BUTTERFLIES AT 2AM
1509 Words
Dira stared at Kendall’s message for a full ten seconds before replying.
Not because she didn’t know what to say.
Because she knew exactly what she wanted to say.
The problem was that all of those responses sounded desperate.
Or weird.
Or both.
She typed:
It’s okay
Deleted it.
Too eager.
She typed again.
No worries.
Deleted it.
Too dry.
She threw herself onto her bed.
“Why am I like this?”
Finally she settled on:
Oh, that’s okay. I was actually asleep.
The lie sent successfully.
Dira immediately regretted it.
Because she was very much awake.
Very much smiling.
And very much staring at her phone.
The typing bubble appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Then:
Kinda hard to believe that considering you replied in three seconds.
Dira gasped.
“He’s funny.”
Her fingers moved quickly.
Maybe I’m secretly psychic.
Kinda scary.
You should be scared.
I am.
She laughed.
At two in the morning.
Alone.
Like an i***t.
And somehow she didn’t care.
The conversation continued.
One topic became another.
Then another.
Then another.
They talked about childhood.
School memories.
Embarrassing moments.
Music.
Movies.
Food.
Life.
Hours passed without either noticing.
Dira learned that Kendall hated mushrooms.
Thought pineapple belonged on pizza.
And had once accidentally locked himself inside a public bathroom when he was fourteen.
She laughed so hard she nearly fell off the bed.
“You cannot be serious.”
Unfortunately, I am.
Please tell me someone saw you.
Three people.
I would have never recovered.
Neither did I.
By 4 a.m., Dira’s cheeks hurt from smiling.
The strangest part wasn’t that she was having fun.
It was how easy it felt.
Nothing felt forced.
Nothing felt awkward.
Talking to Kendall felt like talking to someone she had known forever.
Which scared her.
Because the last time she felt this comfortable with someone…
She got her heart broken.
Still.
For tonight.
She pushed that thought away.
At exactly 5:02 a.m., sleep finally won.
Her phone slipped from her hand.
And Dira fell asleep smiling.
⸻
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Dira woke up so violently she almost rolled off the bed.
“What the hell?”
The knocking continued.
“DIRA!”
Her eyes widened.
Ann.
Only Ann knocked on doors like she was trying to arrest someone.
Dira checked the time.
9:04 a.m.
Her soul left her body.
Work started at 9:30.
“Oh my God.”
She sprinted toward the door.
The moment she opened it, Ann marched inside.
“You are unbelievable.”
Dira was already running toward the bathroom.
“I KNOW!”
“You were supposed to be awake!”
“I KNOW!”
“We are literally late!”
“I KNOW!”
“STOP SAYING YOU KNOW!”
“I KNOW! I KNOW I’M SORRY”
Ann threw a pillow at her head.
⸻
Eleven minutes later.
They were standing inside the supermarket receiving their second warning of the week.
The manager looked exhausted.
The girls looked guilty.
Well.
Mostly guilty.
The moment he left, Ann turned toward Dira.
“So.”
Dira sighed.
“No.”
“So.”
“No.”
“Sooo.”
“Ann.”
“What happened after I went to sleep?”
Dira’s expression instantly betrayed her.
Ann screamed.
“Oh my God.”
“Please stop screaming.”
“He texted you.”
Dira tried not to smile.
Failed.
Miserably.
“He texted me.”
Ann grabbed her shoulders dramatically.
“Tell me everything.”
And Dira did.
Every message.
Every joke.
Every embarrassing story.
Every moment.
By the time she finished, Ann was staring at her suspiciously.
“You like him.”
“I do not.”
“You do.”
“I don’t.”
“Dira.”
“Okay maybe a little.”
Ann nodded.
“Thought so.”
Before Dira could respond, her phone buzzed.
Both girls looked down immediately.
Kendall.
Dira’s stomach flipped.
Ann nearly climbed over the counter.
“Open it.”
“Back up.”
“Open it.”
Dira unlocked her phone.
The message appeared.
I don’t know if you’ll be free today, but I’d like to take you somewhere after work.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then Ann exploded.
“OH MY GOD.”
Half the supermarket turned toward them.
Neither cared.
Dira felt heat rise to her cheeks.
A date.
Was this a date?
No.
Maybe.
Probably.
Definitely.
Her hands shook slightly as she typed.
I’d love to. What time?
The reply arrived almost instantly.
I can pick you up around 6:30.
Dira stared.
Then smiled.
