That night, Vio lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his dorm room, his mind filled with thoughts. He was still thinking about his brief encounter with Sheren at the canteen earlier that evening. It felt strange. Usually, he never thought about someone repeatedly like this. But this time was different. Every smile and glance from Sheren seemed etched into his memory.
"I'm going crazy," he muttered to himself, turning to his side and trying to close his eyes.
But it wasn’t that easy. The night felt long, and his thoughts kept circling back to Sheren. The image of her smile, the way she looked at him, even the tone of her voice when she spoke to him kept replaying in his mind. There was an unfamiliar feeling in his chest. He tried to push it away, but the more he resisted, the stronger it became.
The next morning, Vio woke up with slightly heavy eyes due to lack of sleep. Despite that, a new kind of energy filled him. He quickly got ready for class, put on his favorite hoodie, and headed to class with his friends.
"What's up with you, Vi?" Cliff asked, noticing that Vio seemed a little different today.
"What do you mean?" Vio frowned.
"You seem more excited than usual," Fariz said, raising an eyebrow. "Is it because of the girl from the canteen yesterday?"
Vio clicked his tongue but didn’t deny it. "You guys are ridiculous."
His friends chuckled but didn’t press further. The class started, but for Vio, concentrating was difficult. He didn't even realize when the professor instructed the students to form groups for a new assignment.
"Vio! Team up with me," Arnold's voice snapped him out of his daydream.
Vio nodded absentmindedly. However, as he glanced around the classroom, his eyes met Sheren’s as she happened to pass by the doorway. She was chatting with her friend while holding a book in her hands.
His heart skipped a beat. He wanted to go out and talk to her, but the class was still ongoing. When he turned his attention back to the front, the professor had already written the group assignment on the board. Like it or not, he had to focus first.
When lunchtime arrived, he found himself heading toward the dorm canteen again without even thinking about it. It was as if something was pulling him back to the place where he had met Sheren. Sure enough, she was there, sitting at the same table as yesterday.
Without thinking too much, Vio grabbed his food and, with slight hesitation, walked over.
"Sheren," he called.
The girl looked up, slightly surprised, but quickly smiled. "Oh, Vio. You can sit here if you want."
His heart pounded again, but he tried to stay calm. Sitting across from Sheren, he started talking to her more, learning little things about her—like how she preferred bitter coffee, how she often spent time in the library, and how she loved the rain.
"You like the rain?" Vio asked, curious.
Sheren nodded with a smile. "Yeah. I find it calming. The sound is relaxing, and when I'm indoors watching it fall, it just feels comforting. What about you?"
Vio thought for a moment before answering. "I never really cared about rain before. But maybe now I’m starting to understand why people like it."
Sheren’s smile widened. "Sometimes, little things like this make life more interesting."
They ended up talking longer than Vio had expected. Their conversation flowed so naturally as if there were no barriers. Sheren talked about her love for technology, her reason for choosing Information Systems as her major, and her dream of working at a big tech company one day.
"What about you?" Sheren suddenly asked. "Why did you choose Information Systems?"
Vio paused for a moment, not expecting that question.
"Honestly, I just followed along at first," he admitted with a small smile. "But the more I learn, the more I find it interesting. The tech world is huge and always evolving. I’m curious about what I can do in it."
Sheren nodded in understanding. "That’s good. What matters is that we study something we enjoy."
Vio smiled, feeling an odd sense of comfort while talking to her. Usually, he didn’t enjoy long conversations, especially with someone he had just met. But with Sheren, everything felt different.
Just as the atmosphere became more relaxed, a commotion was heard from the entrance of the canteen. A student rushed in, talking excitedly with his friends.
"Hey, they said there’s going to be heavy rain this afternoon!"
Sheren’s face instantly lit up. "Heavy rain? I kind of want to go outside and enjoy it."
Vio looked at her in disbelief. "You like getting soaked in the rain? Isn’t that how people catch a cold?"
Sheren chuckled. "Not really to get wet, but more to enjoy the atmosphere. Sometimes, I just stand under a roof and watch the rain fall. It feels peaceful."
Vio became even more curious. "If that’s the case, I’ll go with you later to watch the rain."
Sheren looked surprised. "Seriously?"
"Why not? You can teach me how to enjoy the rain."
Sheren stared at Vio for a few seconds before smiling. "Okay. Deal."
Lunchtime was coming to an end, and Sheren started packing up her things. "Vio, thanks for keeping me company during lunch. I enjoyed our conversation."
"Same here," Vio replied. "See you this afternoon."
Sheren smiled before walking away, leaving Vio sitting there with his thoughts running wild.
That day, Vio realized something.
He truly wanted to get to know Sheren better.
And for the first time in his life, he felt like something special was beginning.
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