Wrong Number 💙

Chapter 1

L walked into her apartment after a first date. She changed into pajamas before pacing in her bedroom. The date was good, she would even go so far as to say great. But now was the dilemma of whether or not she should text him right away or wait a few days. She groaned, so many contradictory rules running through her head. "Fuck it," she mumbled softly to herself. Life is short, if you like someone, you should tell them. She picked up her phone, messaging the number given.

L: Hey Pete, I had a great night.
I hope to see you again soon. -L

She plopped onto her bed, staring at the ceiling when she heard their phone ding. That was quick. That was good, right? She looked at the message apprehensively.

?: Sorry. Wrong number
Not Pete
I'm glad you had a nice time though 🙂

L groaned. Pete put the number in her phone himself. Was it wrong on purpose or was it an accident? And who got the text meant for Pete? She looked at the message from Not Pete.

L: Sorry for bothering you.
Guess he didn't have as good a time as me.

She sighed, hearing her phone almost immediately as she sat it down.

Not Pete: Don't be sorry.
First date?
*I'm* sorry.
Maybe him giving you the wrong number was an accident.

L: Yeah well, it's too late now
Like I said, I'm sorry for bothering you
I'm going to bed, Not Pete
Night

***

When L got up in the morning, there was a new message from Not Pete

Not Pete: LOL
We're acquaintances now, call me C at least 😉
Hope you have a better day tomorrow L 🙂

L laughed, surprised that whoever it was continued to text.

L: Thank you C.
How gentlemanly? ... of you?

She got up and took a shower and got dressed for work. When she came back to her phone, she found yet another message from C.

C: Ah. Brave of you to assume you know my gender

She giggled, sitting on the edge of the bed, entranced by the mysterious texter.

L: Well, it was my way of asking without having to ask
Sorry if I offended you

***

A few hours later, L sat in her favorite local coffee shop when she heard her phone ding as she received yet another message from C.

C: No offense taken. But you were right
I am indeed a gentleman.
At least that's what I tell my mom. 🤫😉
And you? L sounds suspiciously feminine.
And your date was Pete after all

L was amused by C, shaking her head as she took a sip of her coffee.

L: Brave of you to assume I'm not a gay man

She watched three dots appear and disappear a few times.

. . .

. . .

. . .

Finally, a message appeared...

C: True. Still going to go with a woman though
Tell me I'm wrong L

She scoffed at C's confidence. He was definitely sure of himself, which made her more sure of herself too.

L: You're not wrong
Good luck guessing my name though 😉
I have to head into work

***

"Ms. Ellis, good morning."

L looked up from her desk as the students of her first class started to trickle in. "Morning, everyone." She was worried when she decided to teach high school-aged students. But she was an art teacher, so most of the students in her class were there because they wanted to be. And that made all the difference in the world. Most of the time, the students were smiling and happy to be there. Well, as happy as teenagers could be when being forced to go to school. She stood up from her desk, coming out to stand in front of it.

"We're going to be working on portraits. So, you all need to have a portrait ready by next week that you want to draw. It can be anyone you want, someone you know, or even a celebrity. As long as it's a portrait of only their faces." She knew the majority of the class would be coming in the following week with pictures of their current celebrity crush, but she didn't care. They could still learn.

L sat at her desk during lunchtime, checking her phone, smiling at the new messages from C.

C: Oh, a challenge. I love a good challenge
Want to make it interesting?

She laughed, shaking her head as she responded

L: Interesting how, Mr. C?

A new message popped up almost immediately, causing her to wonder what C did for work that left him so free to text her constantly.

C: There you are, L
I want to guess your name
Every wrong guess I'll let you ask a personal question
Except for what C stands for. You have to figure that out yourself
First guess is ... Lily

She hesitated before deciding to go along with his game.

L: Not Lily
You'll never guess it.
I'm going to get to know you well 🙂
Where are you from, Mr. C?

L placed her phone back into her purse as she finished her lunch, not checking it again until she sat down for dinner later that night to continue her conversation with C.

C: Damn it
Concord, MA. You?
Lizzie...

She chuckled, shaking her head. He thought he was sly, trying to get her to answer a personal question.

L: Now now. We haven't started with me guessing
But I'll throw you a bone. Salem, MA
My older brother lives in Concord, MA
And sorry. Wrong again, Mr. C
What is it you do that has you such a fast responder?

She watched the three dots before another message appeared.

C: I am enjoying this game
Salem? You a witch?
What are the odds of your brother living in Concord?
Let's just say I travel a lot, and right now I have some downtime
So not working at the moment, really
I do have a life though, I promise. One I have to get back to
My sister set me up on a blind date. *Sigh*
I look forward to continuing our game tomorrow
Goodnight, Ms. L

A blind date, that must mean he was single. She made a mental note to ask him how old he was the next time he guessed her name wrong.

L: Well, I hope you enjoy your date, Mr. C
And I look forward to continuing the game for a while
Goodnight 😉

***

"Would you put your phone away already?! She's going to be here any minute."

Chris groaned at his sister Carly. He looked at her husband Ryan for help, but as usual, he wasn't any. He avoided Chris's gaze, looking at the table. He looked at the messages from L. For some reason, he found her charming, even though he had no idea who she was.

"Why are you smiling like that? Is that a girl you're talking to?"

Chris looked back up at his sister again, "it's just a friend." He held his hands up in defeat, "I'm putting it away. Geez. What's the name of the girl you're setting me up with, anyways?"

"Lacey." Carly stood up as a blonde approached their table.