"You're 17 and you still don't have a girlfriend? Seriously, Shu?"
"Don't push it," I muttered, trying to keep my cool. "It's not as easy as it looks."
My friend laughed, giving me a sympathetic pat on the back. "Chill, bro! I'm just saying, you should find someone soon. Anyway, I'm late. If I keep her waiting any longer, she'll be sitting there with a swollen face all day, and I'll have to spend hours apologizing. See ya!"
With a final tap on my shoulder, he ran off to meet his... girlfriend.
I sighed, watching him disappear. Whenever I realize I'm 17 and still single, it hits my heart like a knife. But to be honest, I tell myself I prefer it this way. I'm comfortable alone. I have exams to worry about; my time is better spent on Life Science and Chemistry than on drama.
Still... I can't help but think that a girlfriend would bring a different level of peace.
I'm just an ordinary guy. No special talents, no flashy life. I decided long ago that the easiest way to enjoy life is to get a good job first. So, I study. But even then, I have a secret escape. I spend an hour or two every day lost in rom-com animes, dreaming that one day a girl might confess to me, or I'd stumble into a romantic adventure of my own.
But that will never happen, I told myself. I know it won't.
I reached my street, lost in thought, until I saw a large truck parked right in front of my gate. As I got closer, my heart skipped a beat—like a temple bell ringing unexpectedly.
A girl was standing right opposite my house.
She looked to be exactly my age. She held a pen in her hand, watching a middle-aged man—likely her father—giving orders to unload boxes. Naturally, I tried to look away and walk toward my gate. I've avoided girls my whole life; in my head, I'm a romantic, but in practice, I'm the opposite.
Suddenly, it happened.
In the small gap between us—no more than six or seven meters—our eyes met. Time seemed to freeze for two, maybe three seconds.
I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't look away. In that brief moment of contact, she smiled. It wasn't just any smile; it felt like a smile meant only for me. At that exact second, the pen slipped from her fingers, clattering onto the pavement.
My face heated up instantly. I felt incredibly shy, my mind racing with a million thoughts at once. My heart felt like it was growing too big for my chest.
I noticed she was still trying to catch my eye, but I panicked and bolted inside.
The moment I closed the front door, I ran upstairs. I ducked onto the balcony, trying six or seven times to get a glimpse of her through the railing without being seen.
"They're our new neighbors," my mom said behind me.
I froze, my face turning red. I was sure she'd caught me staring, but she didn't say anything else.
I looked out at the moving truck one last time, my mind echoing a single thought:
The girl next door... is she the one?