I fell for those brown eyes.

I remember the first time I saw him as if it were yesterday. It was the very first excursion of my university life, and I was feeling both nervous and excited about starting this journey alone. As I made my way through the crowded bus full of unknown faces, I found an empty seat and sat there by the window. The bus took off and stopped at a stop. I saw him walking towards the bus with a backpack, his brown eyes shining in the broad daylight. All of a sudden, his eyes met mine, and I looked away instantly.

I couldn't help but feel drawn to him, and as he walked closer, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I had an empty seat next to me, and my heart was racing thinking he would sit there. Out of nowhere, his friend came and sat next to me. I could see him looking for an empty seat and sitting in the other row, across from me. I heard someone call him by his name, “Ton.” I smiled to myself, not realising it was love at first sight. His name was Ton, and I knew right then and there that I wanted to get to know him better.

Over the next few days, we travelled together, yet far away. I found myself looking more and more for him in all the places my eyes were searching for him. We didn’t get a chance to talk to each other, but I just couldn’t take my eyes off him. I couldn’t stop admiring his eyes, smile, and beautiful hands. Yes, his hands.

But as much as I wanted to pursue something more with Ton, there was one big obstacle in our way: his age. He was three years younger than me. So I tried to ignore this feeling and move forward. The trip came to an end, and we had to go back to our own lives. I wish we had something, but this faraway love hits differently. It was pure bliss—only love and nothing in return. What an innocent love, full of cute little glimpses of him!

One day, Ton added me to a group and asked if I played any games. I said I did, so he asked me to join him for one round. One round ended with 6, and we ended up talking the entire night. He kept talking to me about him, and I just kept listening. His voice was beautiful. The next day, I went to the university and saw him walking towards me. My heart was racing out of my body, but I kept cool and pretended I didn't see him. He approached me, shook my hand, and invited me to his birthday lunch. I was shy and nervous, but I said yes. I went to the party, but I couldn’t bring him a gift because it was sudden, and his friends were there. Likewise, I didn’t know anyone; I ate less, made an excuse to leave for class, and found myself walking aimlessly through the road, my mind consumed with thoughts of Ton.

As I wandered, I came across a small park and decided to sit down on a bench to clear my head. That's when I noticed a senior sister sitting next to me, watching me with a curious expression.

“Lost?” she asked, and I nodded, not sure what else to say. “I can see that you're troubled,” she continued. “Sometimes in life, we come across obstacles that seem insurmountable.” But the key is to keep moving forward, even when it seems impossible. “You never know what you might find around the next corner.”

Her words struck a chord with me, and I thanked her before getting up to leave. As I turned to go, she called out to me.

“And remember,” she said with a smile. “The greatest love stories are often the ones that have to overcome the greatest obstacles.”

Her words stayed with me as I made my way back to the class. I knew what I had to do.

The next day, I approached Ton and told him how I felt about him. He seemed surprised but also touched by my confession. I knew I was taking a risk, but I couldn't let my feelings go unspoken any longer.

To my surprise, Ton told me that he had been having doubts about relationships because he had never been in one. He had always been comfortable being single, but he felt the same spark with me.

We decided to take things slowly at first, but it wasn't long before we were inseparable. We faced plenty of obstacles along the way, but we never gave up on each other. And in the end, our love story turned out to be one for the ages.

Looking back on that day in the park, I'm grateful for the senior who gave me the advice that I needed to hear. Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of encouragement to push us in the right direction. And sometimes, the greatest love stories are the ones that start with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

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