When We Were Us (#1 Romance)

1: An Intriguing Encounter

Have you ever wished to wake up and find that life waiting for you feels like a movie? 

It could be during a rainy day, the warmth of summer, or a bright sunny morning. 

You stroll along, and suddenly, you meet your soulmate. You both fall in love and navigate life together, like the best drama ever.

Will that ever happen? I just want to fall in love once, live with that person forever, have kids, and be truly happy.

But every day when I wake up, nothing changes. I'm always excited for that day to come. I long to turn the drama in my head into reality. 

But today, unlike other days, reality hits me hard. 

I hear my dad shouting at me to wake up because I'm late, and then the copy of the assignment I worked on last night suddenly disappears, with exams looming around the corner. 

University life really brings me back to reality from this dreamy imagination.

Now, I'm sitting alone in class, scrolling through my phone. Raissa, my close friend, seems to be absent today. But why didn't she let me know?

I feel like crying. I don't like being alone. I'm actually  a quiet person, and my circle is really small. 

Aghhhh, I want to go home early.

While trying to hide my awkwardness, I sneak a glance around and accidentally catch a guy staring at me. I look away and pretend I didn't see.

Him again.

I always notice him looking my way. Does he like me? I doubt it. Don't be too confident, Noor.

Sure, I've said I want to experience love like in the dramas, but I'm not feeling that spark yet. Maybe he's not the right person. 

Plus, I don't want to date someone from my class or someone I know.

Finally, class is over, and it feels like an eternity without Raissa beside me. Fortunately, our presentation got postponed, which means I can redo the assignment I lost.

I walk to the cafeteria. I like coming here because it's usually not too crowded around this time, and I can eat alone peacefully. 

I choose a spot that's quite secluded and open my laptop, trying to make the most of my time by working on my assignment.

I'm focused on my laptop screen when I suddenly realize a guy is approaching me and talking to me. I look at him directly.

"Excuse me, can I borrow one of your chairs?" he asks.

"Sure, no problem," I reply with a friendly voice.

"Thank you," he says before heading to his table across from me, where a few other guys are sitting.

I look back on my laptop, but those guys are too loud, and it's hard for me to concentrate. 

Plus, I feel uncomfortable being around guys; maybe that's why I'm still single.

I begin to wonder where I should go to finish my work. The library? That sounds like a good idea.

I didn't expect the library to be quite empty around this time, which is good for me because I like it quiet. I choose a seat right in front of the big window and try to continue my work. Well, I think I can finish this by today.

My phone vibrated, and I looked at it.

 A message from Syazwan, an old friend from high school to be exact: "Hey! How are you, hehe?"