Conversation

Kayla felt so tired after the brief conversation; her social energy drained like her phone's battery at 3%. She hurriedly went to the kitchen to grab some water, her ears unconsciously on high alert for the next notification.

Just as she chugged down a glass of water, her phone buzzed again.

[1 Instagram Notification: Matthew sent you a message]

[Hey! Where are you from?]

Kayla froze mid-sip, nearly choking on her water. "It's okay to tell my address, right?" she mumbled to herself, staring suspiciously at her phone. "I mean... it's probably not a scam."

She glanced nervously at the window as if the answer to all her problems lay somewhere beyond the glass. After a moment of serious thought, she nodded her head as if her inner debate was settled.

[City T. And you?]

A few seconds later, her phone pinged.

[Oh? What a coincidence. I'm from City T too.]

[Ah…]

"Ha!?" Kayla nearly dropped her phone. "He wouldn't suggest a meet-up, right? Oh no, what if he does? I'm not prepared! I haven't even read the Dating for Dummies guidebook!"

In a frantic flurry of typing, she added a follow-up message, trying to sound casual and totally not like someone spiralling into paranoia.

[But I'm currently in City M, you know… since it's summer.]

"There. Perfect alibi," Kayla muttered with a victorious grin. As if City M was the ultimate, unbreakable shield against awkward social interactions.

She plopped down on the couch and sighed in relief, a small, silly smile forming on her lips. "I survived another round. I am a genius."

But her triumph only lasted a few seconds before she burst out laughing, her head thrown back as the absurdity of her behaviour hit her all at once. "What the hell am I doing!?" she wheezed between giggles. "He just asked where I'm from, not my freakin' resume."

Still chuckling, she stared at her phone with a mixture of horror and amusement. "I really need to read more novels for guidance," she groaned, shaking her head in surrender. "Or maybe an Idiot's Guide to Not Being a Social Disaster."

Kayla flopped back onto the couch, her phone still clutched in her hand like it was a ticking time bomb. To calm her nerves, she grabbed a nearby blanket and wrapped herself in it, burrito-style, like some sort of anti-anxiety cocoon.

"If I stay like this, nothing bad can happen, right?" she whispered to herself, feeling the false security of her fabric fortress.

Ding!

Kayla flinched so hard she nearly rolled off the couch. Her eyes narrowed at the phone like it just insulted her whole family line.

"Alright, calm down. It's probably nothing weird. Probably just him saying 'Okay' or something."

Her thumb hovered over the notification, a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead. Summoning all her courage, she unlocked her phone.

[1 Instagram Notification: Matthew sent you a message]

[Oh, that's cool! City M is nice this time of year. So, do you have any plans this summer?]

Kayla blinked. Plans? What plans? If anything, her plan was to do nothing but binge-read novels and occasionally drag herself out of bed for food. But there was no way she could admit that!

"Think, Kayla, think!" She slapped her cheeks lightly to gather her thoughts. "Okay, I need to sound interesting. Adventurous! Like one of those girls from romance novels. I'm probably supposed to be... jogging on the beach or rescuing stray animals or something."

After a solid minute of brainstorming, she began typing.

[Oh, you know, the usual. Just... hiking! Yep, hiking and sightseeing. Exploring nature's wonders. And volunteering. So much volunteering. Helping the world, one step at a time.]

She read her own message and winced. "I sound like a cheesy brochure. Why do I sound like a cheesy brochure?"

She groaned and collapsed back into her blanket burrito. "This is why I shouldn't be allowed to talk to people. I'm doomed. Completely doomed."

Kayla was about to chuck her phone across the room when a new message arrived.

[Wow, that sounds amazing! You must be really cool.]

Cool? Did he just call her cool? Kayla's eyes widened as her brain short-circuited.

"Did he just—?" Her voice trailed off as a goofy smile spread across her face. "Oh my gosh, he totally thinks I'm cool."

And just like that, Kayla's ego inflated like a hot air balloon. She giggled to herself like a complete dork and hugged her phone to her chest. "I am so not prepared for this."

[It's nothing. I'm just your average gal.]

"Ah! What do you mean 'average'? I'm practically below the line!" Kayla once again spiralled into a mess.

[1 Instagram Notification: Matthew sent you a message]

[Ohhhh! Come on, don't be too hard on yourself. You're unique. One of a kind.]

"Wow! He's practically a social butterfly to be able to say these kinds of things." Kayla smiled as she read the message.

[Alright!]

After sending the message, it took quite a while before Matthew replied. In the end, there was only a heart emoji and a thumbs-up message.

Seeing the conversation end, Kayla felt a bit relieved. Conversations outside her friend group were not something she did every day, so it totally drained her social battery.

Recalling the entirety of their conversation, Kayla decided she needed to master the art of communication skills. Especially with the opposite sex—because who knows? Matthew could potentially be her 'Prince Charming.

But as she finally settled down and tossed her phone to the couch, a wave of embarrassment hit her like a truck. "Did I seriously just send 'Alright!' as a reply? Who even says that?!" she groaned, burying her face into her hands.

Desperate to clear her head, Kayla stood up and began pacing around her small apartment like a madwoman. "Alright? Alright?! It's like I just agreed to sell my soul or something." She sighed and dragged her feet to the kitchen, opening the fridge even though she wasn't hungry.

Grabbing a tub of ice cream, she sat cross-legged on the couch, spoon in hand, and mumbled between bites, "Well, Kayla, congratulations. You've officially proven you have the flirting skills of a brick." But even through her dramatic complaints, she couldn't help but smile. A small part of her found this whole awkward encounter thrilling, like she was finally living the kind of silly, nerve-wracking moments she only read about in novels.

Finishing off her ice cream and deciding she needed some air to clear her mind, she grabbed her jacket and went for a stroll around the community park.

The park was alive with its usual morning vibrance—children laughing at the playground, elderly couples chatting on benches, and joggers making their rounds. Kayla took a deep breath, letting the fresh air calm her nerves. She walked aimlessly, her eyes wandering around as if searching for answers in the swaying trees and blooming flowers.

"Maybe I'm just overthinking things. It's just a conversation," she told herself, shaking her head. "Yeah, just a simple conversation with a cute guy who called me unique. No big deal. Nope. Not at all." She kicked a small pebble on the pathway, feeling a bit ridiculous for making such a big deal out of everything.

After circling the park a few times, Kayla's nerves finally settled. She returned home feeling refreshed and a little braver. But the moment she collapsed onto her bed, her thoughts immediately wandered back to the conversation. "I seriously need a crash course in talking to boys…" she groaned, rolling over to grab her favourite romance novel from the shelf.

"If books taught me how to be socially awkward, then maybe they can teach me how to be socially charming too," she declared with a determined nod. For the rest of the afternoon, Kayla immersed herself in the world of novels, taking mental notes of every charming line, witty banter, and perfect response.