Felix woke up early on Saturday morning. He had a plan for the day. He was going to meet his friend Marco at the food court. They wanted to have lunch together. Felix was very excited. He got dressed quickly. He ate a small breakfast at home. Then he checked the time on his phone. It was only ten o'clock. The meeting was at twelve o'clock. Felix did not notice the time. He left his house and walked to the food court. He arrived at the food court in fifteen minutes. He looked around the big, busy room. There were many tables and chairs. The food court was already open. Felix walked to a table near the middle of the room.

He sat down and put his bag on the chair. He looked at his phone again. It was only ten twenty. He had one hour and forty minutes to wait. He looked at all the food stalls around him. There was a noodle stall, a sandwich stall, and a juice stall. The smells were very nice. His stomach made a small noise. He was a little hungry. A worker at the juice stall smiled at him. "Good morning!" she said. "Good morning," Felix said quietly. He felt a little embarrassed. He did not want to buy anything yet. He just waited at his table. Felix waited and waited. He watched the people in the food court.

Families came in and sat down. Children laughed and ran around. Workers brought food to the tables. Felix looked at his phone many times. The time went very slowly. At eleven fifty-five, Felix saw Marco walk through the door. Marco waved and smiled. "Sorry, am I late?" Marco asked. Felix laughed. "No," he said. "I am very early!" Marco looked surprised. "How long have you been here?" he asked. "Almost two hours," Felix said. They both laughed together. Felix was happy his long wait was finally over. They went to get some food at last.

Felix had arranged to meet his friend Marco at the food court for lunch at noon, but in his enthusiasm, he had left home far too soon. He strode through the entrance at ten past ten, only to glance at his phone and realize, with a sinking feeling, that he was nearly two hours ahead of schedule. The food court was already humming with activity: workers were arranging chairs, the rich aroma of freshly cooked noodles drifted through the air, and a steady stream of early visitors was beginning to fill the tables. Felix chose a seat near the center of the hall, set his bag down, and tried to look as though he belonged there. He told himself it was fine and that he would simply relax and enjoy the atmosphere while he waited.

As the minutes dragged by, however, Felix found it increasingly difficult to appear at ease. He scrolled through his phone, rearranged his bag twice, and counted the number of food stalls visible from his seat. A friendly worker at the juice counter caught his eye and called out, "Can I get you something?" Felix shook his head and smiled politely, muttering, "I'm just waiting for someone, thank you." He was reluctant to order anything so early, worried that his food would go cold long before Marco appeared. By eleven thirty, he had read every sign on every stall board and had begun inventing imaginary conversations to pass the time. Marco finally pushed open the glass doors at five to twelve, spotted Felix immediately, and jogged over with an apologetic wave.

"Have you been waiting long?" he asked, slightly breathless. Felix paused for a moment, weighing up whether to tell the truth. "You could say that," he admitted with a rueful laugh, "I've been here since ten past ten." Marco stared at him, caught between sympathy and amusement. "Why didn't you message me?" he asked. Felix shrugged and replied, "I didn't want you to feel bad." Marco shook his head, smiling, and said, "Next time, please just message me." They both laughed, and finally went to order their lunch together.