The next morning, Sara woke up with the heavy ache of longing still tucked under her ribs like a secret.
It was Saturday—a day off from school—but not a day off from thinking about him. If anything, the quiet made it worse.
She lay there for a long time, staring at the ceiling, replaying every tiny moment—every glimpse through the window, every almost-glance he threw her way.
Every time she thought of him, her heart squeezed painfully, and her face grew warm, like a thousand tiny suns igniting inside her chest.
She finally sat up, grabbing her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she dialed Yumi's number.
The call barely rang once.
"HELLO?!" Yumi's cheerful voice blasted through the speaker.
Sara laughed softly. "Yumi... what if it's real? What if I'm actually in love?"
Yumi squealed dramatically. "FINALLY! Welcome to the club of emotional disasters!"
Sara flopped back onto her bed, hiding her blushing face in her pillow. "It's not funny. It hurts."
"I know, I know," Yumi said, her voice softening. "Tell me everything."
Sara hesitated for a second, then let the words tumble out.
"Every time I think about him, I feel like my heart is going to explode. When he's around, everything is brighter—like there's more oxygen in the room. And when he's not... everything feels... grey. Like there's a weight on my chest."
She paused, her voice breaking slightly.
"I miss him so much and I barely even know him, Yumi. Isn't that stupid?"
"No," Yumi said firmly. "It's beautiful. It means you have a heart big enough to love without conditions. Without promises. That's rare, Sara."
Tears pricked at Sara's eyes again, but she wiped them away stubbornly.
"I even gave him a nickname," she admitted shyly.
Yumi gasped. "TELL ME."
Sara smiled to herself, feeling foolish but too full to hold it in.
"Lucky Charm," she whispered.
Silence on the other end.
Then:
"OH. MY. GOD. That's the cutest thing I've ever heard in my LIFE!" Yumi screamed.
Sara laughed, actually laughed—a real, deep laugh that shook away some of the sadness clinging to her.
---
Later that afternoon, they met up at their favorite café. A cozy little place with fairy lights tangled across the ceiling and the smell of fresh pastries hanging in the air.
Yumi sipped her chocolate milkshake dramatically. "Okay. Plan of action."
Sara raised an eyebrow. "Plan?"
"Yeah. Step One: We find out everything about Mr. Lucky Charm."
Sara's cheeks heated up instantly. "Yumi, no. That's creepy."
Yumi shrugged. "Love is creepy. Embrace it."
Sara giggled nervously but didn't stop her.
"Step Two," Yumi continued, "we find a way to accidentally bump into him. Not creepy if it's fate, right?"
Sara covered her face. "You're insane."
"You love me," Yumi sang.
"And Step Three?" Sara asked hesitantly.
Yumi grinned wickedly. "Step Three... you confess. Eventually."
Sara choked on her drink. "CONFESS?!"
"Not today, obviously," Yumi said, laughing. "But someday. When the time is right."
Sara bit her lip, thinking. Could she ever be that brave? Could she ever stand in front of him and tell him he had unknowingly become the sun around which her world spun?
She doubted it.
She was clumsy, shy, awkward beyond saving.
And he… he was out of her league.
Way out.
Still, the idea lodged itself into her heart.
Maybe… maybe someday.
---
That night, before sleeping, Sara scribbled something into her secret diary.
Something she hadn't dared to say out loud.
> Dear Lucky Charm,
I don't know your story. I don't even know your voice yet. But in the little space between us—those stolen glances and silent smiles—you've already become my favorite chapter.
I hope someday you'll know how much light you brought to my life without even trying.
For now, I'll keep loving you quietly, from here.
She closed the diary, pressing it to her heart.
And for the first time in a long time, she fell asleep smiling.
---
To be continued in Chapter Four