I laugh at his text and hurry to reply:
“I feel much safer working this way, like you are protecting me or guiding me.”
He texts me back with a smiling face. Then, we lapse into silence. I feel myself growing warm and a little drowsy. I lie down to rest on the couch. I fall in and out of sleep for the rest of the afternoon and most of the night.
For the next two days, I work from my couch. I wake up happily to his good morning texts, and I always text him back as quickly as possible.
He compliments me on more of my “excellent work;” I smile every time. I can’t deny how huge my crush on him is now, even though we don’t get to see each other. By noon on the second day, there is a break in the amount of assignments being turned in.
I take a cold shower; I was hoping that would help me, but I still can’t shake this icky feeling that I have in my body.
I quickly pull on my comfy sweats and go back to the living room, keeping the towel wrapped around my head because I’m still drying my hair. I check my phone and see his message waiting for me.
“How are you holding up?” he asks.
I sigh, debating on an answer.
Finally, I type, “Ok, I guess. How about you?” I hit send, then put the phone down so I can dry my hair.
After I dry it, I take the towel to the bathroom and come back with my brush. I sit there, brushing my hair and waiting for his response.
It takes a little while, but he responds, “I hear you. Have been feeling the same. Why does quarantine have to be so lonely?”
My heart twists. I feel sad. Now, I want to see him.
I put the brush down and type, “I feel the exact same way.”
“It’s even lonelier when you’re single,” he texts quickly back.
My heart pounds with excitement as I read that.
“I can definitely relate.”
I wait for him to write back. The fact that he’s single has my mind and heart racing. I start to think about the things we could do together.
After a while, he texts back a very lengthy message. It startles me from my thoughts and makes my heart pound again.
“I hope it’s ok of me to ask this, but I had a thought. It seems that both of us have been taking this quarantine so seriously that a break could be beneficial for us both. What I mean to say is, it wouldn’t be a terrible idea if the two of us were to meet up in person to quell the loneliness, so to speak, would it?”
I’m in shock. He pretty much just asked me out on a date. I feel a little dizzy for a second. I calm myself down, concentrating on my reply.
“No, I don’t think that would be a bad idea at all. But, where would we go?”
Despite still not feeling well, I’m a bundle of nerves and excitement.
“I think I’ll leave that to you. Where do you usually like to go?” he asks.
I hurry to text back my answer.
“Well, I like simple things, where people can just spend time together and talk. How about grabbing a cup of coffee?” I ask.
He texts back quickly.
“That sounds divine, and I love coffee, but everything is closed down.”
I stare at his message and my heart sinks in disappointment. I think for a few minutes before I text him “How about a walk in the park?”
I cringe a little; I hope that doesn’t sound too boring or cliché.
He texts back with a smiling face.
“That sounds perfect. Shall we set a date and time?”
I smile at my phone. I can’t help it; I’m so happy right now. I can’t believe I have a date with Mr. Winston! I had been secretly hoping that this would happen, but I didn’t think that it would.
“Whatever works for you.”
I finish brushing my hair, then put the brush away. When I get back to the couch, there is another message from him:
“Great! I’ll let you know later. Need to get some work done. I hope you have a great afternoon.”
I smile, wanting to cheer out loud. I wish him a good afternoon before putting my phone away; I should do my best to concentrate on work, too. I grade the next few assignments that come in. There are no more texts from him.
In between grading papers, I start to fix myself up for my date. I pick out an outfit for it, laying it out on my bed carefully. I paint my nails, and I decide to give myself a facial and a little bit of a makeover while watching TV. Despite being quarantined, I feel like I’ve had a productive day.