THE BOY IN MY DRAFTS ⋆˚꩜｡ TAKI SMAU
post nine — i hate coincidences
the first time you see him that week is at the coffee shop.
which shouldn't mean anything.
the coffee shop sits right in the middle of campus. half the university practically lives there. seeing someone you know isn't exactly shocking.
the second you step inside, your eyes find him.
taki is standing near the counter, one hand wrapped around an iced drink while the other moves wildly as he talks. he's in the middle of a story, clearly.
you can tell because yuma looks like he's been trapped there for at least five minutes.
taki starts laughing before he even finishes his own sentence.
you immediately look away.
because of course he does.
the dream boy in your head never laughed before the punchline.
the dream boy in your head probably delivered perfect jokes with perfect timing.
taki, unfortunately, seems incapable of waiting for the end of his own story.
and somehow that's become one of the first things you think of when you think about him.
and tell yourself that's the end of it.
then you see him again two days later.
at some point you begin to suspect the universe is playing a joke on you.
because there is simply no reason for one person to keep appearing this often.
the pathway behind the science building.
every time you think you've escaped him, there he is.
not doing anything important.
which somehow makes it worse.
the first few times you barely pay attention.
after that, you start noticing things.
things you shouldn't know.
things you definitely don't mean to remember.
he always buys the same drink.
he never seems to be carrying fewer than three snacks at any given moment.
he says hello to absolutely everyone.
you've watched him wave at people whose names he probably doesn't even know.
and somehow they always wave back.
you don't understand how one person can have that much energy.
or that many bags of potato chips.
sometimes you wonder if he's secretly sponsored.
the thought makes you laugh.
because now you're thinking about him.
the problem isn't that you like him.
the problem is that you liked the idea of him first.
that's what nobody understands.
before taki was ever a real person in your life, he was just stories.
small things you'd heard over the years.
the friend who always shared his snacks.
the friend who remembered birthdays.
the friend who somehow got along with everyone.
you built an idea from those stories.
somebody who only existed in your imagination.
and now every time you see him, that imaginary version changes.
becomes a little messier.
the dream boy in your head was perfect.
he interrupts people when he gets excited.
he gets distracted halfway through conversations.
he leaves empty drink cups everywhere.
he stole your potato chips.
you still haven't forgiven him for that.
he's easier to like this way.
and real people are never perfect.
you hate that realization.
mostly because it's true.
at first, i don't think anything of it.
people run into each other.
especially on a university campus.
she's at the coffee shop.
then she's outside one of my lecture halls.
then she's at the library.
then she's walking across campus carrying approximately nine hundred books.
the first few times i don't think much about it.
after a while, though, i start noticing her before i actually see her.
sometimes i'll spot her bag first.
or hear her laughing with her friends somewhere nearby.
or catch a glimpse of her disappearing around a corner.
the realization always comes strangely easily.
like recognizing a song you've heard before.
a month ago she was just maki's sister.
which somehow feels different.
i don't know when that happened.
or maybe when she threatened to kick me out for eating her potato chips.
which, for the record, i still think was an overreaction.
i thought they were community chips.
apparently they were not.
sometimes i think about apologizing.
then i remember she looked genuinely offended.
and then i decide maybe bringing it up again is a terrible idea.
the library incident is what finally convinces you that something strange is happening.
you're looking for a quiet place to study.
which already feels impossible.
taki is sitting at a table near the window.
except sitting might be the wrong word.
he's practically melting into the chair.
there's an open textbook.
and absolutely no studying happening whatsoever.
because how is this physically possible.
not an embarrassing smile.
the kind people give when they recognize somebody.
mostly because you don't know what else to do.
your heart does something weird.
the same feeling you get when a familiar face appears somewhere you weren't expecting.
you spend the next hour pretending to study.
and absolutely not thinking about that.
the library one is definitely the most awkward.
i look up from my textbook.
and immediately know she's judging me.
i have not read a single page in twenty minutes.
and i swear i can practically hear her sigh.
then she notices i've caught her staring.
and immediately looks away.
which somehow makes me smile.
a few days later, you run into him again.
this time at the convenience store.
because apparently nowhere is safe.
someone reaches for the exact same one.
for a second neither of you says anything.
the word leaves your mouth before you can stop it.
"that's what i'm saying."
then both of you start laughing.
because the situation is ridiculous.
"are you following me?" you ask.
"you literally appeared at the library."
"that's because i go there."
somehow neither of you can stop smiling.
"i was about to say that."
which is deeply embarrassing.
after she leaves, i stand there for a second.
i don't even realize until the cashier points it out.
and spend the entire walk home thinking about how easy that conversation felt.
not because we're friends.
but because she didn't feel like a stranger anymore.
somewhere between all the accidental run-ins and random conversations, she'd become familiar.
the kind of person you notice.
the kind of person you recognize immediately.
later that night, i catch myself spotting her across the courtyard before anyone else.
a familiar face in a crowd.
and before i can stop myself, the thought appears automatically.
the realization is small.
but it stays with me anyway.
because maybe coincidence is supposed to stop eventually.
and somehow, ours hasn't.
note: BLEHHHHH I LOVEEE TAKIIII!!
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