C7 A LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP

Rita's POV

"I feel so tired" I groaned as I threw myself on the bed.

Wait a minute! I paused; realizing the room, looked so neat, tidied and well arranged.

Oh! the new me, new way of life stuff. I hissed a little because I have almost forgotten.

And oh! the deal is to start with that guy in my Kikachat.

Haven undressed, close to being nude; I lied on my bed. Click on the chat app but I found none. Like no message at all.

A guy who is interested in me should be persistent, isn't it?

I even refused to pick up his subsequent calls and he couldn't even leave a message for me.

Darn it! When I was just faking to feel loved by him..

"Yen! Yen! Yen!! Give every guy a chance" I mimicked Evelyn then I rolled my eyes.

I guess the destiny set aside for me is to remain single forev-

My phone beeped.

-ever.

I picked up the phone quickly. A message from Zane! No, several messages.. Beep! Beep! Beeping in..

~~>"Hi dear, how are you?"

~~>“Are you back from work?"

~~>"I'm sorry for calling you several times, I must have been disturbing you whereas you were busy at work like you told me"

I smiled, I felt sorry for thinking that he dished me away.

~~>"Hey Zane" My internet boyfriend, I guess.

~~>"It's fine" I responded, smiling widely.

~~>"Wow, that's great" He responded immediately.

~~>"Are you busy?"

~~>“Not at all, I'm back from work. I am at home" I informed him.

~~>"Great. I was busy earlier and at the same time waiting for you to be online here. Now you are here, so I'm taking a break from work to put you first. Good thing, you are at home" Zane sent.

I smiled. I was sorta bored actually. I haven't even eaten or had my shower but I do not mind. Somehow, I just wanted to have an intimate relationship with someone. Not Evelyn, not Adam.

Alright, I admit deep down, I have always wanted to date someone again.

It's not my fault that it turns out to be someone anonymous again.

~->" Are you really interested in me Zane?" I asked, without beating around the bush.

~~>"I am so into you Rita. Should we talk about it?"

Uhmmn, I said that aloud. I decided to write it that way.

~~>“Hmmn, yeah"

~~>"First, we are lovers, now aren't we?" He asked but I couldn't type back anything, so he responded himself; ~~>"Yes we are"

~~>"I needed to find love again, coincidentally you told Mrs Janet Johnson that you wanted someone too"

I read his messages, I didn't want to remain speechless, so I sent another ~ "Uhmmn"

~~>“I love you Rita" I least expected a sentence as such.

What? I exclaimed, opening my mouth in awe.

~~>“How do you know you love me Zane? We haven't even met and this is literally our first proper conversation"

~~>"Online" I added.

~~>"I know that too. I'm glad that you had a reconsideration about having a good chat with me"

" Reconsideration" I pronounced. Well, He isn't bad anyways.

~~>“Can I now see the face of the beautiful damsel I’m speaking with?” He requested.

~~>“No please” I answered.

~~>"The feeling isn’t mutual yet Zane. The only thing I think I love about you is your voice and it’s more than enough”

~~>“Oops”

I sensed he felt dejected.

~~>“I just don't feel comfortable with the I-love-you thing yet. " I told him "I think we're moving this internet relationship too fast"

~~>”You are right, let's take things slowly"

~~>“Exactly, do away with the sweet names stuffs for now"

~~>"Roger that. I guess I was just eager to love again. So let's leave it at 'I like you', we can pronounce the love word to ourselves when we are now fully involved."

~~>”Yeah, probably when we truly feel it. It's fine by me" I told him.

~~>”Yeah, fine by me too"

He responded to my messages swiftly, making me do the same too.

My stomach rumbled and I rubbed it gently.

"I'm hungry" I said, putting my phone away.

It beeped but I ignored it.

I put on something casual as I was about to leave the room, for the kitchen.

My phone suddenly rang aloud ..

I picked it up from the bed; it was a strange number. ‘Can’t be Zane because I already saved his number.

"Hello, you are speaking to Rita Martinez; who am I into?" I said into the phone.

The caller didn't say anything.

"Hello there?" I said.

<>"Finn" A familiar muscular voice spoke.

"Finn?" I never even called him.

<>"Yeah, Finn" He responded.

