"I actually wanted to ask you something..."
For a second...
my heartbeat completely stopped.
I looked at him without saying anything.
"What is it?" I asked, trying to sound normal even though my mind had already started overthinking.
He smiled.
Not the usual smile.
A softer one.
"You know..." he began while looking at the lake, "I never thought we would meet again."
I frowned in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
He laughed quietly.
"I mean... after school, everyone gets busy with their own lives. I honestly never imagined that one day we'd sit together like this... talk like friends... and travel together."
I stayed silent.
Because every single word he was saying felt unreal to me.
"In school," he continued, "I only knew you as one of my juniors."
The moment he said that...
I smiled bitterly inside.
If only you knew...
For you, I was just a junior.
But for me...
You had unknowingly become one of the most important people in my life.
Of course...
I couldn't say that.
Not now.
Not yet.
Then he looked at me again.
"But..."
I blinked.
"I actually remember a few moments from our school days."
My eyes widened.
"You... remember?"
He nodded.
"Not everything."
"But some moments."
I didn't even realize when I stopped breathing.
"I remember seeing you during our farewell."
For a second...
the entire world around me disappeared.
The sounds of students laughing...
the breeze...
the birds...
everything faded away.
Only one sentence kept echoing inside my mind.
"I remember seeing you during our farewell."
He noticed me?
Back then?
The same farewell where I secretly kept looking at him...
where I thought he didn't even know I existed...
where I spent hours just hoping to see him one last time before he graduated...
He actually noticed me?
I couldn't believe it.
I had imagined thousands of conversations with him over the last four years.
But never...
not even once...
had I imagined hearing those words.
A smile slowly appeared on my face.
One I couldn't hide even if I wanted to.
"You look so happy suddenly."
I quickly looked up.
Before I could answer...
someone gently tapped my shoulder.
"I knew I'd find you here."
I turned around.
It was my best friend.
She looked at both of us with a mischievous smile.
"Oh..."
"I think I interrupted something."
I immediately shook my head.
"No! Nothing like that."
She laughed.
"Relax."
"He was just telling me something."
The three of us started walking back toward the others.
My best friend quietly came beside me.
"So..."
"What happened?"
I couldn't control my excitement anymore.
I grabbed her hand.
"You won't believe what he just said."
"What?"
"He said..."
"...he remembers me from school."
Her eyes became wide.
"Wait... WHAT?"
I nodded continuously like an excited child.
"He remembered seeing me during their farewell."
For a moment...
she simply stared at me.
Then she smiled.
"I told you."
"I knew something good was going to happen."
I laughed.
"I still can't believe it."
"I always thought I was invisible."
"But he actually remembered me."
She gently nudged my shoulder.
"See?"
"Maybe your years of waiting weren't completely meaningless."
I looked toward him.
He was talking to another student.
Completely normal.
Completely unaware that one simple sentence had completely changed my entire day.
I smiled without realizing it.
Maybe...
my best friend was right.
Maybe I had never truly moved on.
Maybe I only convinced myself that I had.
Because one small memory from him...
was enough to make my heart feel alive again.
"I think..." I whispered.
"...now I finally know my answer."
She looked at me.
"What answer?"
I smiled.
"I never moved on."
"I just learned how to live with missing him."
She sighed dramatically.
"I already knew that."
"You were the only one who didn't."
Both of us laughed.
"But enough emotional talks," she said.
"We're on a trip."
"Let's actually enjoy it."
I nodded.
"Deal."
Just then...
tiny raindrops began falling from the sky.
At first...
everyone looked up in surprise.
Then someone shouted happily,
"It's raining!"
Within seconds...
the entire place became magical.
Cool wind.
Fresh smell of wet earth.
The lake reflecting the grey clouds.
Mountains disappearing behind the mist.
Some students started dancing.
Others took out their phones to record videos.
Teachers were laughing instead of stopping anyone.
It was one of those rare moments...
that no photograph could ever completely capture.
I closed my eyes.
For the first time in a long time...
my heart felt peaceful.
Suddenly...
someone gently placed something over my shoulders.
I turned around.
It was my senior.
He smiled.
"You're already shivering."
"Wear my jacket."
Before I could refuse...
he had already wrapped it around me.
"You'll catch a cold."
I smiled softly.
"Thank you."
He simply nodded.
"No need."
Then he walked ahead to help the others.
Without realizing it...
I looked toward him.
At the same moment...
he was already looking at us.
Our eyes met for barely a second.
Then he quietly looked away.
I didn't think much of it.
But someone else definitely did.
My best friend.
She immediately came close to me.
"You know..."
"I think someone's jealous."
I looked at her.
"What?"
She slowly moved her eyes toward him.
"I noticed it during lunch too."
"And now again."
I rolled my eyes.
"Stop imagining things."
"I'm serious."
"He keeps looking whenever your senior is around you."
I lightly hit her arm.
"Shut up."
She laughed loudly.
"You'll remember my words one day."
I tried ignoring her.
But somewhere...
a tiny question had already entered my mind.
Was she right...?
Or was she simply teasing me again?
By evening...
our teachers gathered everyone.
"We'll stay here tonight."
"Tomorrow morning after breakfast we'll leave."
"So everyone, please wake up on time."
"And four students per room."
Everyone started collecting their luggage.
He looked around awkwardly.
"Since I'm not from your college..."
"I'll just ask if there's any extra room."
Before he could leave...
my senior spoke.
"No need."
"You can stay with me."
"We have one empty bed."
He smiled.
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Come."
Seeing that...
I smiled.
"Thank you, Senior."
He simply replied,
"Anything for friends."
Soon...
everyone went toward their rooms.
Inside ours...
my best friend and I changed into comfortable clothes.
While folding my clothes...
my eyes landed on the jacket.
It was still slightly wet from the rain.
I carefully washed it.
Then hung it neatly to dry.
My best friend had been silently watching me the entire time.
Finally she burst into laughter.
"Wah..."
"So much care."
I looked back.
"What?"
"You're washing it as if it's made of gold."
"It's someone else's jacket."
"So obviously I'll wash it properly."
She folded her arms.
"No."
"It's Senior's jacket."
I threw a pillow at her.
"Shut up."
She laughed even harder.
"You two are impossible."
A few minutes later...
the lights were switched off.
She fell asleep almost immediately.
Meanwhile...
I kept staring at the ceiling.
His words repeated again and again inside my head.
"I remember seeing you during our farewell."
Did he really remember?
Or was it just a random memory?
And...
was my best friend really right?
Or was she only teasing me?
So many questions...
and not a single answer.
I smiled to myself in the darkness.
"No matter what..."
"Today was one of the happiest days of my life."
Slowly...
I closed my eyes.
Completely unaware...
that tomorrow morning...
this beautiful trip was about to take an unexpected turn.
And after sunrise...
nothing would feel as simple as it did tonight. ✨