Then tried to stop smiling.
Then smiled harder.
“Oh, you’re gone,” Ann said.
“What?”
“You’re finished.”
⸻
The rest of the day felt endless.
Every customer took forever.
Every hour moved slower.
Every minute seemed determined to annoy her.
By the time 5:30 finally arrived, Dira practically flew home.
The moment she entered her apartment, panic began.
Nothing looked right.
Absolutely nothing.
She stood in front of her closet.
Then stared.
And stared.
And stared.
“What do people wear on dates?”
The closet offered no answers.
Thirty minutes later, her bed was covered with clothes.
A black dress.
Rejected.
Blue jeans.
Rejected.
White sweater.
Rejected.
Everything looked terrible.
Eventually she called Ann.
The phone connected instantly.
“How bad is it?”
“Dira, what happened?”
“I have nothing to wear.”
Ann laughed so hard she nearly hung up.
“This is serious.”
“No it isn’t.”
“It is.”
“No it isn’t.”
“Ann!”
“Dira!”
After ten minutes of arguing, they finally chose an outfit.
Simple.
Cute.
Comfortable.
The moment the call ended, Dira looked at herself in the mirror.
Not bad.
Actually…
Pretty good.
Her curls framed her face beautifully.
Her dimples appeared when she smiled.
And for once, she liked what she saw.
Not because of Kendall.
Because of herself.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
Her heart immediately began racing.
6:30.
Exactly.
Dira opened the door.
And there he was.
Kendall.
Standing in the hallway.
Looking annoyingly attractive.
A dark jacket.
Clean sneakers.
That stupid smile.
For a moment neither spoke.
Then Kendall looked at her.
Really looked at her.
And smiled.
“You look nice.”
The compliment hit harder than it should have.
Dira smiled.
“Thank you.”
A tiny pause followed.
Then:
“You don’t look terrible yourself.”
Kendall laughed.
And suddenly the nervousness disappeared.
⸻
Downtown looked beautiful at night.
Lights reflected across windows.
Restaurants buzzed with conversation.
Music drifted through the streets.
Kendall led her toward a newly opened restaurant.
The atmosphere felt warm.
Comfortable.
Not overly fancy.
Not overly casual.
Perfect.
The conversation started slowly.
Then naturally deepened.
Dira learned about his family.
His childhood.
His dreams.
His fears.
And surprisingly…
Kendall listened.
Really listened.
Not the fake kind of listening.
The real kind.
The kind where someone remembers details.
The kind where someone pays attention.
When Dira mentioned loving Lana Del Rey, he remembered.
When she mentioned wanting to travel more, he remembered.
Hours passed.
Neither noticed.
At some point Dira found herself laughing again.
Not the polite laugh she gave customers.
Not the fake laugh she used when she wasn’t okay.
A real laugh.
The kind she hadn’t heard from herself in months.
And Kendall smiled every time it happened.
As if he enjoyed being the reason.
Eventually they left the restaurant.
The city felt quieter now.
Softer.
The walk home seemed shorter than it should have.
Too short.
Before long they were standing outside the apartment building.
The moment neither wanted arrived.
Goodbye.
Dira shifted awkwardly.
“Thank you for tonight.”
Kendall smiled.
“Thank you for coming.”
Silence followed.
A strange silence.
Not uncomfortable.
Just…
Heavy.
Like something wanted to happen.
Neither knew what.
Their eyes met.
For a second.
Then another.
Then another.
Dira’s heart pounded.
He grabbed her hand gently
She placed both hands around his neck
He started at her lips for like 3 seconds before he finally proceeded to make a move in kissing her.
Then—
A voice interrupted.
“Well isn’t this cute.”
Both turned.
A girl stood across the street.
Watching them.
Her expression unreadable.
The streetlight illuminated part of her face.
And for some reason…
The sight of her made Kendall’s smile disappear instantly.
His entire body stiffened.
The warmth left his eyes.
He let go of Dira’s face immediately
Dira frowned.
“Do you know her?”
Kendall didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he stared at the girl.
The girl stared back.
Then smiled.
A strange smile.
Not friendly.
Not hostile.
Just…
Knowing.
After a moment she turned around.
And walked away.
Leaving silence behind.
Dira looked back at Kendall.
Something had changed.
She could feel it.
“What was that about?”
Kendall forced a smile.
“Nothing.”
But the answer didn’t sound convincing.
Not even a little.
And for the first time since meeting him…
Dira wondered if Kendall was hiding something.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD