Days passed in a blur—wake up in the morning, attend classes, come home, crash, then do it all again the next day. A never-ending cycle.
But Thursday? Thursday was different.
It was the day I waited for all week. Friday and Saturday were the weekend, and Thursday meant the struggle was almost over. And today—it was Thursday.
I returned home from college, freshened up, and slumped onto my bed. The week had been exhausting. Finally, a short break—even if only psychological.
I pulled out my phone.
Claire was probably buried in her textbooks again. Not the best time to call. Instead, I started watching some random videos. Nothing meaningful. Just background noise—entertainment, or maybe just a waste of time.
Ting…
A notification popped up. I must've forgotten to turn on Do Not Disturb.
"Lily sent you a friend request."
Huh?
I blinked at the screen. Someone named Lily had sent me a friend request on Buddychat. It's a social platform where people share pictures, voice messages, videos—you can even call someone if you're feeling brave enough.
But I didn't know any Lily. At least not personally.
I almost ignored it… but something tugged at me.
Wait. Lily?
Could it be...?
I immediately opened the app. Her profile came up—simple, clean, just the name: Lily.
Beneath it, a small line of text stood out:
"Mutual friend: Bubbly Claire."
I stared at the screen, speechless for a few seconds.
It had only been a few days since I first heard the name Lily, and now—out of nowhere—I get a friend request from her?
What was I supposed to do?
Should I accept it? Or ignore it?
But if I ignore it, wouldn't that seem rude? Like I was brushing her off?
I definitely didn't want that.
But if I accept... would she think I'm some kind of creep who adds every girl that shows up in his suggestions?
Urrrghh!
One single notification—and my peaceful afternoon had spiraled into mental chaos.
Wait. Maybe it is the Lily Claire kept talking about... but what if it's not?
There could be more than one Lily who's friends with Claire, right?
Let's confirm this first.
I took a screenshot and sent it to Claire. Looked like she was online—she saw the message immediately.
A second later, my phone rang. Claire.
I picked up.
"Why did Lily send you a friend request?!" she shrieked, nearly blowing out my eardrums.
"How would I know?" I said, rubbing my ear. "Is this the same Lily you keep talking about?"
"Yeah, it's her! I don't know why she sent you a request. Wait—lemme call her."
She hung up without another word.
A few minutes later, Claire called again.
"She just opened a Buddychat account," she said the moment I answered. "After she added me, you showed up in her suggestions. That's why she sent you a request."
Ah. That explained it.
So it wasn't a big deal after all. I'd been overthinking again.
I sighed, shaking my head at myself. But even so... I realized I had a smile tugging at my lips.
I hadn't even noticed it until then.
"Hello? You there, Solace?"
Claire's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Ah Yeah, I'm here."
We talked for a few more minutes before she hung up.
I opened Buddychat and accepted Lily's friend request.
Now... should I message her?
Would that creep her out?
There I go again—overthinking. Just do it and deal with whatever happens later. She doesn't even know me personally. We live in different cities. Even if she thinks I'm weird and blocks me, it's not like I have anything to lose.
I tapped the message button and typed:
"Hi!"
Just a simple word. Polite. Friendly.
I stared at it for a second before hitting send.
I wonder if she'll reply. Based on what Claire's told me, maybe not. Or worse—maybe I'll get blocked.
I sighed, this time with a wry smile.
------
Steam curled around the edges of the mirror as I stepped out of the shower, my skin still tingling from the heat. I wrapped a towel around my chest, another around my hair—the fabric warm and comforting against my freshly bathed skin. Droplets traced slow paths down my collarbone before soaking into the towel.
I stood in front of the mirror, watching as the fog began to fade, my reflection slowly coming into focus like a ghost surfacing from the mist.
My cheeks were flushed from the steam. Damp strands of hair clung to my neck. I looked... softer. Warmer.
Maybe even a little vulnerable.
I padded into my room, the cool air brushing against my legs and making me shiver. I tossed the towel from my hair onto a chair and slipped into my robe with a lazy sigh.
It was one of those rare, quiet moments I loved—where everything felt still, and the world didn't need anything from me.
I picked up my phone from the nightstand.
One notification.
Solace: Hi...
Solace?
Oh, right. I'd opened a Buddychat account this morning. Couldn't think of anything fancy, so I just used my name: Lily.
After adding Claire to my friend list, Solace's account showed up in the suggestions. So I sent him a request too. No big deal.
But for him to message me so quickly—that, I didn't expect.
Should I reply?
Of course I should. It'd be rude not to. He's Claire's close friend, after all.
I opened the chat and typed:
Hi
Just a single word. I didn't really know what else to say. I don't know him personally. Claire talks about him often—usually to complain, honestly.
But from those rants, I picked up more than she probably meant to share.
I know about Solace. About his past relationship. About how it ended.
It was heartbreaking to hear.
At the same time... I admired him.
Not everyone can lose someone they loved and still find the strength to smile and keep going. To move forward like that—that's not weakness.
That's resilience.
Let's see what he replies with next...