Oh yeah, I remember. I thought you weren't going to text.
I read it twice, then smirked.
What? I wasn't kidding around when I said that.
A beat passed. Then her reply came.
Well now I know.
Something about that message made me lean back on the couch, grinning like a teenager. We kept texting, falling into a rhythm like we'd done it before.
She was from Southwark—grew up on the edge of busy streets and quiet bakeries.
I told her I was from Elephant and Castle, which made her laugh.
"Used to take the bus out there just for the doughnuts," she said.
"Used to sell overpriced flats out here to pay for mine," I said.
She worked as a baker. Early hours. Loved the silence before the ovens warmed up.
I told her I was a real estate negotiator—which sounded way flashier than it was.
We talked books. She loved Sands from the Beach. I told her Beneath the Fog was better. She disagreed. We debated for four whole texts before she finally said:
Okay, fine. You're allowed to have bad taste.
I laughed, staring at the screen like she could hear it.
Then I typed the question. Slowly. Backspaced. Rewrote it.
Then sent it.
Are you seeing anyone right now?
I was wondering... if you'd want to go out sometime.
And then she was gone.
One checkmark.
No typing.
No reply.
Ten minutes.
Thirty.
An hour.
The TV was on, some old series I wasn't paying attention to. I stared at the paused scene while my thoughts spiraled.
Oh Lord, what if she says no?
What if she lies to me instead?
What if she doesn't even reply and deletes my number for even asking?
I laughed to myself, dry and a little pathetic.
"Twenty-nine," I muttered, "and acting like I'm in year nine."
Then—ding.
Notification.
Her name.
I grabbed the phone faster than I'd admit to anyone and opened it before I could breathe.
No, I'm not seeing anyone at the moment.
And sure—I'd like to go out with you.
My heart dropped into my stomach and floated back up again, light and giddy and unfamiliar.
I didn't say anything for a full minute. Just smiled.
Then unpaused the show like it was the most casual night of my life.
It wasn't.