Better in Person (Standalone)
Pulling the glasses off her face, Tasha gently placed them on the desk beside the laptop. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Every square inch of her body was exhausted, but this paper wasnāt going to finish itself. She yawned again, her eyes blurring as they filled with water. Blinking a few times to clear it, she risked a glance at her word count.Ā
She had a thousand words to go and twelve hours until the due date āif she didnāt sleep at all. She sighed. In her current sleep-deprived state, she could anticipate the kind of review and editing this paper would have to undergo. She tried, failing miserably, to calculate just how much time each step would take, successfully dashing her secret hope that sheād manage to get a few hours of sleep in before sunrise. Tasha sighed again. She just had to push through.Ā
āYou can do this,ā she whispered to herself as her hands hovered over her keyboard.Ā
She stifled another yawn as her head started to droop. She could do this, but a little nap wouldnāt hurt.Ā
Folding her arms on the desk in front of her, she rested her head on her makeshift pillow and her eyes closed of their own volition. Five minutes wouldnāt hurt. If anything, they would energize her. Besides, this was the least comfortable position to sleep in so she wouldnāt fall into a deep sleep.Ā
The voice inside her head scoffed at that thought, playing back countless memories of her jerking awake from her sitting position to get back to work, but she was so tired even the voice in her head began to feel groggy and the memories faded into black. Her head filled with a beautiful static as she drifted off, the white noise around her contributing to her peaceful sleep.
Just as she was about to start dreaming, a pinging noise dragged her back to consciousness. She lifted her head, completely disoriented. She couldnāt remember where she was or what sheād been doing. In fact, if someone had asked for her name, she probably wouldnāt be able to tell them who she was. The ping rang through her ear buds again and she recognized the sound.Ā
She quickly switched tabs so that she could pull up the chat. She clicked on the flashing rectangle and tried to ignore the little flip in her stomach that the action had produced. The chat filled her screen and a picture of him jumped out at her. He had captioned it: Guess where I am.Ā
She clicked on it to enlarge it, a smile unconsciously gracing her face. He was wearing a silly grin and the camera was angled upwards so she couldnāt help but notice the sign above him. She minimized it after another ping notified her of a new message. The picture below was of an adorable puppy. She felt disappointment settle in her stomach and she convinced herself it was due to the fact that she couldnāt be there and not because he wasnāt in this picture.
Whatever its cause, the feeling didnāt last long, because the pictures kept coming, one after the other, a series of other cute animals engaged in various activities from sleeping to trying to eat the camera. She almost felt gratitude towards this boy for all the happy hormones the adorable pictures were triggering inside of her. Almost. She was a hundred per cent certain he was deliberately rubbing it in that he was at the shelter without her.Ā
Eventually, the train of pictures came to an end. Without thinking, she replied with a series of heart-eye emojis. She was filled with immediate regret, knowing that heād think they were meant for him. She had to say something else and fast! Plus, she needed to think of a way to get back at him for making her want to be there now.
Replying to the first picture she typed with a mischievous grin: You take selfies like a sixty-year old man. Knowing full well that heād only taken it at that angle so that sheād see the shelter sign above him, she pressed send. It was the perfect strike: Tasha one, CJ zero.
Naturally, her face split into a grin, as she imagined the outrage heād feel at her insult. She couldnāt hide her excitement when she noticed he was typing.Ā
CJ: Youāre right! My selfie game is trash.
Her brows furrowed. That was not the response she was expecting. He continued.
CJ: The truth isā¦
Her interest piqued, she waited with bated breath.
CJ: I look better in person than in pictures.
She pursed her lips in an annoyed expression. How had she not seen this coming?Ā
Tasha: Sure you do
CJ: What? You donāt believe me?Ā
She sent him a single smirk emoji to let him decide what that meant. He sent an offended sticker and when she didnāt respond he sent another message.
CJ: Fine! Iāll prove it to you.
This time she sent an emoji with one eyebrow raised. How was he going to manage that?
CJ: What time should I pick you up?