"How did you --"

<>"Evelyn. She was so kind enough to give me your contact" Finn replied.

Evelyn! I should have known! She hooked me up with someone on internet! Now she gave my number to someone I don't ever want to be interested in because Finn seems like someone who’s after my life. Uugh!

<>"Hello Rita?" He called my name.

"Yeah, Finn" I responded sheepishly.

<>"Are you a calm person or you just don't want us to get along?" Finn asked.

"I'm not calm" I told him.

<>"Oh you are indirectly sending me off?"

"I'm sorry" I muttered.

<>"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because you are right, I don't want us to get along"

<>"Why? You don't even know me, am I too clingy?"

"Exactly! and there's more, you seemed suspicious Finn" I told him and he went mute. I heard him sighed then he finally spoke..

<>"But I haven't even done anything suspicious." He said.

My stomach rumbled again.

"Uhn, Bye Finn" I disconnected the call and rushed into the kitchen.

I guess I had the strength to attend to anything else immediately after I ate.

I probably wouldn't have hung up Finn's call had it been, he called now. I would have listened to what he has got to say then hung up the call on him eventually.

Speaking about a call, my phone rang. I recognized the caller to be Zane.

"Hello Zane" I said into the phone happily, I really don’t know why.

<>"You haven't been online for a while, so I decided to check up on you. Or are you about to sleep?" He asked.

~"Not at all" I replied back, smiling and shaking my head as if he could see me.

<>"I don't wanna force anything. I know it's awkward for a total stranger to be this protective but I really wanna speak with you every now and then like a normal physical boyfriend" He confessed.

I was supposed to smirk or turn him down instantly but I chuckled. I think I'm very much interested in him too.

<>"Let's chat via where we met, Kikachat. Should we?" He asked.

"Sure. I'll be there soon" I responded.

<>"I'm there, waiting for you"

He hung up the call.

I wasted no time to click on KikaChat application. I had other messages from my friends, Evelyn and Adam and even Mrs Janet Johnson but I snubbed them all because I wanted to chat with my new boyfriend. I love this new feeling.

~~>"Hi Zane" I sent him a message.

~~>"Hi Rita, you are here" He responded and I smiled.

~~>"You don't feel awkward about me anymore or do you?" He asked.

~~>"No, not anymore. I feel kinda free with you" I replied.

~~>"That’s good to hear, very soon the feelings will be mutual. I mean you will soon feel the way I feel for you" He said.

~~>“Hmmm" I sent.

Was he being romantic or maybe trying to make me like him? Anyhow, it's surprisingly working.

~~>"Zane, I think we should meet and talk on a one on one" I can't believe I'm the one insinuating this first.

~~>"Hold on, do you think I'm ugly or disabled in real life?" He asked and I laughed out loud.

~~>"Very funny. That's not enough reason for me to turn you down" I sent.

~~>"Oh really?"

~~>"Yeah really"

~~>”Well, we can't meet yet"

~~>"Ugh Why?" I was shocked.

~~>"I'm out of the country. I have just tracked your location, it shows United State, but I'm in Canada" He said.

"Ohh" I muttered, he could have told me that earlier, before I started getting interested in him.

I didn't type back anything.

~~>"I know what you are thinking, actually I'm from United State too. I'm just caught up with something here in Canada" He said.

~~>"So when will you be back?" I asked him.

~"Maybe in few months time. Sincerely, I don't know when exactly" He said.

I sighed sadly.

~~>"Distance is not a barrier Rita" He said, like he knew I was downcast.

~~>“I'm disappointed because earlier at work today, you responded like you wanted to come over to see me. You asked of my working place and the time I'll be done remember?" I reminded him.

~~>"Yeah I asked because I wanted to calculate when next you'ld be online. I'm so sorry”

~~>“ So haven found out where I'm based, you don't wanna continue this internet relationship anymore?" He asked.

I stared at the message for a while.

Honestly, I was confused. I thought I've finally found a lover to not only chat with, but go out with, catch fun with and practice those lovey dovey stuffs I've seen but looks like, all these aren't happening... yet.

He typed when I didn't reply him, so I quickly did.

~~>"It's fine. I'm not breaking up with you Zane. I'll wait for you" I sent.

I hope I'm not taking the wrong decision, at least it's better than not being in a relationship at all.

*****