"Ahh… what time is it?" The wristwatch on the table showed 6:09 am .
I got up and headed to the bathroom , only to bump into the wall .
"Argh… that hurts . Oh , it's just a wall … hmm ."
After prayed Subuh , I got ready for school . Another normal , boring day awaited .
During the last period, the teacher had an announcement ,
"Next week , our class will hold a birthday party to celebrate everyone's birthday . Each of you is required to bring a gift .
Each gift will be assigned a number , and every student will randomly pick a number from a box .
If the number matches your gift , you'll give it to that student . Got it ?
Also , anyone who wants to bring food or dishes is welcome . I'll bring some fried rice and cakes .
See you all next week ."
"Thank you, teacher ," everyone chorused .
I muttered to myself , "What a hassle… gifts, huh ? I've never really given or received one . I guess I have to do my part too . I wonder who'll get mine ."
After school , I went straight to the nearby stores to look for a gift . I wasted most of the weekend searching for ideas , visiting multiple shops . Should I get a notebook ? A football ? A dress ? None really seemed necessary.
"Hmm… the party's tomorrow , and I haven't found anything yet . Should I just skip it ? Nah… I'll try a bit longer ."
Then I saw something when I reach the last shop on my list , I went up to the second floor and spotted something within my sight , on the fourth shelf to my left, I spotted a small elephant — one pink and one blue . "Kinda cute … should I take blue or pink ? The boys probably wouldn't want a pink elephant … blue works . Ugh, I'm terrible at picking gifts ."
The next day at school , everyone was already setting up tables and chairs for the food and gifts . I placed mine quietly .
A friend nudged me .
"What did you get for the gift?"
"You'll see soon enough ," I replied and walked away . Too lazy to deal with any of them .
Everything went smoothly until it was time to exchange gifts . I wasn't paying much attention … until a girl picked a number and it happened to be mine . I walked over , casually handing her a paper bag with the little elephant inside . Then I looked up and into her eyes .
Cute … she's cute.
I quickly looked away , trying to hide my expression . What was her name again ?
Ah… yes , Nadia Alisha .
I sat down and , without realizing it , found myself watching her . She hadn't opened the gift yet . Even when everyone finished exchanging presents , she still hadn't . Maybe she didn't like it .
That night , lying on my bed and staring at the ceiling , I muttered to myself ,
"Is this the first time I thought a girl was cute ? Maybe I should ask her out … nah , she wouldn't buy it ."
I couldn't fall asleep until 12:54 am .
Life went back to normal . I got second place in class for the final exam . I applied to a boarding school and got accepted , but failed the interview . So I stayed at my local school and lived a normal teenage life for the next three years.
It was halfway through my third year of high school when my mom asked me , "One of your friends wants your number ."
I knew him , so I figured he might have something to tell me . I just said ,
"Just give him my number ."
But for the rest of the night , no one texted me . Maybe he forgot .
The next day at school , I went to his class and asked why he needed my number .
"I just wanted to add you to my contacts ," he said.
I didn't care much , but something felt … off .
That night , a number texted me . She said her name , and I assumed she was a schoolmate who worked with me at the library during lunch break .
Hi
Is this Aizat Fayyaz's number ?
"Yeah, who's this ?"
Nadia from your school
"Oh… Nadia ?"
I didn't reply much after that . She ghosted me for the night , and I couldn't do anything about it .
The next day at school , during lunch break , I was working at the library as usual . Nadia came by , and I wanted to ask about the text , but something about her behavior told me she isn't the one that text me last night . I didn't give it anymore thought and focused on work .
That night , the same number texted me again , this time with a confession ,
🛇 This message has been deleted .
I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU .
This number just confess her feeling for you ,
if you don't feel the same , I hope you won't treat her differently ,
and just pretend this never happened .
Suddenly , I remembered her — a girl with cute eyes , a shy smile , with the name Nadia Alisha. Haha … I wasn't wrong when I said she was cute . A girl confessing her feelings is rare , honestly .
I actually thought this number belonged to Nadia , my work partner at the library . But now I realize she isn't that Nadia . The girl texting me was someone else — a girl I've noticed before . I thought she had moved away or something . I guess she's still here … and now , she's the one watching me ?
"I accept"
Wait… what ?
Seriously ?
"Do I have to repeat myself ?"
yay
She seemed really happy , and we end up chatting for a few hours .
I didn't know why , but I normally turned down any girl who confessed . Yet this time … I didn't even know what I was doing . Was this a good thing … for me ?
From that night , we texted every day . Sometimes we played games together , slowly getting to know each other .
One day , she said she wanted to give me something . I replied ,
"I'll wait for you at the library ."
And she replied with a heart .
The next day , she showed up . I just smiled at her , and she was so shy . She handed me the little package and ran off before I could even see it . Honestly , I couldn't keep up with her — She was just unbearably cute .
Inside , I found some snacks and candy — kind of childish , really — but also a keychain that i assume was a keychain for couples , and a folded piece of purple paper *her vafourite colour .
On the front , it said .
HALO!
Use the keychain
on your bag (no pressure).
Like it !
or you don't like it.
that's all I
can give :3
On the back ,
Please don't love another girl :(
I laughed to myself . She was more like a baby than a girlfriend .
*i whisper to myself
..okay <3..
Just before the final-year exams , I told her we should take a break from talking to focus on studying . I don't think she was happy about it … the thing is , she thought I asked for a breakup , and I didn't defend myself … I'm such an idiot ...
In the end , I didn't study much anyway . Just played games , did homework , sports … the usual boring routine .
Our relationship ended up turning sour .
After the final exam results came out , I applied to a boarding school . This time , I got accepted . I still thought about her and hoped she felt the same … though she seemed to take it better than I did .
When my third year ended … that's when I realized something …