Chapter 10

I’ve been paired with the guy for a week now. When Jess swiped right, I was afraid I wouldn’t have a shot with him because he appears to be quite attractive and wealthy. But because we share similar interests, I have a sliver of optimism that he’ll be a good match for me. And there are no words to describe my joy when I received notification that he had accepted my request and had even messaged me first. Even if it was just a sticker, it’s better than nothing, right? For the past week, my friends had been living in the same house as me, Chase, and Nate, and it had been a blast. We spent our days watching Netflix series and documentaries and having movie nights. We also experimented with cuisine and performed some DIY. Not to mention the fact that we went inside camping. It was so much fun that I forgotten to check my phone for a whole day.

We just finished viewing a recently released film, and it’s now 3 a.m. Everyone had already dozed off. I guess the activities we did earlier, such as karaoke, drinking games, and even the classic truth or dare game, made them too weary and drowsy.

I sighed and yawned. I’m starting to feel sleepy as well. But my thoughts wouldn’t let me sleep just yet, so I opened my phone and was quickly inundated with notifications. I squinted my eyes; there were a lot of missed calls from Reeves, messages from the guy on the dating site, and other social media notifications.

I began by reviewing the messages I had received from Reeves. The most of his texts were him inquiring what I was up to or if I was okay. He must be concerned, based on the texts. As I lightly smacked my head, I bit my bottom lip. How could I possibly forget to keep him up to date? It’s not like it’s my responsibility, but since he’s become a friend of mine, I should’ve informed him so he wouldn’t be bothered. If I behave a certain way, I’m sure he’ll be worried to death. Because this is my responsibility, I hastily typed spam responses for him.

My texts were only delivered recently, so I’m presuming he’s already dozing off. My mind wandered back to the dating site as I drifted off. I checked my texts in a rush.

“Are you occupied?”

“Did something happen?”

“Hey, it’s been three hours… are you okay?”

“You mentioned you reside in Puerto Princesa, and I do as well, though just temporarily.”

“I wolfed down my lunch. Good afternoon noon, by the way.”

“Have you had your afternoon snack?”

“My sister brought me grapes and waffles, but she forgot the whipped cream and maple syrup.”

“I believe something occurred to you in the last eight hours.”

“Call me when you see this,”

“It’s time for dinner.”

“Don’t skip meals.”

That was the final text he sent. My jaw fell slightly as I realized how invested he is in our connection. I wouldn’t call it attachment, to be honest. We’re still in the talking stage, and I don’t think it’ll last much longer. I don’t think there will be any strings attached. That’s simply not doable. After all, I’m still bitter over my ex-boyfriend. That thought made me sigh. It’s always the 3 a.m. thoughts that bring him to mind.

I penned a long response after shaking my thoughts aside.

‘Hello there! Yes, I’ve had a meal. Because I was with my friends earlier, I was quite busy, but if you see this, let’s talk more. I apologize for causing you concern, but everything will be fine. I’m sure you’re dozing off right now. I’m having trouble sleeping, but I hope you’re getting enough rest. I had a great time earlier. What was your day like? Tell me about it when you wake up. I’m open to hearing what you have to say. You can always call me here if you’ve had a bad day. We can just keep the call quiet and text each other. That, in my opinion, is extremely comfy. I guess I’ve gone on long enough, so I’ll finish this message now. Goodnight!’

After pressing send, I felt so relaxed and relieved. I was about to close my eyes when the ‘seen’ button appeared, almost making me scream. This indicates that he is still awake.

I realized he mentioned he’s from Puerto Princesa as well. My brow furrowed. It would be unrealistic for us to cross ways, right? That would be such a hilarious incident. Thinking about humorous situations reminded me of a guy who looked a lot like Razen who I ran across twice the other day. I’m pretty sure that’s not him because I saw Razen’s I*******m update yesterday indicating he’s having a fantastic time in Texas. Good for him.

I nervously stroked the bridge of my nose as I awaited his response, and I wasn’t disappointed when it arrived. It was also a lengthy response, but not excessively so; just enough for me to appreciate it.

