the secret admirer

keep it down

Later that night

Sarah had been having a rough day. She had finally managed to get some shut-eye when she was abruptly awoken by a loud moaning coming from the room next to hers. At first, she tried to ignore it, thinking it was probably just some TV show or movie playing too loud. But the loud groans never subsided. They only grew more intense with each passing second.

Sarah got out of bed and walked over to the door that separated her room from her housemate Max's. The sounds were now unmistakeably of a couple having s*x. She cringed at the thought of the two going at it with such vigor, and her patience wore thin as the noise level increased.

She tried to cover her ears with her pillow, but even that couldn't block out the sounds. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer and went to Max's door, about to knock when she remembered that Max and EmmaHi had always been there for her. She didn't want to embarrass them, but she needed them to keep it down.

As she opened the door, she noticed that the couple had forgotten to lock it. She regretted intruding but the noise was just too much.

"Guys, can you please keep it down?" Sarah said, trying hard to keep her voice low.

The sudden interruption shocked Max and Emma, who quickly got under the covers, embarrassed at being caught. "Oh my God, Sarah," Max said, his voice filled with chagrin. "Why are you here?"

"I live next door, I couldn't sleep," Sarah replied, trying her hardest not to cringe. "But seriously, guys, keep it down."

The couple nodded, their cheeks still red with embarrassment. Sarah backed away and made her way back to her room.

Just outside Max's door, Sarah almost collided with Jason, her childhood friend, who was looking equally annoyed. He wore his patented black hoodie, and his hair was a mess, like he had just woken up.

"Are they at it again?" Jason grumbled.

Sarah nodded, feeling embarrassed for the pair. "Apparently, they've forgotten that there are other people living in this house."

"God, they're so loud," Jason said, gesturing towards Max's door. "I can barely get any sleep with all that noise. I was just about to go there and tell him to quiet down."

"I just did that," Sarah said, relieved that she wasn't the only one who felt this way. "I don't think they'll be making any more noise."

"I hope so," Jason said, rubbing his eyes. "I need my beauty sleep or else I'll be a grouch all day."

They both chuckled, happy that there was someone else in the house who understood their plight. The two childhood friends walked down the hallway, Sarah heading back to her room, and Jason going to his. They both went back to bed, hoping that they could finally get some peace and quiet.

Sarah lay in her bed, still feeling the lingering discomfort from hearing her housemate's s****l activity. She took out her phone and decided to text her little sister, Joy, to distract herself.

"Hey, are you up?"

"Hey! I'm still up, what's up?"

"Nothing, just had a little unwanted intimacy next door, thought I'd text you to distract myself lol."

"The joys of being in a relationship. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just can't shake off the awkwardness. Emma and Max were totally red when I interrupted them."

Joy laughed. "Well, I'm sure they'll remember to lock the door next time."

"God, I hope so. I don't think I can handle any more of that."

"Just think of something else. How was your day?"

Sarah began typing out her day's events, grateful for the conversation to take her mind off the cringeworthy incident. She'd have to confront her housemates tomorrow and make sure they kept it down. But for now, she'd lay in bed and try to forget what she'd heard.

A few minutes later

Sarah was now laying in her bed, texting her younger sister Joy, filling her in on the latest development in her love life. She told Joy all about her secret admirer, how he had been sending her flattering love letter and how he had asked her out to dinner and not pitch up. Sarah was giddy with excitement at the thought of finally meeting him and he disappointed her. But what can she expect from someone she doesn't know. just as she was about to hit send on her latest text, a message from an unknown number popped up on her phone.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t show up at the restaurant. Business came up. I promise to make it up to you. -Your Secret Admirer”

Sarah’s heart sank. She quickly texted back, asking who the secret admirer was, but there was no response. Sarah was furious. She couldn’t believe that someone would play with her emotions like this, and she angrily tossed her phone aside.

As she lay in bed, fuming, her phone buzzed again. This time it was her sister Joy, who had finally had enough of Sarah’s secret admirer conversation.

“Sarah, seriously, who is this guy? You’ve been texting me about him for about an hour and you still don’t know who he is?”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “I know, I know. But he’s just so mysterious, and I can’t help but be intrigued.”

“Mysterious? He’s not mysterious, he’s just a creep.

Sarah frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that he won’t even tell you who he is. That’s not mysterious, that’s just plain weird.”

Sarah sighed. “I guess you’re right. But I’m still curious about him.”

“Well, just be careful, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Sarah smiled. “Thanks, Joy. I’ll be careful.”

As she put her phone back on the nightstand, Sarah couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

Sarah spent the next few minutes trying to figure out who her secret admirer was. She scoured her contacts list, trying to match up the unknown number with someone she knew, but nothing seemed to fit. She even went so far as to ask her ex-boyfriend if he knew anything about it, but he just laughed and told her she was being paranoid.

Finally, about an hour, Sarah’s phone buzzed again. It was another message from her secret admirer.

“I’m sorry,” the message read. “I know I’ve been avoiding telling you who I am, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I hope you can understand.”

Sarah was baffled. How could she possibly understand? She was angry, frustrated, and confused all at the same time.

“Look,” she replied. “I don’t know who you are, and I’m getting tired of playing this game. Either you tell me who you are right now, or I’m done with this. I’m not going to waste any more time on someone who won’t even show their face.”

There was a long pause before the response came back.

“I understand,” the message read. “I really do. But I promise you, I’m not trying to deceive you. I just have some things I need to take care of before I can reveal myself to you. Please, just give me a little more time.”

Sarah sighed. She didn’t know what to think. On the one hand, she was relieved that he wasn’t just playing with her. On the other hand, she was getting tired of waiting.

“I’ll give you one more chance,” she typed. “But if I don’t hear from you soon, I’m done.”

The response was quick this time.

“Thank you,” the message read. “I won’t let you down.”

Sarah sat back and stared at her phone, wondering what was going on. Who is this mysterious man? Why was he so hesitant to reveal himself?