Loneliness has a sound.
It's not loud.
It's not dramatic.
It's that quiet ache you feel when you come home, drop your bag on the floor, and there's nobody waiting for you. Nobody asking how your day went. Nobody pulling you close.
For years, that silence lived with me like a roommate.
So when he walked into my store that afternoon, I didn't know my life was about to shift—just a little, just enough for hope to wake up again.
I was standing behind the counter at the grocery store where I worked as a sales rep, pretending to arrange biscuits that were already perfectly arranged. I was deep in my thoughts when the doorbell chimed and in walked this fine, well-dressed man—fresh haircut, bright skin, confident steps. The type of man that made your heart do "check check" before your brain even caught up.
He asked me for something small—just a drink—but the way he looked at me… it felt different. Like he actually noticed me. And trust me, at that point in my life, being "noticed" felt like a miracle.
We exchanged a few innocent smiles.
Then the unexpected happened.
"Can I have your number?" he asked.
I froze, just like that?!
Not because I didn't want to give him, but because… nobody really asked me for my number. At least not someone like him.
My heart: Give him! Give him! Give him!
My brain: Act calm, behave like a queen.
Me: "Okay, no problem," pretending it was the most normal thing in the world.
He collected my number and left, and immediately—IMMEDIATELY—my entire soul restarted like a generator. I kept replaying the moment in my mind, smiling to myself like someone that just won a scholarship to heaven.
That night, I prayed he called.
Not a long prayer.
Not a dramatic prayer.
Just a small whisper:
"God, let him call me. So that I could here his thick voice again".
Because honestly? I was tired. Tired of being single. Tired of feeling invisible. Tired of everyone around me having someone while I was just there… wishing.
I saw my phone ringing and rushed to reach for it on the table, but it slipped before I could grab it.
Out of shock, I opened my eyes and realized I was still lying on the bed, in the same position as before.
"So… I waited for his call until I dreamt about it?" I whispered to myself.
Then, with a small, tired sigh, I turned over and went back to sleep.
The next day, my phone rang.
His name flashed on the screen, "unknown number".
I almost threw the phone away out of excitement.
"Maya, hope you're free today? Let's go out."
And that one sentence?
It felt like a dream coming true.
But before the date… before anything serious… I did something hilarious. Something I still laugh about today.
When he called me, I rushed to Facebook like an FBI agent with a mission. I typed his name with the speed of light, scrolling through profiles until I finally found him.
WOW!
The guy was even finer in pictures.
Sharp haircut.
Nice smile.
Clean outfit.
Everything packaging.
My brain whispered, Use this picture to pepper the world.
And I obeyed.
I screenshotted his profile picture and immediately used it as my phone wallpaper. Yes, my lock screen o! Like someone in a 10-year relationship. I positioned it well, zoomed it small, zoomed it big, made sure it was perfectly clear.
Why?
Simple.
I wanted my colleagues at work to think:
"Wow, Maya finally got a boyfriend—and he's handsome !"
The next day at work, I held my phone in my hand like a trophy, waiting for someone to notice.
Finally, one of the ladies at the backroom saw it when I dropped my phone to pick something .
"Oh my God!, Maya! Who be this fine man? Is he your boyfriend?"
I don't know where the boldness entered me.
I said,
"Yes ! That's my man."
She looked impressed.
Her eyes widened like, "Really ? You've got such a handsome guy?"
I almost smiled out loud.
Then she said something that almost scattered me.
"I think I've seen this face before…"
I quickly jumped in before she added unnecessary information.
"Ohh, yes! We've been dating for long. I just didn't want to tell anybody. The day you saw him at the store, he only came to surprise me."
The lies came out smoothly like I had rehearsed them.
She nodded slowly, believing it.
And in that moment, I didn't feel invisible anymore.
I felt seen.
Valued.
Loved… even if the love was mostly my imagination.
But that feeling—of finally being able to say "Yes, I have someone"—meant everything to me.
Later that evening, I got ready for the date.
I took extra time with my outfit.
Powder, lip gloss, simple earrings.
Not too much, not too little.
He arrived looking sharp and smelling expensive.
The night started beautifully.
We talked.
We laughed.
We ate.
I felt chosen.
But life doesn't waste time before showing its true color.
Because right there, on that same date—while I was sitting beside him, smiling like somebody doing honeymoon rehearsal—he did the unthinkable.
A girl walked past our table.
He whistled slightly, leaned forward, and called her back.
"Hey, excuse me… can I have your number?"
My smile died.
My heart fell from heaven to the dustbin.
I stared at him, confused.
Shocked.
Embarrassed.
He collected another girl's number IN MY FRONT.
Right there, my spirit whispered:
Maya, this is a red flag.
But hunger for love can make you blind.
And I was starving.
So I swallowed the pain and continued the date, pretending I was fine, laughing at jokes that weren't funny, telling myself:
Maybe it's nothing… maybe I can handle it… maybe he will change…
I didn't know that this was only the beginning.
The beginning of the heartbreak…
The beginning of the lessons…
The beginning of the journey that would eventually lead me to the man who truly loved me.
But for now, all I knew was that I finally had someone—
even if he wasn't mine the way I hoped.
And that false hope…
was the first crack in a story I didn't see coming.
To be continued…