I stared at his message for what felt like forever.
"I might be coming to your city this weekend. Are you free?"
One simple sentence.
Yet it had completely changed my mood.
Just a few minutes ago, I was laughing with my friends while planning our picnic. Now, my mind was filled with nothing but questions.
Should I meet him?
Or should I go to the picnic?
I slowly locked my phone and placed it on the table.
"Are you okay?" my roommate asked.
I looked up and forced a smile.
"Yeah... I'm just thinking."
She knew me well enough to realize I wasn't telling the complete truth, but thankfully, she didn't ask any more questions.
The rest of the group continued discussing the picnic.
"Let's leave early in the morning!"
"We'll click lots of pictures."
"Someone bring a speaker."
"And don't forget snacks!"
Everyone was excited.
Looking at them made me smile.
This group had become my second family.
After joining medical college, they had stood beside me through every stressful practical, every late-night study session, and every moment when I doubted myself.
Missing the picnic didn't feel right.
But then...
Meeting him after all these years also didn't feel like an opportunity I should let go of.
I quietly picked up my phone again.
After reading his message one last time, I finally typed,
"Yes, I'm free this weekend. What are your plans?"
I stared at the keyboard for a few seconds before pressing send.
Once again...
The waiting started.
Waiting had somehow become a permanent part of my life.
Waiting for replies.
Waiting for destiny.
Waiting for answers.
The entire afternoon passed in lectures, but my concentration was nowhere near the classroom.
Even the professor noticed.
"You seem distracted today."
I immediately stood up.
"Sorry, sir."
"It's okay. Just pay attention."
I nodded and quickly opened my notebook, though my thoughts were still somewhere else.
After classes ended, my senior caught up with me outside the lecture hall.
"So..."
I looked at him.
"So?"
"Did you reply to him?"
I blinked.
"How do you know he texted me?"
He laughed.
"I guessed."
I shook my head.
"You know me too well."
"That's because you're very easy to read."
I rolled my eyes dramatically.
"Thank you."
"I meant it as a compliment."
We both laughed.
Then his expression became serious.
"What did you decide?"
"I replied."
"And?"
"I'm waiting."
He smiled.
"I hope whatever happens next... gives you peace."
His words stayed with me the entire evening.
Not happiness.
Not love.
Peace.
Maybe that's what I needed the most.
That night, while I was revising anatomy, my phone suddenly vibrated.
A reply.
My heartbeat instantly became faster.
I unlocked my phone.
It was from him.
"Actually... I wanted to ask if we could meet."
I stopped breathing for a second.
A real meeting.
Not messages.
Not memories.
Not imagination.
A real meeting.
At exactly the same time, another notification appeared.
It was from our college group.
"Picnic timing confirmed! Everyone has to report at the college gate by 8:00 AM on Saturday. No excuses!"
I looked from one message to the other.
One was from the person I had silently loved for years.
The other was from the people who had become my family in medical college.
For the first time...
I had to choose.
And honestly...
I didn't know which choice was the right one.
Because little did I know...
the decision I was about to make would affect much more than just my weekend.
I kept staring at his message.
"Actually... I wanted to ask if we could meet."
My heart skipped a beat.
A real meeting.
Not through Instagram.
Not through old memories.
Not through imagination.
An actual meeting.
But then I looked at the college group chat again.
"Weekend Picnic Confirmed!"
For a few seconds, I didn't know whether to smile or cry.
"This can't be happening," I whispered.
I held my phone tightly before immediately calling the only person who could help me.
My best friend.
She picked up after the second ring.
"Hello?"
Before she could say anything else, I almost shouted,
"A huge disaster has happened!"
There was complete silence on the other side.
Then she asked in a worried voice,
"What happened? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine... but my brain isn't."
"What?"
I took a deep breath and explained everything.
How he had asked me to meet.
How our college picnic was on exactly the same weekend.
How I couldn't cancel either plan.
And how I was completely confused.
After listening patiently, she suddenly started laughing.
I frowned.
"I'm literally crying inside and you're laughing?"
"I'm sorry," she said while trying to control her laughter. "Your life seriously feels like a movie."
"Very funny."
She laughed again before finally becoming serious.
"Listen carefully."
"I'm listening."
"Tell him the truth."
"What?"
"Tell him that your college has a picnic on the same day."
I stayed quiet.
"And then?"
"And invite him."
I almost dropped my phone.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"No."
"How can I randomly invite him?"
"Why not?"
"It's weird."
"It's not weird."
"It is!"
She sighed dramatically.
"You've liked him for four years."
"Yes."
"You finally started talking."
"Yes."
"He wants to meet you."
"Yes."
"So why are you making your own life difficult?"
I sat silently on my bed.
She continued,
"If he genuinely wants to spend time with you, he'll understand."
"What if he says no?"
"What if he thinks I'm forcing him?"
