Hey, Celia? | ✔️

Chapter Twenty Two

I want to meet you.

What?

I want to meet you, Celia. We've been talking for so long and as much as I love talking with you, I hate that we could literally pass each other on the street or be in the same store and we wouldn't even know it.

I want to meet you.

I want to meet you, too.

Why do I feel like a 'but' is coming?

Because there is one coming.

I want to meet you, Jamie, I do, but I don't know if I'm ready yet. It's not about you, it's just that I have a lot of worries.

Like what? Do you not trust me by now?

I do. It's just that... what if we met in person and we didn't click? Or what if you thought I was ugly?

It might be awkward at first, but we'd easily get past that. As for the ugly thing, there's no way I'd ever think that. Not in a million years.

You've never seen me, you don't know that.

How about a compromise?

A compromise?

Yes.

Elaborate.

We don't have to meet yet, not if you're not ready, but how about you send a picture of you? That way you don't have to worry yourself sick over my reaction to seeing you, because I'll have already seen you.

What do you say?

Okay. On one condition.

Send me a picture of yourself first.

Done.

As soon as James hit the send icon, sending a picture of himself, insecurity filled him like water filled a container. Quickly and in an unmerciful, unrelenting way, but it increased tenfold as each minute passed with Cecelia not replying. What reason could she have to stop responding except that he wasn't what she expected? Wasn't what she wanted.

What he didn't know, though, was that just a few miles away from where he sat, Cecelia had dropped her phone. He was most definitely not what she was expecting.

As James anxiously awaited a reply from Celia, he got something better. A phone call. He didn't even get to greet her, before she spoke.

"You wear glasses?!"

"Uh, yeah. Is that a problem?"

"For my cardiovascular system, yes! It's a real freaking problem!"

"What?"

"My God, are you dunce? This makes you so much cuter than you already were, sweetums."

"I... uh, well, what's c-cute about 20/40 vision?" he stuttered.

"Oh, Jamie. Poor, naive Jamie." Cecelia laughed and just as he was about to ask her what she meant, he heard the beep, signaling her hanging up.

James was left slightly bewildered by the brief exchange, but that didn't stop the small, stupid smile from forming on his lips. Before he'd even left his stupor, a message came through, stupefying him further. It wasn't just a message. It was a picture... and she'd proven to be just as beautiful on the outside as she was on the inside.

Hey, Celia?

Yeah?

Remember when you said you were worried I'd find you ugly?

Yeah.

Well, that couldn't be further from the truth.

...you're beautiful.