Nameless // Van McCann

5. And You Were Worried

"Ask her out on a date."

It was easier said than done. Normally I don't have a problem asking a lass out but I've only seen her once. What do you even say?

To say I regret telling Bondy is an understatement. Every single day, he asks if I texted her. At first, I was an idiot and told him no and I'd get a lecture from him every time. Since then I've learnt to say yes and that I hadn't heard back. He saw right through my lie.

"Show me the text," he demanded, holding out his hand.

"I don't have it with me," I lied.

"I literally saw you use it a minute ago. You are the worst liar."

"Okay—fine. I haven't texted her yet. What do I even say? I've literally only seen her once! Does she even remember me?"

"I can help you write the text. Give me your phone."

It wouldn't hurt to have Bondy help me since he's better with words. I unlocked my phone, opened up a new text message for Liv, and handed it to him. Bondy began typing, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Hiya love, you're fucking fit. Are you down to fuck? Text message sent," Bondy said proudly, grinning.

My eyes widened in fear, my heart beating rapidly. I mean I'm not opposed but is he fucking serious? I leant over the table and wrestled the phone from him and looked at the screen in a state of panic. Bondy did send the text but luckily didn't send that. I put my face in my hands and groaned.

"Mate, you were supposed to let me read the text before sending it!" I complained. Bondy straightened up in his chair.

"What was wrong with it?" he asked, genuinely perplexed.

"What's wrong with it? You used a fucking emoji, that's what's wrong! The little bugger's face is too happy. Do ya reckon it makes me sound desperate?"

"Van, you worry too much. Relax and let nature take its course." He's right. I do worry too much but I was working on it.

Van: *Hiya Liv, it's Van from Dan's farewell. I was wondering if you wanna grab something to eat next weekend? 🙂*

There's no taking it back. It's been sent. And now we wait.

-

Waiting for her to text back caused me so much anxiety. Every call and text made me check my phone straight away only to be disappointed that it was someone else. I'm not normally on my phone that much but I found myself checking every once in a while.

Perhaps she doesn't feel the same way and didn't want to respond and hurt my feelings. I don't blame her. Ignoring my text is easier than saying she wasn't interested but I honestly want to know the truth, whether it's good news or bad so I can move on. I've lost track of the number of times I analyzed our interaction. Looking back, she didn't give any signs of being interested. It's just me chasing her and not the other way around. There was a knock on our door which snapped me from my thoughts. I got up and looked through the peephole before opening the door.

My neighbor was stood right in front of me looking apologetic. He's a balding middle-aged man who works in sales. The stark contrast between his personality and his job in sales is enough to send one in stitches. He is extremely awkward and lacks socialization skills. He told me one day when taking his dog out for a walk that he took the job in sales to become better at socializing with others. I stared at him, waiting for him to speak. He seemed to cower in fear but put on a determined face.

"Sorry to bother you but I have a huge favor to ask of you," Neil spoke, his voice shaking from nerves.

I do recall him telling me he was going on holiday for two weeks and that he gave me the key for his letterbox so it wouldn't get too full. I wondered what else he could want.