"What if he never talks to me again?"
"What if—"
She interrupted immediately.
"What if he says yes?"
That one question made me silent.
Because honestly...
I hadn't even considered that possibility.
She smiled through the phone.
"You always think about the worst outcome."
"What if destiny is finally giving you something beautiful?"
I looked out of my hostel window.
Maybe she was right.
After talking for almost half an hour, she finally said,
"Enough overthinking."
"Go."
"Send the message."
"I'll wait."
I sighed dramatically.
"You both are impossible."
"What?"
"You and senior."
"You both always force me to take difficult decisions."
She laughed proudly.
"Because someone has to."
After ending the call, I opened Instagram.
Our chat appeared immediately.
I started typing.
Deleted it.
Typed again.
Deleted again.
After almost fifteen minutes, I finally wrote,
"Actually, I wanted to tell you something. Our medical college has planned a weekend picnic on the same day. I won't be completely free. But if you're comfortable... you're welcome to join us. I'd be happy if you came."
I stared at the message.
Read it ten times.
Closed my eyes.
And finally...
Pressed send.
The waiting began.
Five minutes.
No reply.
Ten minutes.
Nothing.
Twenty minutes.
Still nothing.
I threw my phone on the bed.
"Congratulations," I told myself.
"You scared him."
I tried studying.
Couldn't.
I tried watching a series.
Couldn't.
I even tried arranging my notes.
Still couldn't.
Every two minutes I unlocked my phone.
Nothing.
Almost an hour later...
My phone vibrated.
I grabbed it immediately.
His reply.
I opened it with shaking hands.
"Of course."
I smiled instantly.
Then I kept reading.
"If you're inviting me, I'd love to come."
For a moment...
I forgot how to breathe.
He said yes.
He actually said yes.
I literally screamed.
My roommate looked at me as if I had completely lost my mind.
"What happened?"
"He said yes!"
She blinked.
"Who?"
I immediately covered my mouth.
"No one."
She crossed her arms.
"You're hiding something."
I smiled innocently.
"I'm not."
She rolled her eyes.
"Liar."
But honestly...
Nothing could ruin my mood now.
I immediately called my best friend again.
The moment she answered, I shouted,
"He said yes!"
She screamed louder than me.
"I knew it!"
"Oh my God!"
"I can't believe this!"
Neither of us could stop laughing.
She was genuinely happy for me.
Then suddenly she became serious.
"Now promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Don't spend the entire picnic overthinking."
"I'll try."
"No."
"You'll enjoy."
"You've waited years for this."
"Live the moment."
I smiled.
"I promise."
After ending the call, I opened our college group chat.
There were already more than two hundred messages.
I started scrolling.
Then one message caught my attention.
'Important Notice: Since the destination is far, we'll stay overnight. This will be a two-day trip. Everyone should pack accordingly.'
I read it again.
Two days?
Not just a picnic.
A two-day trip.
I immediately jumped from my bed.
"Two days?"
Suddenly my excitement doubled.
Then instantly...
My nervousness doubled too.
Two whole days.
With him.
With my friends.
With senior.
This trip was definitely going to be memorable.
I opened my cupboard.
For the next two hours, my room looked like a clothing store.
"Dress?"
"No."
"Jeans?"
"Maybe."
"This hoodie?"
"No."
My roommate sat on her bed watching the entire drama.
Finally she laughed.
"You've changed clothes five times."
"I know."
"You haven't even left yet."
"I know."
"So why are you behaving like this?"
I looked at her.
"I don't know."
She shook her head.
"You girls in love are impossible."
I smiled without answering.
After finally selecting my outfits, I packed my bag carefully.
Clothes.
Shoes.
Skincare.
Camera.
Power bank.
Books—just in case.
Snacks.
Everything.
Then I checked the bag again.
And again.
And one more time.
Because somehow I always felt I had forgotten something.
That night, sleep refused to come.
Every time I closed my eyes, I imagined the trip.
Would we sit together?
Would we talk more?
Would my friends tease me?
Would senior notice everything?
Would this weekend bring us closer...
or confuse my heart even more?
Questions after questions.
Excitement after excitement.
Eventually, around midnight, I somehow fell asleep.
The alarm rang before sunrise.
For the first time in hostel history...
I woke up before my roommate.
She looked at me in complete shock.
"Who are you?"
I laughed.
"Very funny."
"You woke up before me."
"It's a miracle."
She smiled.
"I should record this."
Within an hour both of us were completely ready.
Hostel corridors were unusually lively.
Everyone was carrying backpacks.
Some students were clicking selfies.
Others were already singing songs.
The excitement was contagious.
As we reached the college gate, the buses were waiting.
Students were loading luggage.
Teachers were checking attendance.
My heart started beating faster.
Without realizing it...
my eyes started searching through the crowd.
Searching for only one person.
Then...