The peaceful afternoon slowly turned into one of the happiest parts of the trip.
After finishing our drinks and clicking countless pictures, all four of us started walking along the beautiful lakeside. The cool breeze, the sound of birds, and the laughter of students made everything feel perfect.
I was quietly enjoying the view when suddenly one of my classmates came running towards us.
"Hey!"
We all looked at her.
She looked at me first, then at him, and suddenly smiled mischievously.
"So..."
"Are you two dating?"
For two whole seconds...
complete silence.
I looked at her.
He looked at me.
My senior almost choked on the cold drink he was holding.
My best friend covered her mouth, trying her best not to laugh.
"What?"
I asked in complete shock.
"What are you even saying?"
She pointed towards him.
"I mean... you've been together the whole day."
"So I thought..."
Before she could complete her sentence, I immediately replied,
"No!"
"He's my school senior."
"We've known each other for years."
She instantly became embarrassed.
"Oh my God!"
"I'm so sorry."
"I didn't know."
He smiled politely.
"It's okay."
"No worries."
She laughed awkwardly before apologizing once again and quickly walked back to her own group.
The moment she disappeared...
my best friend completely lost control.
She burst out laughing.
Not a normal laugh.
The kind of laugh where you couldn't even breathe properly.
I folded my arms.
"Done?"
Instead of answering, she came near me and whispered dramatically,
"You know..."
"I really hope one day that becomes true."
I immediately looked at her.
"Shut up.
"Or I'll push you into this lake."
She laughed even harder.
"I'll happily fall if you both finally confess."
I rolled my eyes dramatically.
"You seriously watch too many romantic movies."
The teasing continued for a few more minutes before everyone slowly became quiet.
Honestly...
I was feeling slightly embarrassed.
Not because of the question.
But because somewhere...
a tiny part of my heart had imagined that possibility years ago.
Nobody spoke for a while.
Realizing the silence had become awkward, my senior smiled and clapped his hands.
"Okay!"
"Enough romance discussions."
Everyone looked at him.
"I have a question."
"If all of us become doctors..."
"Who will treat whom first?"
My best friend immediately replied,
"You."
"Because your terrible jokes definitely need medical attention."
All of us burst into laughter.
Within seconds the awkwardness completely disappeared.
That was something I admired about him.
He always knew how to make uncomfortable moments disappear without making anyone feel embarrassed.
After walking for another fifteen minutes, we finally reached a beautiful restaurant near the lake.
The place looked like something from Pinterest.
Wooden tables.
Fairy lights hanging from the ceiling.
Fresh flowers on every table.
Large glass windows showing the peaceful lake outside.
Even the soft music made the place feel magical.
Everyone started choosing seats.
Just as I was about to sit...
something unexpected happened.
Both of them...
my senior...
and him...
pulled out a chair for me at exactly the same moment.
For one second...
time literally stopped.
Both looked at me.
Waiting.
My eyes immediately shifted towards my best friend.
She was already staring at me with the biggest grin imaginable.
Her expression clearly said,
"Now let's see what you do."
My brain completely stopped working.
If I sat on the chair he pulled...
would my senior feel bad?
If I chose my senior's chair...
would he misunderstand?
Within seconds...
my overthinking reached its highest level.
Without saying anything...
I simply walked to another empty chair and sat there.
Problem solved.
Or at least...
that's what I thought.
The moment I sat down...
my best friend leaned closer.
"What luck!"
I whispered immediately,
"Please..."
"Not now."
She smiled mischievously.
"You ran away."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
I sighed.
"You know I overthink everything."
She placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Relax."
"No one is upset."
"Just enjoy today."
I smiled softly.
Maybe she was right.
Sometimes...
I created problems that didn't even exist.
Soon everyone started deciding what to order.
The waiter arrived with a notebook.
Since my senior was sitting nearest to him, he started asking everyone's choices.
"What will you have?"
He looked towards him first.
"I'll have grilled sandwiches and a cold coffee."
"Done."
Then my best friend.
"White sauce pasta."
"Done."
The waiter looked towards me before asking anything.
But before I could open my mouth...
he smiled.
"Pineapple juice."
I looked at him in surprise.
He laughed.
"That's still your favourite, right?"
I couldn't stop smiling.
"You actually remembered?"
He nodded casually.
"Of course."
"It's difficult to forget things your friends like."
For a brief moment...
I didn't know what to say.
I simply smiled.
"Yes."
"Pineapple juice."
My senior quietly noted the order before handing it to the waiter.
"I'll be back in a minute."
He stood up to confirm the order.
Almost at the same time, my best friend also stood.
"I'm going to wash my hands."
Within seconds...
it was just the two of us sitting at the table.
Neither of us spoke immediately.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable.
It was peaceful.
After a few moments, he looked at me.
"You know..."
"Your senior understands you really well."
I smiled.
"He does."
"Most of the time we hang out after college."
"We've worked on projects together."
"He knows when I'm stressed."
"When I'm happy."
"And somehow..."
"He's always there whenever I need someone."
He smiled thoughtfully.
"You're lucky."
"Not everyone gets a friend who understands them like that."
I looked towards the counter where my senior was talking to the waiter.
"Yeah..."
"I really am."
"He has supported me in situations where I didn't even know how to handle myself."
"He never judged me."
"Never forced me."
"He simply stayed."
He nodded slowly.
"Keep such people close."
"They're rare."
Before I could reply...
both my senior and my best friend returned together.
My best friend immediately looked at us suspiciously.
"What are you two discussing?"
I laughed nervously.
"Nothing."
"Just normal conversation."
She narrowed her eyes dramatically.
"Hmm..."
"I don't believe you."
Just as my best friend finished teasing us, the waiter arrived with our food.
Everyone immediately became busy serving each other.
We laughed, shared food, clicked a few more pictures, and talked about the funniest memories from school and college.
For a moment...
everything felt perfect.
I quietly looked at him.
He was smiling while talking to my senior.
Seeing both of them getting along made me happy.
Maybe life wasn't as complicated as I always thought.
Or maybe...
I was just enjoying the calm before another storm.
Because a few minutes later...
he suddenly looked at me and smiled.
"I actually wanted to ask you something..."
The smile on my face slowly disappeared.
His tone was different this time.
More serious.
And somehow...
my heart already knew...
whatever he was about to ask...
was going to change something between us.....