chapter 1
Louis’ point of view :
I’ve never seen a girl this beautiful. Of all the girls I’ve texted here on tinder she’s by far the most beautiful.
Aria 19
Latina
Bookworm
Introvert
Looking for someone to teach me how to skate :)
The first girl I’ve ever come across that likes to read. Fuck. I don’t know why but that turns me on a lot. I should swipe right but I don’t know why I am scared. I’ve never felt like this. Fuck it. Before I realise my finger swipes the screen right and it’s a match.
And she’s online.
I try to convince myself that she’s only here for sex but I know she’s different. I do not know how but I just know.
Why the fuck am I so nervous ?
As I try to scratch my head, coming up with cute pickup lines I see that she’s typing.
Okay, let’s see how she plays this out.
I keep waiting and waiting and suddenly the three dots disappear. Why?
Okay she’s too scared to make a move.
“As a writer, I have to ask you what your favourite book is” I type out reluctantly with my hands shaking.
This is probably a bad idea. It hasn’t even been two weeks since she broke up with me and I am already on dating apps. I used to make fun of people on dating apps and here I am. I check out her profile as she’s not responding. On most of her pictures she’s by herself but she has a couple with a little girl. Oh please tell me she doesn’t have a daughter. Why the fuck am I thinking this?
Her smile is so bright but I can already tell she doesn’t smile often. It looks rather forced, but beautiful nonetheless. I can’t find another word to describe her other than beautiful. Because she is.
I can tell she’s a bit on the curvier side but she’s definitely not fat, she looks so fucking strong. Another turn on. She has the same makeup on every picture: black eyeliner and a bit of blush. I only know a little bit of makeup because of my sisters. It doesn’t look ugly but it is bold and classy.
“I guess I’d have to say How to kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee but if I wasn’t trying to impress you it would be Paper Towns by John Green.”
She answered.
My nerves have gone up so much and I’ve actually started sweating through my shirt. It’s awfully warm for it to be April.
I hadn’t expected her to answer and even less to tell me that her favourite book is Paper Towns. That book is so bad but I can’t tell her that now, I don’t even know her and I’m already judging her. I’m a fucking asshole.
“Really?” is the only answer I can come up with right now.
“Well I read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school and I couldn’t put it down. I finished it in an afternoon even though it is not a romantic book. I loved the characters, specially Boo. As far as paper towns goes I know it may sound stupid but I can relate so much with Quentin, imagining Margo as a sort of goddess when really she’s just as young and lost as he is. He fell in love with the idea of Margo that he made up in his mind and not with the girl in front of him.”.
And even before I answer her, she texts me again.
“What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person (that is my favourite quote from the book by the way :))”.
Her answer only confirms that I barely know her. But I’m definitely planning to now. She’s definitely enticing.
“Well I’ve never read To Kill a Mockingbird so you’ll have to lend it to me sometime. And for Paper Towns I’m not the biggest fan but I respect your opinion.”
“Uh since I read Harper Lee in high school the book is extremely annotated so I hope it doesn’t bother you :/ ”, she answers.
“Well I think it is even better when a book is annotated and highlighted. It’s like reading a person’s mind.”
“Oh okay then I’ll definitely bring it when we meet:)”
Wait what did I miss? Is she already expecting us to meet? Even though we’re forty kilometres apart I’m leaving for Strasbourg in a few months, maybe even weeks. I’ve just been staying with my mom because I couldn’t go back to my place with the pandemic. I shouldn’t even start something with her, knowing that I’ll never be able to finish it. But something keeps drawing me to her. I don’t know what and I don’t know how but something definitely does.
For all I know she could be catfishing me but I’ll take my chances.
