Falling asleep, Falling in love

The sky was slowly turning that perfect shade of indigo when Sajim finally waved me goodbye near my apartment's gate.

"Dream about silver-haired girls and rooftop confessions, lover boy," he teased before hopping on his cycle and riding off like he'd just delivered a closing punchline.

I didn't respond. Not because I didn't want to—but because… well, maybe I did want to think about it a little more.

A girl poking my cheek on a rooftop.

A girl with silver hair bumping into me with a smile.

Both in the same day.

What even was today?

I sighed and pulled my bag over my shoulder before heading up the stairs to our small rented apartment. The lights inside were off, and when I unlocked the door, I was greeted with the usual silence.

No shoes by the door.

No bag hung on the wall.

That meant one thing.

"Dad's still at work…" I murmured, setting my own bag down.

Dad worked long shifts at the factory these days. He used to pick me up after school when I was younger. Now it's just me and the leftover food in the fridge—if I'm lucky. But today, I felt oddly… motivated.

"I'll cook."

Not because I was good at it, of course. I was barely one step ahead of a YouTube cooking tutorial beginner. But we had eggs, maybe? Or instant noodles? Either way, my survival instincts were kicking in.

After a quick scroll on my phone for ideas, I headed to the bathroom for a shower first. The cold water hit my face, and I stood under it longer than usual, just trying to cool my head.

Except it didn't help.

All I could think of was the rooftop girl, her face just inches from mine, poking my cheek like it was some kind of squishy marshmallow.

And then Ayesha, with her soft voice and that elegant look… calling me by name.

My face flushed under the water.

"Ugh… why are all these girls invading my head?" I muttered.

I finished up quickly, dried off, and pulled on a t-shirt and shorts. I grabbed my wallet from the desk, checked if I had enough money, and headed out to the nearby grocery store.

It was a small corner shop, but it had everything we usually needed. I picked up a dozen eggs, some onions, and a green unripe papaya for curry.

I balanced the plastic bag carefully in one hand and pushed open the shop's glass door with the other.

That's when it happened.

BUMP!

"Oof—"

Someone smacked right into me as I stepped out. I stumbled a little but somehow managed to keep my grocery bag from falling. It was a small miracle.

The person I bumped into, however, wasn't so lucky.

She fell backwards, landing with a light thud on the pavement.

"Ah—sorry!" I panicked, lowering the bag and taking a step forward.

Then I saw her uniform.

Our school badge.

Familiar white blouse.

Crimson skirt.

Brown hair tied with a red ribbon.

My brain clicked.

Rooftop girl.

Oh no.

OH no.

It was her.

I froze instantly. Time stopped. My hands stiffened, and my heartbeat began to slam against my chest like it wanted to break out and escape this situation.

She sat up slowly, brushing dust off her skirt with a very annoyed expression.

"Seriously? Can't you watch where you're going?" she said.

I gulped. I could feel my throat drying up. I wanted to say something smart. Or at least decent. But all that came out was:

"…s-sorry."

I took a step back.

I was this close to just awkwardly walking off into the night like a ghost when—

She grabbed my wrist.

My whole body stiffened like someone had turned me into a statue.

"Hey," she said, standing up and still holding onto my arm, "You bumped into me, muttered like a ghost, and now you're walking off? Come on—at least act like a man."

Her words stung a little. Not in a bad way… more like that kind of sting you get when you know she's right.

I looked away, flustered, staring at some random crack on the pavement. "I… I'm not good at talking to girls…"

Her grip loosened. Her face relaxed.

"Oh," she said, voice a bit softer this time. "You're the guy from earlier… the rooftop napper."

I turned to her, slowly, sheepishly. She wasn't glaring anymore.

She let out a sigh and crossed her arms. "Fine. Since you're struggling, let me do it then."

She extended a hand toward me.

"I'm Sara."

My eyes widened.

"S-sara…"

"That's right." She gave a small smirk. "Now you know. You can stop calling me rooftop girl in your head or whatever."

I couldn't even deny it. That's exactly what I'd been calling her.

I stared at her hand for a second—then slowly, awkwardly reached out and shook it. It was a short shake. Probably the most awkward handshake in history.

But still…

It was something.

She smiled just a little. "You're weird."

"I get that a lot…" I mumbled.

She turned to walk past me, and as she did, she glanced back.

"Well… thanks for not dropping your groceries on me, at least."

I nodded dumbly.

She paused for a second, then turned her head slightly, her tone now a little more playful.

"By the way… you do have a name, right? Or should I just keep calling you 'the napper from the rooftop'?"

I blinked.

This was my chance.

"I—uh… I'm Asif," I finally managed to say, quietly but clearly this time.

She gave a small smile. "Asif, huh? Alright. I'll try to remember that."

She turned the corner and disappeared into the evening crowd.

I stood there, stunned, the grocery bag still in my hand.

"She knows my name now…" I muttered to myself, feeling the faintest hint of a smile form on my lips.

Today…

Today was definitely weirder than usual.

But maybe, just maybe—

…I didn't mind that.