The man I met online was arriving seriously after just two days. He said his name was Seth, and I introduced myself to him as Yuli—yes, now you know my real name. I made my plans, thinking we'd walk around, eat something, and if the conversation flowed, I'd keep talking to him. He didn't have a car yet; Seth was going to fly into a nearby city and reach mine by road.
On the day we were to meet, I was waiting at the transport hub. I hoped for a handsome face. A dark-haired man with a phone in hand approached—around Chris's height but with a thinner frame, no visible muscles. Chris's muscles and arms made him stand out everywhere—yes, muscular men are attractive, hehe.
Seth had almond-shaped eyes somewhere between hazel and brown, a small nose, proportionate lips, and strong, well-defined brows. Not someone you'd call extremely handsome, but he wasn't unattractive either—though not someone who caught my attention immediately. His skin was tanned from the sun.
I walked up to him and asked, "Are you Seth?"
"Yes," he replied with a smile. I reached out to shake hands, but he suddenly hugged me. I pulled back before I could process what was happening. I just smiled politely.
Small talk followed—how are you, blah blah—and then I suggested we go eat. We walked to a clean and mid-scale restaurant with a cute garden, a small fountain, and flowers scattered around. I ordered steak. I have these random red meat cravings sometimes—animal instincts, hehe.
So far, everything was stable. Some window shopping at the mall, a bit of coffee, a little shopping—and it was time to head home. Seth said he'd stay one more night and asked if he could see me again tomorrow. I said okay. He booked a hotel, and I dropped him off.
When I got home, I was exhausted. Then came a message—from Chris. Four days of silence, and suddenly:
"How are you? I missed you so much. I sold my car, bought a house with a loan. Come visit me sometime—you have to see my little home."
What now? Did he feel something? Intuition?
In my whole life, I've tried three times to go visit Chris. All three failed. I never saw that "little home" of his—but apparently, others did. I found out later. If I had known my current regrets back then, I would've gone. But don't worry—Chris will visit me in a later chapter.