Hey, stranger. Just checking in to make sure everything’s good.
The text stares back at me, and my thumbs hesitate over the keyboard. For the first time since we started this back-and-forth, I don’t know how to respond. It feels… complicated.
Everything in my life is complicated.
Bridger and I are a tangled mess of secrets, trust issues, and a chemistry so intense it burns. Yet here I am, holding on to something with Ice that feels simpler.
Or at least it used to.
I type out a response before deleting it.
Then another.
ColdAsIce17
You there?
My pulse skitters, and before I can talk myself out of it, I type back.
Me
Yeah, I’m here. Everything has been a grind. You know how it is.
His response comes instantly.
ColdAsIce17
I get it. Just know I’m here if you need me.
A familiar warmth seeps through my body. What doesn’t make sense is that it feels like I’m betraying Bridger.
But how can I betray something when it’s never been defined?
Bridger still doesn’t trust me.
Me
Thanks. That means a lot.
ColdAsIce17
Sure you’re okay? You sound off.
The weight of his words presses down on me. I pause, trying to come up with what to say. I could brush him off and keep it casual or I could admit the truth.
Me
I’m just trying to figure things out.
ColdAsIce17
Ah, one of those phases.
Me
You have no idea.
ColdAsIce17
