8 p.m
Closing the book, I stood up from my desk.
Man, that was rough.
Studying—I don't know how some people actually enjoy it. Seriously. How do they spend hours reading books like it's nothing? I don't think I'll ever reach that level of devotion.
I grabbed my phone. The moment the screen lit up, one thing jumped out at me.
A reply.
"Hi"
Just a single word—from Lily.
I blinked at it. Honestly, I didn't expect a reply. I'd already convinced myself she'd block me, or just ignore it forever.
Now then. Let's reply. Can't let this chance slip by, right?
But... she replied in the afternoon. It's already night now. Would she still be active?
Why does that even matter? Just reply, man.
I started typing:
"It's surprising. I didn't expect to get a reply."
She read it within a minute. My heart actually skipped a beat.
Ting.
"Why? Is that something abnormal?"
Abnormal? No. But…
"It's not abnormal. But based on what Claire told me about you, I thought you wouldn't reply."
I hit send. Then waited.
A minute passed. Then another. Nothing.
Finally—five minutes later—ting.
"Claire? What did she say?"
I typed back quickly:
"She said you're savage with words. That you don't give guys the time of day."
Send.
The moment I hit the button, I froze. Was that too blunt?
Would she mind?
Too late to take it back now. The message had already been read.
Ting...
A reply.
I opened the message with a touch of nervousness.
"Savage? Me?"
I stared at the screen, lips twitching into a half-smile.
She doesn't sound savage at all.
If anything, she comes off... gentle. Calm. Kind of soft-spoken, even through text.
But then again—I can't judge someone based on a couple of messages, right?
"That's what I know," I replied.
A moment later, a reply came through.
A laughing emoji—then a message:
"It's not like I'm savage or anything. I just don't talk until I'm comfortable."
That made sense. It's only natural, really.
Ting...
Another message.
"Claire exaggerated."
I figured as much. Claire really did exaggerate sometimes. That little vixen.
I typed:
"You don't seem to be uncomfortable with me?"
Sent.
A few minutes passed. Nature's call hit—and that's not something you can ignore.
I got up and headed to the bathroom.
When I came back, there was a message on the screen. I caught myself smiling.
Wait. I smiled?
Why?
I unlocked the phone and opened the chat.
"It's strange. I don't really feel uncomfortable talking with you."
There it was again—that smile.
I couldn't explain it.
But it was there.
...
"It's strange. I don't really feel uncomfortable talking with you."
That's what I sent.
And it was true.
Strangely, talking to Solace felt... easy. Not like how it usually felt with other boys.
Claire told him I'm savage?
That girl...
Solace sure says things straight to the point. A smile tugged at my lips at the thought. I didn't know why, but it made me feel... something.
Ping.
A message.
"So what makes you comfortable? If you don't mind me asking."
It was from Solace.
What makes me comfortable, huh?
I wasn't sure. What should I say?
After thinking for a moment, I typed:
"I don't actually know. Maybe when people are honest? And not pretending when talking to me?"
The message was read the second I hit send.
A moment later, a reply:
"So you'd like me to be blunt?"
I smiled again. Talking to him really did feel... nice.
"Sure. If you want to," I replied.
---
Honest and blunt, huh?
I didn't mind that. Pretending was a hassle anyway.
I typed:
"Okay then. Be yourself when you talk to me too."
Sent.
It was read instantly.
A laughing emoji appeared first, then:
"Sure."
Before I could type a reply, another message popped up:
"It was fun talking to you. But I have to go now."
Go now?
She's leaving?
I wanted to talk more. Why?
Maybe because it was fun. Or maybe... something else?
I didn't really know.
"Okay... see ya," I replied.
I mean, I couldn't exactly keep her here, could I?
The message was read.
But there was no reply.
I felt a little... disappointed.
Lily.
Talking to her only made me more curious. I wanted to know more—about who she was, how she thought, what she was like beyond the text on my screen.
All from a simple "Hi."
It was strange how something so small could turn into something... memorable.
A pleasant surprise, really.
---
I put my phone down and stared at the ceiling.
I hadn't meant to talk that long. But somehow... it didn't feel long at all.
Solace was different.
Maybe I'll reply again tomorrow.
Maybe..
But will he think I'm wierd? I just talked with him for the first time. Should I just text him again tomorrow?
Let's not think much about it.
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. I felt quite at peace today. But why?
Friday morning.
Finally—the weekend. No college. No classes.
I woke up later than usual, stretched a little too long, and finally got out of bed.
After freshening up, I studied for a bit. Just because we had a break from college didn't mean we had a break from studying.
Between chapters, I checked my phone a few times.
Why?
Why did I do that?
Was I subconsciously... waiting for something?
The day passed.
Then came Saturday.
After breakfast, I flopped onto the bed and grabbed my phone, ready to zone out with some random videos.
And then—
Ting...