𝕸𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖞 𝕭𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖘

chapter vi

"jax?" blue had forgotten about the influencer heartthrob she'd found yesterday night on her dating app, nonetheless that she had the app at all.

"this guy!" nat slid over on the couch next to her, eagerly presenting the message she had received from him after he matched with her whilst she'd been asleep. as both of the girls set their coffee mugs onto the table, blue peered at the message nat held in her hand. it read:

jax: "hey love"

"love? that's kinda cute." she fawned over the text. she hadn't flirted with anyone or been flirted with for so long, and she had forgotten what it felt like to feel the excitement of a new love interest.
blue pondered for a moment and contemplated what she'd text back. "what do i say?"

"just say hi back, what else would you say?"

"you're right." blue was a decent conversationist, but as a person new to the scene of dating apps and one with the reputation of being a bad texter, she wanted to be sure not to send any embarrassingly awkward messages.

blue: "hey (:"

she pressed send and placed her phone, screen-side down, onto the coffee table in anticipation for his reply. never in a million years did she think he'd match with her. he was just one of those guys you'd swipe right on to daydream about a potential match, not one that would actually have potential. the match intimidated her in the slightest and stirred up a new anxiety in the fear that she'd screw things up. her overly worrying expression was plastered onto her face, a frozen face of doubt and panic. blue, the overthinker.

"what's wrong?" of course, nat had caught on in no time. the analyst.

"i-i just didn't think we'd match."

"i knew you guys would. you're too pretty and too interesting to pass up. i would know, i made the profile." she took pride in her creation of blue's account as she had selectively chosen the pictures of blue that were the most breathtaking. the ones where she'd let her guard down and looked the happiest in.
in reply, blue turned her frown into a small smile, stood, and eased herself as she grabbed the pack of cigarettes and her lighter from her purse and sat back down on the couch. the cigarette was placed delicately in between her lips and the lighter flicked on with a small flame to ignite the end. an inhale and an exhale of dancing smoke floated into the air before disappearing. the first puff of the day always set off a buzz, a numbing feeling. it was just so addictive, so relaxing.
natalia was sat on her own phone, answering other unread messages she had yet to reply to. she noticed tate had sent her a message and was distracted with their conversation as blue began to smoke.

Tate: "Hey neighbor, or at least I think this is you. If not, that's really embarrassing."

natalia: "no, you have the right person, don't worry hahah"

with the cigarette now grasped in between her fingers and her legs crossed, blue changed the topic.

"wait, so who are you going out with tonight?"

nat didn't answer, clearly preoccupied with the text messages from the attractive neighbor living below them.

"nat." blue called her to attention, and she snapped out of it quickly.

"huh?"

"who are you texting?" she scooted closer to see the screen and spied subtly on tate's conversation with her. "you matched with the neighbor!"

"blue, i'm telling you right now, i manifested this. i was just telling you about him last night,"

"show me what he looks like!"