StanleyP
Nothing. You are the sole source of light in the barren wasteland of my life.
AnaBGR
Exactly as it should be. Now tell me what’s really up.
StanleyP
Nothing...
AnaBGR
Uh-oh. Are you cheating on me with another podcast? Traitor.
StanleyP
Never. But I might have met someone IRL.
I straightened and reread StanleyP’s words. He had met someone out in the real world? I wasn’t sure what to think.What about me? I wanted to write.We met first. But my virtual friend hadn’t made me any promises, and I had actively discouraged him. Now that I thought about it, the frequency of our texting had slowed down recently. We seemed to have settled into a less flirty, more friend-zone banter. Still, his admission hurt. I wondered if I had read more into the relationship than he had, and my face grew hot with embarrassment. His next message reassured me.
StanleyP
This is weird, right?
AnaBGR
A little.
StanleyP
Forget I said anything.
AnaBGR
It must be something if you mentioned it in the first place.
StanleyP
Have you ever felt a spark for someone almost despite yourself?
I pictured Aydin’s face. Nope, I didn’t know what that was like at all.
AnaBGR
Sounds serious.
StanleyP
More frustrating. I’m sure it will pass. Tell me more about your plans for routing the enemy. Will there be confetti cannons when you win?
A good friend wouldn’t just let it go like that. A good friend would say something. But was that all we were now? I hated being an adult.
AnaBGR
I could have ignored you the first time you messaged, but I responded instead, and that turned out pretty awesome.
StanleyP
