Kavzz

Sophie Mitchell and Jack Carter are two people who might never meet. But would they really meet? That is the question. Two people who know and understand each other. A perfect couple, but there is one problem: they are still strangers to each other...

This is the story of Sophie Mitchell and Jack Carter, two people who met one another online. Both agreed to remain anonymous, but will they be able to keep this promise? Will the yearning for one another lead them to meet, or will they remain like the millions of others? This is the story of two strangers who found solace in one another.

Anonymous Hearts

Sophie sat curled up on her couch, her laptop balanced on her knees, fingers resting lightly against the keyboard. The soft hum of her apartment filled the quiet—nothing but the occasional ticking of the clock and the faint whir of the heater.

She should have been reviewing research notes for tomorrow's lecture, but her mind wasn't on work. It hadn't been for a while now.

The chat window blinked, pulling her attention back.

Jack: Have you ever thought about what would happen if we met?

Her heart skipped a beat. She blinked at the screen, reading the words again, as if to make sure she hadn't imagined them.

Of course, she had thought about it. More times than she could admit. But seeing him say it—seeing the question laid out so plainly—made it feel real in a way it never had before.

She hesitated before typing her response.

Sophie: Yes.

She hit send and exhaled slowly, waiting.

Jack: And?

Sophie chewed on her bottom lip, staring at the blinking cursor. What was she supposed to say? That she had imagined a dozen different scenarios, each one shifting between thrilling and terrifying? That she had wondered if meeting him would be the most exciting thing she'd ever done or the biggest mistake?

Sophie: And I don't know. I think about it, but…

She stopped. She didn't know how to finish that sentence.

Jack didn't rush her. He never did. But when his next message appeared, it was like he had plucked the words straight from her mind.

Jack: What if it's not the same in person?

Sophie inhaled sharply. That was it, wasn't it? The fear neither of them had spoken aloud until now.

She let her fingers hover over the keys, debating. Finally, she typed.

Sophie: What if it's better?

Jack's response came after a pause.

Jack: You always do that.

Sophie: Do what?

Jack: Make me rethink things.

She didn't know what to say to that. They had fallen into this strange, comfortable space together, where words were easy and thoughts felt lighter when shared. But now they were standing on the edge of something else, something bigger than the conversations they had at night, hidden behind screens.

Sophie: But you're still scared.

Jack: Aren't you?

She swallowed, curling her fingers into her sweater sleeve.

Sophie: Yes. I am.

The words felt heavier than she expected. She wasn't used to admitting fear—to anyone, let alone herself. But Jack made it easy, in a way no one else ever had.

He didn't push her for more. He never did.

Jack: So what do we do?

Sophie closed her eyes for a moment. She could say, We meet. Let's find out. She could throw caution aside, take the leap she had been too afraid to take for so long.

She typed the words before she could talk herself out of them.

Sophie: We wait. For now.

Her breath caught as she hit send. It was the truth. The safest choice. But why did it feel like a tiny piece of her was breaking off as she said it?

Jack: Okay.

That was it. No long debate, no convincing. Just that simple word that meant they would keep things exactly as they were.

Sophie sat there for a long time after that, staring at their messages, feeling something settle deep inside her. Relief? Disappointment? She couldn't tell.

All she knew was that, for now, they remained two people, connected by words, too afraid to step into something real.

For now, what if would have to be enough.

Chapter 3: The Question We Don’t Answer