I type back, still choosing not to mention the name.Because some part of me wants to hold onto this.Wants to believe thatLindy girlcould be more than a slip of the keyboard.She could bemine.
Unknown:
What’s your address?I’ll mail it to you.
Nice try, stranger.Are you the one without a favorite book?
Unknown:
Shogun by James Clavell.
I close out of our messages and pull up his book on Amazon not even bothering to read the description before I hit thebuy nowbutton.
I ordered it.Now we have things to talk about.
Unknown:
Did we just start a book club?
He’s funny.
Unknown:
And devilishly handsome.If we’re starting a book club, give me a line you love.Any book.
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
Unknown:
Alcott.
So you do read.
Unknown:
I told you.I like books.They’re maps to places I’ll only ever see on pages.
And lighthouses.
Unknown:
A guiding light.Probably don’t text me when you need one of those.
I laugh in my empty room at his reply.I don’t want this to end, but it’s way past my usual bedtime.
This has been fun, but I have to sleep.I have work in the very near future.
Unknown:
Have sweet dreams Lindy girl.
Without giving myself time to question it, I save his number.Another dangerous decision that feels alarmingly easy.His name nestles into my contacts like it’s always been meant to stay.
Sleep well, Cassius.
I plug my phone into the charger and roll onto my side, searching for comfort in the unfamiliar weight of blankets that smell faintly of cardboard and packing tape.My mind refuses to quiet, buzzing with thoughts of the stranger on the other end of the phone.Who is he?Why does he seem so interested in talking to me?
I should be cautious.
