Chapter 1
The sun was scorching beneath a beautiful, clear blue sky. She had grown tired from walking and was even more irritated when she arrived home only to find no one there. With a sigh, she decided to go out and take a walk.
It was one of those lazy days where she didn’t want to think too much, so she plugged in her earphones and slowly made her way down the street, letting her all-time favorite singer, Lana Del Rey, drown out the noise of the world.
For a moment, she forgot everything that had been weighing on her mind. The worries, the stress, the little things that annoyed her — they all faded into the background as she got lost in the soothing music.
Halfway through her walk, she noticed a guy coming toward her. His steps were slightly unsteady, and immediately her mind went into avoiding mode. She prepared herself to ignore him and keep walking, but there was no way around it.
To her surprise, he approached her calmly.
Since her attention was focused on her phone, he glanced at her and said, “Must be enjoying talking to him?”
She decided to play dumb, even though she had a feeling she knew exactly what he meant.
“And who might that be?” she asked.
“Your man, of course,” he replied confidently.
What she didn’t realize at the time was that he wasn’t just making conversation — he was trying to find out if there was someone special in her life.
She had already assumed the worst about him, but somehow, the conversation turned out to be easier than expected. They kept talking, laughing, and exchanging little pieces of themselves until he finally asked for her tag.
She didn’t hesitate.
It had been a long time since she had met someone she could talk to so naturally.
As she was about to walk away, he stopped her with a playful smile.
“Lemme call to see if it’s the right digits.”
He dialed the number, and when her phone rang, he looked up with a soft smile.
She couldn’t help but smile back.
There was something about that smile — something warm and contagious.
Quickly, she turned and continued walking before she gave herself away.
Before he noticed that, somehow, in such a short moment…
she was already starting to like him.
She gets home still hearing his voice in her head more clearly than the music that had been playing in her ears. At first, she tries to brush it off — just a random guy, just a random conversation — but the smile he gave her keeps interrupting her thoughts.
Meanwhile, he walks away too, but not in a straight line like before. He keeps checking his phone, even though he already has her number saved. He debates whether to text immediately or “play it cool,” but the truth is, he’s already curious about her.
Later that evening, he sends the first message. Something simple. No pressure. Just enough to reopen the moment.
She sees it instantly but doesn’t reply right away. Not because she’s uninterested — but because she is. And that makes her careful.
When she finally responds, it’s short, slightly teasing, like she’s trying to act unaffected.
That starts it.
The conversation slowly builds — not fast, not dramatic — just small exchanges that stretch longer than they should. He asks about her music. She pretends to judge his “staggering walk” from earlier. He laughs. She admits she noticed his smile.
And somewhere in between the jokes and pauses, the tension shifts: neither of them is just passing time anymore.
By the end of the night, she puts her phone down, staring at the ceiling with that same unfamiliar feeling settling in her chest.
And across streets, he does the same thing — replaying her voice, wondering how someone he met for only a few minutes ended up taking up so much space in his mind already.
The last message of the night sits between them like a quiet promise that neither of them is ready to name yet.
...
As she laid down on her bed, what they'd talked about flashed back making her smile inwardly.
Unknown Number: Hey.
She stared at the message for a few seconds, a small smile forming on her face.
She knew exactly who it was. She replied a simple _hey_ too.
A few seconds passed.
Unknown Number: So… it was the right digits after all 😂
She laughed quietly to herself.
Her: I guess you got lucky.
Unknown Number: Lucky? I was just making sure you didn’t give me a fake number.
She rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her.
Her: Wow. So you already don’t trust me?
Unknown Number: I just met you today. I’m allowed to be suspicious.
Her: Says the guy who randomly walked up to a stranger and asked if she was talking to her man.
A pause.Then his reply came.
Unknown Number: I was trying to find out if there was a man.
She raised an eyebrow at the screen.
Her: Oh really?
Unknown Number: Yeah.
Her: And why was that important information?
Another pause.Long enough for her to wonder if she had asked too directly.
Unknown Number: Because I wanted to know if I was wasting my time.
She smiled before she could stop herself.
Her: You’re very confident.
Unknown Number: Not confident. Just honest.
She looked away from her phone, trying to hide the fact that those words actually affected her.
Her: So what made you talk to me anyway?
This time his reply took longer.
Unknown Number: You looked peaceful.
She frowned slightly.
Her: Peaceful?
Unknown Number: Yeah. Everyone walks around looking angry or stressed. You were just there, listening to your music, like you were in your own world.
She looked down at the phone, surprised.
She hadn’t realized anyone noticed.
Her: You noticed all that?
Unknown Number: I notice things.
Her: Hmm.
Unknown Number: What?
Her: Nothing. Just didn’t expect that from you.
Unknown Number: What did you expect from me?
She smiled.
Her: Honestly? I thought you were just some random guy who was going to annoy me.
A laughing emoji appeared.
Unknown Number: And now?
She hesitated as her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Her: Now I think you’re slightly less annoying.
Unknown Number: I’ll take that as a compliment.
She laughed.And somehow, without either of them realizing it, a simple conversation with a stranger became the easiest conversation they’d had in a long time.Hours passed and neither of them wanted to be the first to say goodnight.
