I found a girl at the caf,

her eyes resting on me

longer than strangers usually dare.

I asked my friend,

“What should I do?”

He said over the phone

“Guy, go meet her now.”

I stood up,

heart rehearsing lines

my mouth hadn’t learned yet.

But before I could move

she did.

She walked toward me.

Slow, Certain.

And just when the moment

was about to become real.

My number was called to warm my food.

Food before fate.

I left.

Standing in front of a microwave,

watching my food spin

while seconds,then minutes pass by,

eventually things come to an end,

just like my time for microwaving.

When I returned

She was still there.

Same place.

Different moment.

Now it was her turn.

Her number was called.

So I waited.

For a chance

a small, uncertain chance

to speak to a girl

who had somehow already

stepped into my thoughts.

Because I’ve learned something about life,

It presents  opportunities quietly,

and it is up to us,

to be brave enough to take them.

She stepped out with a smile,

Soft,Certain.

Like she expected me to still be there.

She caught me looking.

And I froze.

She held my gaze,

Seconds stretched,

Not one,

Not two,

But long enough to say,

“Come.”

But I didn’t.

I stood there,

rooted,

between fear and the moment,

I might soon regret,

if i don't move.

Her back began to fade into the distance,

my thoughts chasing words

I should’ve said.

By the time I found them,

I saw myself moving toward the exit.

She was a bit far

but there she was,

taking her sweet time,

like she was counting her steps.

I want to believe

she was waiting for me.

I couldn’t prove it

but I’m glad

I didn’t lose her.

I wasn’t chasing her

because I liked her.

I was chasing her

because I was curious.

Curiosity had led me this far.

I looked down

at my phone in my hand.

It was dead.

And I thought

“Maybe it’s not meant to be.”

But fate has a strange sense of humor.

I saw a friend.

Borrowed his phone.

And ran back into a moment

that refused to end.

I reached her.

Awkward. Breathless.

And I spoke

the only way I knew how

to start a conversation.

“Your level?”

“Your course?”

“Your age?”

It sounded wrong,rushed.

But she smiled anyway.

She was older than I thought.

And just like that

we began.

We talked.

We laughed.

We flirted.

At first,

I wasn’t interested.

Not really.

Just curious.

About the girl

who i saw in caf.

But she saw more.

She liked me.

Not just how I looked

but who I was.

.

I had always been shallow.

Eyes before heart.

Body before soul.

But she changed that.

She made me feel like

maybe liking someone

wasn’t about what you see

but what you feel.

And slowly

I began to fall too.

Two weeks later

I asked her out.

She said no.

Confusion,frustration,a quiet anger

I didn’t want to admit.

Did I read it wrong?

Was it all in my head?

But she noticed.

Of course she did.

“We’re moving too fast,” she said.

“I’m scared we’ll end the same way.”

And suddenly

it made sense.

So I waited.

We slowed down.

We learned each other

like pages,

And when I asked again,

She said yes.

And it was good.

At first,

Then came the cracks.

Differences.

Clashes.

Opinions that didn’t bend.

So I spoke.

About what hurt me.

What I didn’t like.

What I hoped we could fix.

But all I got was

“That’s how I am.”

No sorry.

No pause.

No understanding.

Just that.

That night,

I was quiet.

Broken in silence.

She said goodbye that same night,

like everything was normal when it wasn't.

I waited for her to reach out,

One day,

Two days,

But nothing happened.

So i took what i believed was the next decision,

I ended it,

But deep down

I hoped she’d fight.

Say something.

Do something,Care.

Instead, she said

“Same here 😂”

And just like that

It ended.

All the moments,

all the love,

Reduced to a laugh.

And I sat there,

heart heavy,

mind racing,

asking questions

that had no answers.

Maybe it was fate

that brought us together.

But maybe

It was just a lesson

that felt like love.