His answer was so far out of left field that her only response could be surprised laughter. Her head fell back in an unladylike guffaw. All she could think about was how she hadnāt seen it coming.Ā
As her eyes opened again she made eye contact with the girl a few tables away who was staring daggers at her. The guy in the cubicle across from her had stood up to shush her and as he sat back down and she embarrassedly looked away, the librarian locked eyes with her, a silent warning.Ā
Completely sobered, she quietly whispered her apologies to those around her and tucked her head back into her cubicle. Sheād completely forgotten where she was. She glanced back at her screen and there was another question from him.
CJ: And should I pick you up at the school or from the dorm?
Shaking her head she typed out a reply.
Tasha: That was so smooth. I canāt even find an analogy for it and Iām a Lit major.
CJ: Impressive huh?
Tasha: Maybe a little.
CJ: Yes!Ā
His message was accompanied by a baby throwing up a fist in triumph.
CJ: Finally some progress.
Tasha: What makes you think you havenāt been making progress up until now?Ā
She was honestly curious.
CJ: Oh idk? Maybe the fact that youāve refused to meet up in person every time Iāve suggested it.
CJ: Iām starting to get the feeling that Iām being catfished.
She took her thumbnail out from between her teeth to reply.
Tasha: Maybe you are.Ā
Her reply was only half joking.
He sent a gif of someone rolling their eyes.Ā
CJ: Tasha, I was the one who looked you up in the yearbook and found you on FaceBook.
She sighed. She didnāt know what to say to that. She was sure he wouldnāt get it if she were completely honest with him.
CJ:Ā Donāt get me wrong. We donāt have to meet up if youāre not comfortable. Itās just that Iām getting the vibe that thatās not quite the issue here.
CJ: Besides, youāre missing out on seeing my best side.
Tasha: Which side is your best?Ā
She tried the āchange the topic to avoid talking about my insecuritiesā route, but he wasnāt buying it.
CJ: Well youāll just have to wait to find out.
Tasha smiled beside herself. She was running out of ways to dodge his questions and distract him from her discomfort. What did she have to lose? Maybe she could be honest with this boy. Theyād been best friends all through primary school and had been pretty close to that for the past three months too. She was going to go for it.
Tasha: Itās just that while youāre better looking in person, Iām worse at conversation.
CJ: I find that hard to believe.
Tasha: Oh no. Iām being completely serious. I suck at in-person conversation.
CJ: Prove it!
Tasha: Boy! You about to get me kicked out from the library. I literally laughed aloud a while ago and everyone was angry.
CJ: Wait? Youāre not at home? Where are you?
Tasha: *Dorm. Iām at the library.
CJ: Oh shoot! Are you studying?
Tasha: Nah! Working on a final paper. The only downside to not having exams is Iām stuck slaving over like 5 papers til next week.
CJ: Oh shoot! Did I disturb you? Why didnāt you tell me?
Tasha: Donāt worry about it. I needed a distraction anyway.
CJ: And was I a good one?
Tasha: Quite good actually. You should quit your day job.
CJ: Hmmm...I donāt think you can accurately make those kinds of statements until you have tested my services in person.
She sent him a scowl.
CJ: Donāt worry. Weāll text while you get a good look at my good side. Itāll be a win win.
Tasha: Boy! Bye!
CJ: Lol. Iāll go for real now. I think youāve probably had enough distracting for the night.
She pouted. She didnāt want him to go just yet, but she didnāt tell him that.Ā
Tasha: Yh! I should go too. Thanks for the much needed break. Was dozing off before you messaged.
CJ: Was my pleasure. Hmu anytime.
Tasha: Thanks. Might just take you up on that.
He sent a grin.
She sent an upside down smiley. She really didnāt want to go.
CJ: Message me when you get home.
Tasha: *Dorm. Sure. You too.
CJ: Right. Dorm. Sorry. Iām actually just getting into my room.
Tasha: Ugh! Youāre really rubbing it in tonight.
CJ: One of my many talents.
She sent a scowl.
CJ: Get back to work!
Tasha: Yes sir!
CJ: TTYL
Tasha: Later.
Closing the tab, she slipped her glasses back onto her face before leaning back in her chair and stretching her arms in front of her. Rolling her neck and then returning her hands to the home keys, she settled back into the rhythm of typing out her elaborate run on sentences. For some strange reason she didnāt feel tired at all and any onlooker would have guessed that she really enjoyed her major from the way she kept a small smile on her face for the rest of the night.
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