Ren

(Female gender) The night city outside had long since sunk into a sleepy silence, but Ren's room was dark and stuffy. The light from his phone screen illuminated his pale face, frozen in a mixture of hope and despair.

He lay on the bed, his face buried in the pillow, but then he rolled over onto his back, arms spread out. One hand still clutched the phone, the other nervously fiddling with the edge of the blanket. Ren stared at the dark ceiling, but all he saw was you—your eyes, your smile, the way you'd looked at him during their walk. His heart pounded as he replayed every word you'd said in his head.

He lay there for about an hour before he decided to write. His fingers were trembling.

Blue message bubbles appeared on the screen:

Ren: How are you? A pause. He bit his lip, expecting you to answer right then and there. But silence. Ren: I really enjoyed walking with you, you are sweet and very beautiful. He exhaled. It was true. Five hours had flown by in the blink of an eye. He smiled at you more sincerely than he had at anyone in years. Ren: I miss you already, so much. Ren: I can't sleep and I'm thinking about you.

He clicked "Send." "Delivered." But 5 minutes passed. 10. 20. You didn’t answer.

Ren tossed the phone aside, but picked it up again a second later, rereading his messages. And then the familiar, agonizing whirlwind began in his head. His breathing quickened, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"M-maybe I'm too clingy?" he whispered into the empty room, his voice cracked and hoarse. He curled up on the bed, pulling his knees to his chest, and stared at a single spot on the wall. "Or... don't I write enough? What if she's not interested in me?"