Boni finally accepted Calixto's friend request. Not even a full minute passed when a message popped up on her screen.
> Calixto: hi?
Boni froze. Her heart beat faster for no reason. She didn't know what to do, so she just stared at the message for a while, thinking about what to say.
"What do you even want?" she mumbled to herself, but of course, she didn't say it to him. She just kept it inside.
So she didn't reply.
She left the message on "seen."
Days passed. Calixto kept sending messages from time to time.
> Calixto: hey
Calixto: how are you?
Calixto: you there?
Still, she didn't reply. She told herself she didn't care, but every time a notification showed up, she would glance at her phone anyway. She didn't know why — maybe curiosity, or maybe guilt.
A week later, she received another message, but this time it was from Clay.
> Clay: Hey, Calixto told me he's been messaging you. You really won't reply?
> Boni: Why would I?
> Clay: He just wants to be friends, that's all. He's a good guy, trust me.
Boni sighed. She wasn't trying to be rude, but Clay was right — it would look bad if she kept ignoring him. And after all, Calixto is Clay friend, Clay(she) know what she saying.
"Maybe I'm overthinking," she said quietly to herself. "He just wants to be friends, right?"
That night, she finally replied.
> Boni: Hello? Sorry for the late reply, I was doing something.
That was a lie.
She wasn't really busy — she just didn't want to talk. She had spent the past few days watching anime, again saying, "One more episode and I'll sleep," only to finish the whole series before sunrise.
A few minutes later, her phone lit up.
> Calixto: Hi! It's fine, no worries.
They started chatting.
The conversation wasn't long — just random things, light topics, and a few awkward laughs. But strangely, it felt... warm.
For the first time, Boni found herself smiling at her screen. She didn't even notice it until it was too late.
Then, right when things felt comfortable — when the silence between replies felt less awkward — a message appeared that made her heart stop for a second.
> Calixto: Can I court you?
The chat went quiet after that.
Thirty minutes. That's all it lasted.
And yet, even after the screen went dark, her thoughts didn't.
"Court me?" she whispered to herself, still stunned. They just met. They barely even knew each other.
Her mind said it was too soon.
But her heart... it didn't know what to say at all.