The next morning, I woke up with only one thought in my mind.
Yesterday.
The dinner.
His questions.
The conversation about crushes, relationships, and destiny.
And most importantly—
Why did he ask me all that?
I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, hoping my brain would somehow give me an answer.
It didn't.
Instead, it gave me twenty more questions.
I reached for my phone from the bedside table and checked the time.
8:17 a.m.
I had class later, so I still had some time.
I unlocked my phone without thinking much.
And then I stopped.
There was a notification.
Him.
My heart immediately started beating faster.
I opened the chat.
Him: Hey.
I stared at that one word for a few seconds.
Why did a simple "Hey" suddenly feel like such a big deal?
I typed a reply.
Me: Hii.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
I waited.
Him: Can I ask you something about yesterday?
I sat up straight.
About yesterday?
Of course.
My mind instantly replayed the entire dinner.
Did I say something weird?
Did I make things awkward?
Did he misunderstand something?
Or—
Was he going to ask about my answer?
I took a breath before replying.
Me: Sure. What happened?
His reply came after a few seconds.
Him: You said you believe in destiny.
I blinked.
That was what he wanted to ask about?
Me: Yeah. I do.
Him: Since when?
I smiled slightly.
That was an easy question.
Me: I don't know. Maybe always. I just feel like some things happen for a reason.
He replied:
Him: Even people?
My smile disappeared.
I read the message again.
Even people?
I didn't know why that question felt different.
I slowly typed.
Me: Maybe. Some people come into our lives for a reason. Some stay for a long time, some only for a short time.
There was a pause.
Then:
Him: And some come back?
My fingers stopped above the keyboard.
I knew exactly what he was referring to.
At least, I thought I did.
I typed carefully.
Me: Maybe.
Then I added:
Me: Why are you asking me this?
This time, the typing bubble stayed there for a while.
Then disappeared.
Nothing.
I waited.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Five.
I finally put my phone down.
"Okay," I whispered to myself. "Obviously he has disappeared after making me overthink."
I got out of bed and started getting ready for college.
But even while brushing my hair, I kept thinking about his questions.
Even people?
And some come back?
Why did it sound like he was trying to understand something?
Or maybe I was simply reading too much into it.
Probably the second one.
I had spent years creating meanings from small moments.
A glance.
A smile.
A conversation.
I had promised myself I wouldn't do that again.
So I decided to stop.
At least for today.
---
By the time I reached college, my mind was slightly calmer.
I met my roommate outside the classroom.
She looked at me for approximately three seconds before narrowing her eyes.
"What?"
She smiled.
"Nothing."
I knew that tone.
"What?"
"You look distracted."
"I am not."
"You are."
"I literally just came to class."
"Exactly. And somehow you're already somewhere else."
I rolled my eyes.
"Please don't start."
She laughed.
We walked inside.
Our usual group was already there.
And surprisingly my best friend came my college....
My best friend noticed me and immediately waved.
"Come here!"
I went toward her.
She looked at me.
Then at my phone.
Then back at me.
"No."
I frowned.
"What?"
"You got a message."
I froze.
"How do you know?"
She pointed at my face.
"Because you have that expression."
"What expression?"
"That something happened but I'm pretending nothing happened expression."
I sighed.
"Nothing happened."
She crossed her arms.
"Tell me."
I hesitated.
Then quietly said, "He messaged me."
Her eyes widened.
"Again?"
I nodded.
"What did he say?"
I showed her the conversation.
She read it silently.
When she reached Even people?, she looked up at me.
"Oh."
"What?"
"That is not a random question."
"I know!"
"So?"
"So what?"
"Girl!"
She lowered her voice dramatically.
"Why would he suddenly ask you about destiny?"
"I don't know."
"And then ask if some people come back?"
"I don't know!"
She stared at me.
I stared back.
She smiled.
"You're overthinking."
"I know."
"And you're going to overthink even more."
"I know."
"And you're going to pretend you're not overthinking."
"I know!"
She laughed.
"Okay, okay. Relax."
I took my phone back.
"But he hasn't replied after I asked why he was asking."
