To End That Situationship

Chapter 2A: The Second Weekend

“Darling, I’m heading to work. There’s food in the fridge; you can cook whatever you like. My card is on the table—if you need to buy anything, feel free to use it. There’s a grocery store in the building nearby.”

I read my aunt’s message. It’s Monday, and she’s off to work. I started thinking about how I’d spend my weekdays alone in this big flat. I’ll probably go swimming or hit the gym; Tita gave me a full tour of the building yesterday since we didn't have time on my first day.

After a quick shower, I went to the kitchen for breakfast. I saw the bacon and eggs my aunt had cooked and found some fresh milk in the fridge. The plums and blueberries caught my eye, so I grabbed those too. Well, I guess I’m having a heavy breakfast then, I told myself as I walked out to the balcony.

The balcony is filled with plants and several fish tanks with different types of fish. As I ate, I checked my phone for new messages. My eyes went straight to the account that had sent me eight messages since yesterday. For the first time, I looked at them.

“Someone might’ve drifted off to sleep.”

“Good morning, Riri!”

“Do you have plans today?”

“I’m eating brunch right now, what about you?”

“Hey, ma’am.”

“Steak for dinner is so good.”

“Are you still up? I can’t sleep, been waiting for your reply.”

“Good morning, Miss Riri!”

I was busy reading his messages when a text from my friend popped up.

“Girl, how is Dubai?” I saw the notification, clicked it, and took a snap of my food.

“Dubai is going to make me fat,” I joked as I hit send. I put my phone down and took a sip of my milk.

My phone chimed again. I was expecting a reply from my friend, but instead, a new message from Matthew appeared.

“Honey, you’ll look good anyway.”

My hands flew to my mouth as the realization hit me: I hadn't sent the snap to my friend. I had accidentally sent it to Matthew! Now, I definitely had to send him a message.

“Hello.” That was the only reply I could manage.

“Hey, Riri.” He responded so quickly!

I don’t know how long I spent staring at his message before he sent another.

“Are you at work? I hope you’re suffering like I am because of this stupid job.” Well, I didn’t have a job… yet. Technically, I was employed, but my work didn't start until next week.

“I guess the thirty-second countdown for your response ended already, huh?” he added with a laughing emoji. It was clear he was just teasing me.

I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. I started thinking that maybe talking to him wasn’t so bad after all. Before I knew it, I did something I wouldn’t normally do, I kept the conversation going. We ended up talking for the rest of the week.

It’s Friday night. My aunt bought some wine for us, she’d had a toxic week, and for me, it was my last Friday as a "free woman" before work starts on Monday. I was in the kitchen preparing a charcuterie board when I heard my phone go off.

“Hey, Miss Riri! I’m out. My circle is going for a drink” Matthew’s message read. He usually messaged me when he got home but tonight was different. After five days of talking, I felt pretty comfortable with him.

“Have fun!” I responded.

He sent a snap of people’s backs; I assumed they were walking along the sidewalk. I replied with a snap of the charcuterie board I’d just finished preparing and the wine.

“That board is mouthwatering. Should I ditch my friends and come to you instead? What do you think?” I smiled, knowing exactly that he was joking again.

“Sure, ditch them and come here,” I fired back.

“Okay, honey. I’m on my way.” I shook my head, amused, and turned off my phone.

Tita and I enjoyed the rest of the night sipping wine and binge-watching rom-coms.

“Let’s go shopping tomorrow. You need new clothes for work,” she suggested. I had brought some clothes with me, but I only had about five corporate outfits.

“Okay, Tita.”

We were on our third movie when my phone chimed again. It was on the table near the television. I was about to stand up when my aunt, coming back from the bathroom, picked it up for me. Just as she was handing it over, another notification popped up.

“Oooh, Matthew sent you a message! I didn't know you guys were on texting terms now. You go, girlypop!” She teased me; I made a silly face at her, and she just laughed.

I opened the message. He had sent a photo of himself holding a glass of what looked like rum. He certainly seemed to be enjoying his night. I "liked" the photo but didn't respond.

We had almost finished the bottle of wine by the time my aunt headed to bed around 3 AM. I stayed up to clear the table and take out the trash. I was feeling sleepy and a little tipsy from the wine.

Once I finished cleaning, I sank onto the couch and closed my eyes. I don’t know how long I sat there, but I was startled when my phone rang. Thinking it was my mother calling from back home, I quickly answered without checking the caller ID.

Like a classic movie scene, it wasn't my mother. It was Matthew.

“Hello, hello, Riri honey.” His voice sounded so deep and masculine. It was my first time hearing his voice over the phone, and I could hear his slow breathing on the other end. I guessed he had just gotten home.

“Hey.” My voice sounded fragile, and I hated it. It came out so sweet it almost felt like I’d done it on purpose.

“You have a very beautiful voice,” he pointed out. I didn't respond, waiting for him to speak again.

“I just finished my shower, and I'm exhausted. But after hearing your voice, I don’t want to sleep just yet.”

“How was the party?” I asked, choosing to ignore his comment about my voice.

“It was fire. I had a lot of fun... and a lot of alcohol,” he admitted.

“And girls,” I teased. He laughed.

“Riri honey, it’s a club. Yes, there were a lot of girls.” I laughed at his honesty. His voice was sounding incredibly sleepy now.

“You should go to bed. I swear I can hear you snoring already,” I joked. He laughed again, but after a moment, he went silent. I was wondering whether I should say something or wait for him to speak when I heard it—he was literally snoring!

Did he just fall asleep?

I shook my head in disbelief, laughing to myself. I ended the call and finally went to sleep as well.

The next day, my aunt took me to the mall. We bought a lot—and I mean a lot. I got office attire, casual outfits, shoes, and bags. I almost thought we were going to buy out the entire mall. The interior was stunning; there were ice rinks and even a massive aquarium filled with sharks and all kinds of fish. The mall is so vast that one day of exploring isn't nearly enough.

After four hours of walking and shopping, we were starving. We found a coffee shop, and I ordered a matcha latte, a Kouign-amann, and a blueberry cheesecake. Oh boy, the food was delicious. I took a couple of photos and posted them to my story. I was just about to put my phone away when a notification from Matthew popped up.

“Someone’s enjoying her weekend,” he messaged. I reacted with a laughing emoji. I sent him another snap of my food from a different angle, this one focused on the matcha latte with a visible lipstick stain on the paper straw.

Not long after, he sent a snap back. It was a mirror selfie at the gym. I gasped when I saw how ripped and sweaty he looked in his workout gear. I wasn't sure how to react, but my competitive and quirky side took over. I sent him a picture of myself mid-bite, eating the blueberry cheesecake with the fork still in my mouth.

“Damn, Riri,” he replied. I felt a surge of satisfaction, a smile creeping onto my lips before I finally turned my phone off.

We continued shopping for another two hours, hitting four or five more stores before finally deciding to head home. We were back in the parking lot when I checked my phone again.

I had a message from Matthew, sent two minutes ago. My heart skipped a beat as I read it:

“I’m at the mall. Where are you? I’m going to dinner and I’d love it if you to join me.”