary. For you, and especially for the other person.
Imagine it from her side:138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqssoZEGFvK
You meet someone by chance, a coincidence wrapped in everyday moments…138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgTVUQTLqA
and suddenly they’re showing up in your sky like a comet.
That’s terrifying.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3q0PFhkoi
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.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gQWykzDRz
Just imagine a guy who threw on a shirt while arguing with his hairbrush and lost.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPY99UeOH3
My hair was doing interpretive dance.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQd3OCgFp2
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.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IFRcFSuBe
Not as strangers.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkjew7BZ44
Not as accidental classmates.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ji1Fkm0ZB
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.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqmksP4Vej
And — surprise — our classes are side by side. Same floor, barely a few steps apart.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6JRLaZ987
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.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuSwMFes6N
Okay, maybe I do.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwFZLUnBQs
Okay fine, I watch a lot.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJpefQxmnv
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.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIzLBdesH2
But here she was.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTMQuaCPhW
Leona.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdLHZ7psPD
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.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq54scs5kG8
Eventually, she asked for my Insta.
I gave it.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv87yfBhwei
We chatted as we walked.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhfnXTr6wt
The buses arrived. We said goodbye.
But in my head, I was spinning.
Why would someone want to talk to me?138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Xmo7VILNZ
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.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjtwxe8XCr
Not suddenly. Gradually.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCWapA6kAe
So, no one would notice.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5frxDiLfQ
Because I had achieved what I came there for.
The plan?
Operation: One conversation with Seren.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ao0s1enD1
Status: Complete.
Bonus: We became friends.
And I didn’t care about anything else.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDw7lSOuXiQ
Because when you find one person who feels like more than a coincidence — that’s enough.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02PIdY8xYY
Whether it’s a friend, a crush, a someday-maybe-never.
One is enough.
I tried texting her again from the bus.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGSj5y6awh
But the signal?138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVygXdrQs9
Well, it had other plans.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspyWfVnWgN
and then Add to home screen.