A LOVE DURING PANDEMIC

Chapter 2: Connection in Quarantine

The next day, Mika woke up feeling more restless than ever. she had a full day of work ahead of her, but she' couldn't seem to focus. Her mind kept drifting to Karen's news about her online dating success.

As she sat at her desk, scrolling through her emails, she noticed a message from one of her coworkers, gab. they had never talked much before, but Mika knew him well enough to exchange pleasantries in the break room.

"Hey Mika, how are you doing?" the message read..

Mika hesitated for a moment before typing out a response. She didn't want to seem too eager or desperate for conversation, but at the same time, she was craving some human connection.

"Hey gab, I'm doing okay. how about you?"

"Same here. this quarantine is really getting to me. it's tough not being able to see anyone outside of work."

Mika felt a spark of recognition. she had been feeling the same way, but it was refreshing to hear someone else express the same sentiment.

"Yeah I know what you mean. it's hard to stay positive when everything feels so uncertain."

Gab replied almost immediately. "Exactly. but hey, maybe we can help each other out. want to have a virtual coffee break later and chat about anything other than work or the pandemic?"

Mika felt a rush of excitement. She had never considered gab as a potential friend before, but the idea of having someone to talk was too tempting to pass up.

"Sure, that sounds great. how about 3 pm?"

"Perfect. I'll send you a link to a video chat. see you then."

Mika spent the rest of the day feeling more productive than she had in weeks. the thought of having someone to talk to gave her a renewed sense of purpose.

When 3 pm rolled around, Mika logged into the video chat and saw gabs friendly face appear on the screen.

"Hey Mika , hows it going?" he asked.

Mika smiled. "it's going good. thanks for suggesting this. "

they spent the next hour talking about everything from their hobbies to their families to their dreams for the future. Mika was surprised at how easy it was to talk to gab, and how much they had in common.

as they said their goodbyes, Mika felt a Sense of warmth in her chest. maybe, just maybe she had found a connection In the midst of quarantine.