‘I’m surprised you’re still awake. Since you indicated you played a lot of games with your mates, I assumed you’d be sleeping right now. Aren’t you exhausted? Get some sleep. I, too, had just completed my assigned activities. It was a substantial amount of work. My day was uneventful, with nothing noteworthy to share.’

I pouted at that. His response didn’t come across as frigid at all. It didn’t surprise me either. But I feel like there’s something sorely missing in it, I just can’t point my finger unto it. I typed another response while puffing my cheeks.

‘Are you sure you don’t have anything to say? That’s a shame since I’d love to hear your stories. But that’s fine; it’s not a big deal. You are free to sleep if you are exhausted.’

I let out another yawn. I can feel tiredness sneaking up on me, but I’m fighting it as best I can. I couldn’t possibly fall asleep on him, can I? That would be impolite. The seen appeared again, suggesting that he had viewed my message, but it had been thirty minutes and there had been no answer.

My brows wrinkled in thought. Did he fall asleep? He must be exhausted at this point. That made me upset as well, but I understand he has other priorities, and I’m not supposed to be a part of them. After all, I told him to sleep if he’s tired anyway. I guess this is just my mood swings messing with me at 4 AM and a half.

When the door cracked open, I noticed Chase staring at me. His blue hair is unruly, and he’s still dressed in his pyjamas. He must have just awoken. As he saw me still wide awake, he furrowed his brows and said, “Go to sleep.”

That drew simply a nod from me. He, then, closed the door. I heard his footsteps, which signaled that he had left. It’s almost 5 a.m., so I think it’s time for him to start his day, which includes jogging till 6 a.m., eating breakfast at one of the vegan food carts on the streets, working out when he returned home, showering, and then going to work. That appears to be quite a sum. I enjoy my own way of life since I am in charge of my own schedule.

     ONE. Two. Three days have passed and no response has been received. I’m beginning to get concerned as well, but what can I do? Aside from this dating service, I have no other contacts with him. My cheeks blew up. Is he trying to avoid me? Am I ghosted? Speaking of ghosts, it’s Halloween soon. I’m looking forward to getting pumpkins and decorating them. Perhaps I’ll dress myself like a character from one of my favorite anime series. I’m not sure, I don’t have anything set in stone yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to celebrating that holiday.

But, in any case, it’s been three days since he’s responded. I’m not fond of waiting any longer, therefore I’ll probably deactivate. Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry? I’m not going to risk another humiliation because of a man. That’s really a bummer though.

I sighed defiantly and quickly grabbed my phone. As I cancelled my own account on that dating site, my fingers worked quicker. It doesn’t bother me in the least. I shouldn’t be too concerned; after all, we didn’t spend much time together, though I can say that I know a lot about him.

He currently resides in Puerto Princesa. He’s a year older than me. Pisces is his zodiac sign. And he makes a living as a writer. He did not detail his professional life but that’s okay since I didn’t tell him a lot about me. He stated that he is on a dating site to have some fun, which is similar to my situation. But, in any case, I should set aside this and that and concentrate on what I should do here.

Is it appropriate for me to spend time with my pals once more? However, I believe they should take a walk about town and take in the sights, as well as participate in local activities such as hiking and island hopping. So, should I dial Reeves’ number? Since I made him so anxious three days ago, we’ve kept in touch. We agreed to keep each other aware if we were both busy.

I suppose we could eat lunch together now that it’s almost lunchtime. I looked in the mirror and concluded that my attire is comfortable and appealing to the eye, therefore I don’t think I need to change.

I made my way downstairs. Nate was sitting there, munching chocolates as usual, but this time he was facing his laptop, which was surrounded by a stack of folders. He has to be at work.

“I’m leaving,” I announced loudly enough for him to hear.

“Where are you going?” he said, exchanging glances.

“I’m going to get lunch with Reeves.”

He locked his gaze on me for a few moments before nodding once more. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again, as if he didn’t want to say anything. That’s so suspicious, I snarled. So, what exactly is it about?

“Do you want to say something to me?”

He shook his head, a timid smile on his face, and said, “Take care on your way.” He looked at his laptop again, and I assumed he was finished talking so I walked out not until he said something that made me halt on my tracks. “Don’t trust anyone here, Val. It’s for your own good.”