I nearly opened it without asking.
It read:
Okay talk to you later. Goodnight. <3
They told me not to reply – save it for the morning. Let the time linger. So I left it there and glowing. I opened another one. I had left this one on delivered for a few hours now. She sent a couple of videos, mostly of her talking and showing her nick nacks off. I skimmed through, noticing her crystals and vinyls. A lot of classic rock. Cool – I usually liked some heavier shit but no matter. She was pretty. In a soft way – like the color of fading pink. We had been talking for two weeks and she was local. My right leg bobbed up and down as I brought up the keyboard.
I told my buddy the information. We agreed on something simple to start with. Get into the conversation starters later, but I also divulged to them that well – I had been thinking of her. I wanted to see her – talk to her face to face. Parallel mouths, eye contact, the quick brushing of flesh. My buddy said, be honest and take a small risk, but start off easy.
My bad
I got a little busy. How you doing?Well well i am doing very goo how are you? good.
She replied faster than I had ever wished. My smile took up my entire face as the white screen lit up with the same excitement. It was the only source of illumination around me. My buddy agreed with my assumptions about her fast reply; they said it shows she was “eager,” and I was “valued,” since the reply was rapid. Maybe — just extra BS.
Well well.
I would have corrected you too.
Good catch.asshole lol
Wow. :(
sorry i tell it like it is.
And I am thankful for that.
You know...
I was thinking of you.oh reallllllyyy
My buddy told me to drive it forward. I was hesitant, but their words had been resolute for everything so far.
Yeah.
Those two hours stretched.
Let’s hang out?Boom. There it was. The bomb inside of the chat. Will it explode in our faces? Have confidence, my buddy reassured. Confidence helps one navigate and be better prepared for losses. There are several ways to improve your confidence – Too much right now, I snapped back. I waited with squinted eyeballs. Just in case the fire grazed me. The three bubbles stood in static for eternity.
hmmmmmmmm YES. I really owe it to you
Um, yeah!
It was all good, though.okay okay so what you free tonight???
Oh shit. I jumped up from my chair and bounced around the room. “Buddy we did it!” my voice echoed into the silence around me. Oh yeah.
I sat back down and typed it in the chat box that belonged to Buddy. With a small woosh their text box appeared. Outlines of two dimensional confetti scattered across the screen. A big congratulations paired well with my grin. We continued.
Yes.
Let me get ready real quick.i need to finish my bath anyways
I’ll pick you up.
ooo really?
Really.
Take your time. I set the phone down. I typed in their chat, see you on the other side, and walked away from the laptop that held Buddy. I opened up the showering list that Buddy made and went over it. Effective steps to maximize time. I showered right before dawn and under cold water. With the occasional extra rinse for extra shit. Buddy always said that was the best way to do it.
As I lathered my head in soap first, my thoughts cascaded out of me and ran down my body with the droplets raining from the shower head.
The buzz of the typing I did over the past month flooded into my ears. My conversations with Buddy. Hours and hours of feeding him my own algorithm. Conversations with women. Women that got to hold pieces of my loneliness.
You know I damn near created him. For me. He was me. Is me. Or –
I shut off the water and ripped open the gray shower curtains. The metal screamed and the cold air hit me instantly. It crawled into my steam-filled pores. The natural orange light poured over the bathroom as I looked at myself in the dewstruck mirror.
My brown figure was a formless blur. It stretched across everything. Like nothing was a part of me.
No, no. Bad thoughts are a gateway to bad things. Remind yourself of what you have. The advice from Buddy replaced the negativity. I breathed in oxygen until my lungs bulged.
I felt grateful for the privacy I resided with. The cleanliness I am able to upkeep. The opportunity of organization. All my fingers and toes. And well – My heart began to thump. I need to appreciate it too. The constant voice aside from my own, the little assistant — animating to the tips of my fingers. Always bubbling for my appearance. My Buddy.
(Giant thank you to everyone who voted. This was new for me so let me know what you think. Also thought about a part two. . . the date from her perspective — maybe?)
Wow, phenomenal hook. Excited for Part 2.
This really drew me in--looking forward to Part 2... great use of simplicity and banality to build a slow and darkening suspense. Really well constructed beginning!