What's in your (he)art

Chapter 2

  For Kiah, mornings had always been the Devil's creation. As her bare feet slap on the cool floor, her entire body shaking with chills, she would wonder how some people actually enjoyed that kind of pure torture. Really, the only way she could enjoy mornings was by staying up until the sun crawled its way above the horizon.

  Waking up on a Monday morning she felt no different. In fact, she felt a little worse. Her work schedule for the day was a nightmare and the pit of depression in her stomach didn't make her mood any better. Food was a hard no. Kiah made her way to the kitchen, shivering the entire way. Her muscle memory took over each little movement to compensate for her half-asleep brain. 

Take a mug out. Fill it up with water. Put it in the microwave. Wait. Take it out. Add instant coffee. Stir. 

 With movements almost resembling a machine, she brought the coffee to her lips, craving the feeling of caffeine rushing through her blood. 

"Ah, fuck!" 

 Her voice boomed in the empty apartment. Apparently, in her zombied state, she had forgotten about the fact that the coffee was indeed scalding. Kiah groaned at her burnt tongue and left the coffee on the counter. She opted to get dressed first and drink the coffee later. As unpleasant as the experience had been, at least she was awake. Wide awake. 

 For a 21-year-old woman, Kiah's bedroom was pretty messy. She kicked a few lone socks out of her way to the wardrobe. Choosing an outfit was easy - jeans and a plaid shirt. As always. 

Ding

 The sound of her phone interrupted the flow of her routine. Kiah finished buttoning up her shirt and grabbed the phone on her bed. Curiosity got the best of her. No one usually texted her at such early hours. On the screen was a text from an unknown number.

Unknown number: Hey! Is this Kiah? 

Kiah: who's asking?

U.N.: So it is you.
            This is Cate from last night.

Kiah: oh, hey cate
           didn't take you for an early riser 

Cate: Actually, I am going home now. But I usually am an early riser.

Kiah: you partied all night?!

Cate: You could say that.

Kiah: you're making me feel old

Cate: I did invite you to join! 

Kiah: maybe next time 😉

 Kiah locked her phone, throwing it on the bed. A smile graced her lips. Her morning had suddenly become bearable. The phone dinged again but she decided to wait for a little before answering. Something about not coming off as desperate. She drank her now lukewarm coffee wondering what it could be that Cate had sent her. Self-control had never been her strong side; she ran to the bedroom to get her phone. Unlocking it, she read...

Cate: Are you free tonight?

 Kiah's heart fluttered in her chest. The previous night had felt like a dream...something too good to be true. Was this woman really flirting with her? Was Kiah going to let herself be flirted with by a woman that looked to be twice her age? The thought of dating someone that much older had never crossed her mind. But that wasn't dating, was it? Kiah wanted to slap herself for immediately thinking about a relationship. She wasn't healed from her previous one yet, there was no way she would jump into a new one. But she could still have fun. And she came to the conclusion that that's exactly what this was - a fun experiment.