I told myself I wouldn't think about him.
That the whole thing was just… a moment.
One random night. One random guy.
Nothing serious.
That lasted exactly twelve hours.
My phone buzzed.
I glanced at the screen absentmindedly, expecting a message from Amaka or maybe a random group chat.
But the moment I saw the name—
My heart skipped.
Ethan.
I stared at it for a full five seconds.
Then ten.
Then—
I opened it.
Ethan:
You don't strike me as someone who ignores messages.
I blinked.
"That's how you're starting?" I muttered under my breath.
No "hi."
No "good morning."
Just… confidence.
I typed a reply.
Deleted it.
Typed again.
Deleted again.
Why was I overthinking a simple message?
Me:
And you don't strike me as someone who waits patiently
I hit send before I could change my mind.
Almost immediately—
My phone buzzed again.
Ethan:
I don't like waiting.
Especially not for things I want.
My stomach flipped.
There it was again.
That tone.
Direct. Intentional.
Dangerous.
I dropped my phone on the bed like it suddenly got hot.
"This is ridiculous," I said to myself.
But even as I said it…
I picked it back up.
Me:
And what exactly do you want?
This time, the reply took longer.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Why did that bother me?
Then finally—
Ethan:
You.
I froze.
My heart started racing again, faster than it should for just a word.
One word.
"Be serious, Nia," I whispered to myself.
This was how it started.
Smooth talk. Sweet words. Nothing real.
And yet…
I smiled.
Me:
You don't even know me.
The typing bubble appeared almost instantly.
Ethan:
I know enough.
You think too much.
You don't trust easily.
But you still stayed when you should have walked away.
My smile faded.
Because he was right.
Again.
I sat up slowly, my grip tightening around my phone.
Me:
You got all that from one night?
A few seconds passed.
Ethan:
I told you… I pay attention.
The real question is—why did you stay?
I didn't reply immediately.
Because I didn't have an answer.
Or maybe…
I just didn't want to say it out loud.
Another message came in.
Ethan:
Let me see you today.
My eyes widened slightly.
Me:
Today?
Don't you think that's a bit fast?
I expected him to slow down.
To adjust.
To pretend.
He didn't.
Ethan:
No.
I think you're just scared.
I frowned.
Me:
I'm not scared.
The reply came almost immediately.
Ethan:
Then prove it.
Silence filled my room.
Heavy.
Challenging.
He wasn't just asking.
He was pushing.
And the worst part?
It was working.
I stood up, pacing slightly.
"This is crazy," I muttered.
I didn't know him.
Not really.
And something about him still felt… off.
Too smooth.
Too confident.
Too unreadable.
But there was something else too.
Something I couldn't ignore.
I wanted to see him again.
My phone buzzed once more.
Ethan:
7 PM.
I'll send you the location.
I stared at the message.
At the certainty in it.
Like he already knew my answer.
Maybe that should have annoyed me.
Maybe I should have said no just to prove a point.
But instead—
I typed:
Me:
Fine.
I hit send.
And immediately felt something shift.
Not excitement.
Not exactly.
Something deeper.
Something heavier.
Like I had just stepped into something I didn't fully understand.
Something I might not be able to walk away from easily.
My phone buzzed again.
Ethan:
Good choice, Nia.
I swallowed.
Because for some reason…
It didn't feel like a choice at all.