CHAPTER FOUR
632 Words
CHAPTER FOUR
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The following day
April 16th
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KATE TURNED OFF THE alarm, and with sleepy eyes, she checked the notifications she had received on the phone. She noticed several messages in a row, and all of them came from the dating site. That woke her up. She hadn’t thought that someone would contact her so soon.
Kate put the phone aside. She needed to go through her morning ritual first, and only afterward, she would read those messages. She went to the bathroom to have her shower and brush her teeth.
Her morning routine finished, Kate prepared her breakfast and carried it to the breakfast nook facing the garden. She ate while scrolling through the messages she had received. Almost all of them came from the same person, a guy named Ryan, and that surprised her.
She had received messages from four other guys, and they merely read ‘hi, how are you?’ Well, that was a way to start a conversation, she supposed, but she had expected at least a brief introduction or something.
Kate shrugged and forgot about them. She didn’t feel like wasting her time with something so generic. Those guys could have written to anybody, after all. It just happened that she was the recipient of their messages.
She spooned some cereals and decided to go through the messages Ryan had sent to her.
Message one: I’ve just seen your photo. I just love your eyes. I’d like to meet you.
She scowled at the phone. Now she thought better. At least, that ‘Hi, how are you?’ was inoffensive enough. This guy, Ryan, took out the artillery right from the beginning.
Message two came half an hour after the first one and read: When I saw your photo, I literally felt a strong pull in my heart. Please, get in touch with me’
Wide-eyed, Kate read the message once more and then said aloud, “Huh! Not so gullible, sorry.”
Message three (after another half hour): I really think you’re the one, and I can’t wait to meet you. Please, reply!
Now, she shook her head in bewilderment and murmured, “This guy is something else.” Kate was dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe that a guy would come up with such lame lines.
Message four (another half an hour later): I hope you haven’t seen my messages yet, and that’s why you haven’t answered. I know we could have something good together. We are the real deal, sweetheart. Believe me.
She tasted from her coffee and rolled her eyes with mistrust. The man had taken out the big guns.
Message five (after another thirty minutes. One thing was clear –- the man was precise like clockwork): I’m still waiting. I know the two of us would be good together, sweetie. Just write back.
She shrugged dismissively and said aloud, “Yeah, really?”
Message six (always after thirty minutes; at least the man was persistent): Still waiting here. I’m here, with my computer open, waiting for your reply. Please, answer. From what I’ve read, you are indeed my soul mate.’
This time she burst into laughter, “Really? Come on, really? This guy is unbelievable.”
Shaking her head, Kate returned to her breakfast. She didn’t feel like replying to the messages that piled up in her inbox.
She had to admit that hey thrilled her. However, they also made her feel somewhat uneasy. They conveyed a specific vibe. That man was either desperate or a stalker.
Anyway, she had to go to work then and didn’t have time to analyze all those possibilities. Kate was her own boss, but she was both a conscious employee and a very strict employer. She didn’t like it when her employees were late, so she was careful to be on time herself.
Kate cleaned her breakfast dishes and left the house to go to her shop. She didn’t bother to write a reply to any of the messages she had received.
- Writer
