📖 Chapter 3 0:03 Message
341 Words
Alice couldn’t sleep.
The soft glow of her phone lit up her room. Rain tapped quietly against the window. She had been staring at Mark’s chat for five minutes.
He was online.
And not typing.
Alice:
— Are you still awake?
A few seconds. Then three dots appeared…
Mark:
— Yeah. Thinking.
Alice:
— About what?
The pause felt longer.
Mark:
— About you.
Her heart tightened. She read it three times.
Alice:
— That sounds dangerous.
Mark:
— Maybe.
Alice:
— And what exactly are you thinking?
He didn’t answer for a while. His “online” status disappeared. Then came back.
Mark:
— I think you’re not the same as you are at school.
Alice:
— And what am I like at school?
Mark:
— Cold. Calm. Like nothing touches you.
She smiled slightly.
Alice:
— And here?
Mark:
— Real.
Silence. The rain grew heavier.
Alice:
— And you? Are you real?
Mark:
— With you — yes.
Her fingers froze above the screen.
Alice:
— Why?
Mark:
— Because you don’t laugh at me.
— And you don’t look at me like the others do.
Alice:
— How do they look at you?
Mark:
— Like I don’t belong.
It was honest. Too honest.
Alice:
— You do belong.
The message sent.
She wanted to add something else, but another message came instantly.
Mark:
— Can I ask you something?
Alice:
— You can.
Mark:
— Have you ever been in love?
Her breathing changed.
Alice:
— Have you?
Mark:
— I asked first.
She stared at the screen.
Alice:
— Maybe.
Mark:
— With someone from school?
Alice:
— Maybe.
Mark:
— Do I know him?
Her heart raced.
Alice:
— Yes.
No reply.
One minute. Two.
Then:
Mark:
— It’s… not me?
The screen felt heavier.
Alice looked at the words, unsure what to type.
The rain stopped.
The clock showed 00:03.
She typed a reply.
Deleted it.
Typed again.
Alice:
— What if it is you?
The message sent.
And Mark went offline immediately.
- Writer