She shrugged.
"Maybe he doesn't know what to say."
"Or maybe he realized he was asking stupid questions."
She gave me a look.
"Or maybe…"
"No."
"I didn't even say anything!"
"I know what you're going to say."
She smiled.
"Fine. I won't."
I smiled back.
But somewhere inside, I still wondered.
What was he trying to ask me?
---
Classes started, and for the next few hours, I tried my best to focus.
Anatomy.
Notes.
Practical.
Lunch break.
Everything was normal.
Almost.
Because every time my phone vibrated, my eyes automatically went toward it.
Nothing.
Then during lunch, my senior friend noticed.
"You're waiting for someone's message?"
I immediately looked up.
"No."
He smiled.
"Okay."
"That was a very suspicious 'okay.'"
"I'm just saying okay."
I rolled my eyes.
My best friend looked between us and laughed.
"You two are impossible."
My senior shook his head.
"I didn't even say anything."
"Exactly."
He smiled and looked at me.
"You seem distracted today."
I hesitated.
Then said, "I'm fine."
He didn't push.
He simply nodded.
"Okay."
That was one thing I appreciated about him.
He never forced me to explain something before I was ready.
Maybe that's why I trusted him so much.
---
That evening, after returning to my room, I finally checked my phone again.
There was a message.
Him: Sorry. Got busy.
I replied immediately.
Me: It's okay.
A few seconds later:
Him: About your question…
I waited.
Him: I don't know. I was just curious.
I stared at the screen.
Just curious.
Of course.
I smiled at myself.
Maybe I really had been overthinking everything.
I typed:
Me: Okay 😂
He replied:
Him: Don't laugh.
Me: I'm not laughing.
Him: You definitely are.
Me: Maybe a little.
He sent a laughing emoji.
For a few moments, the conversation became completely normal.
College.
Classes.
Teachers.
Random things.
Nothing special.
Nothing that gave me an answer.
And strangely, I was okay with that.
Maybe not every question needed an immediate answer.
Then, suddenly, he asked:
Him: Can I ask you one more thing?
I stared at the message.
Again?
Me: Sure.
His next message came quickly.
Him: You said yesterday that you've never had a boyfriend and that you believe someone might already be written in your destiny.
I swallowed.
Me: Yeah.
Him: What if that person is already somewhere in your life?
My heart skipped.
I didn't know what to type.
I stared at the screen for several seconds.
Finally:
Me: Then I guess I'll know when I'm supposed to know.
His reply:
Him: Maybe.
I frowned.
Then I typed the question I had been avoiding all day.
Me: Why are you asking me all this?
This time, he didn't answer immediately.
The typing bubble appeared.
Stopped.
Appeared again.
I waited.
Finally, a message arrived.
Him: I was just curious.
I let out a small laugh.
"Again?"
I shook my head.
Maybe he really was just curious.
Maybe there was nothing hidden behind his questions.
Maybe I was simply giving meaning to something that meant nothing.
I put my phone aside.
Then picked it up again.
No.
I needed to stop.
I had learned this lesson once before.
Don't build a whole story around a few moments.
So I placed my phone on the table and started studying.
For almost twenty minutes, I managed to focus.
Then my phone vibrated again.
I looked at it.
Another message.
Him: Goodnight.
I smiled.
I was about to reply when another message appeared.
Him: And about what you said yesterday…
I stopped.
Another message.
Him: Sometimes you don't realize someone's feelings until they become impossible to ignore.
My smile slowly disappeared.
I read it once.
Then again.
And again.
My mind went completely blank.
Was he talking about himself?
Was he talking about someone else?
Was he simply giving me advice?
I didn't know.
Before I could reply, another message appeared.
Him: Goodnight.
And then—
Offline.
I stared at the screen.
For the first time that day, I wasn't wondering whether he liked me.
I was wondering something much more frightening.
What if I had been looking for answers in the wrong place all along?
I locked my phone.
But the words stayed in my mind.
Sometimes you don't realize someone's feelings until they become impossible to ignore.
And somehow, I had a feeling that tomorrow…
I was going to understand exactly what he meant.