Ready for My Impromptu Love (Season 1)

Chapter 38: Sea level Rising

"No matter how prepared you are, there is still someone that will drive you to stutter, moreover spill a coffee to yourself"

🌊Sea Level Rising🌊

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I was met with food on the table when I arrived at the house. I had my spare key; since I knew that there were no one in the house, I used it. The food was still hot so it seemed like Dad must've left not too long ago before I arrived. 

I sat at the kitchen table and help myself fill my stomach. The silence and loneliness which I was surely used to by now was all over the place. I didn't even mind it as I paid attention to my food and my phone.

I was currently reading a digital book but then a notification popped out.

[ "You added Noah in your social?" ] Sage messaged me. His question made me confused for a second. But then I thought, 'Is he stalking me?'

[ "Making friends." ] I texted back.

[ "After Rijo? Why don't you add other people?" ] I took a moment to think. Did he mean I should do more social interactions or was he being...? I don't know...confrontational? Dismissive? Sarcastic? It was really hard to know his tone if we are only texting.

[ "Okay, I'll do that." ] 

[ "You didn't add Tori or Clarity? That seems..." ] He commented.

[ "I'll add them later." ] Fortunately, I hit send before he made a call. I flinched and spilled some soup on the table. The phone vibrated as, too, the table making ripples on my stew. I stood up and fetch a table mat to clean the mess before clicking the answer button. 

"What?" My voice penetrated through the mic.

"Nothing...it's just a bit odd that you started adding people on your social because you don't seem to be using it anyways," he said.

"Is that a bad thing?" I wondered.

"No-no, it's actually a good thing, I guess, because you get to go out of your comfort zone. Before I always see you guarding your boundary like it's a vault and I don't get to see you talking to people." It was somewhat shocking to hear his tone different from what is conventional.

"Oh- Yeah, I guess you're right...This is so out of the blue."

I heard him chuckle on the other side. "Yeah, I know. I just wondered." I placed a spoonful of stew into my mouth while he continued, "And Noah and Rijo? Why did you only add them? Wait, I forgot to apologize—you might've forgotten the time I told you some bad things about Rijo, I must've heard his stories wrong; I heard the person who told me that is a homewrecker, weird, right? Anyway, forget all of it—I'm sorry."

"No, no. It's okay." I don't know if a rock was thrown at him to suddenly realize his mistake but I'd be grateful. 

"Speaking of...two boys? Really, Helio?" He laughed and chuckled. I didn't get what he was getting at first but then after a moment I realized. "You didn't expect I noticed?"

I stood up leaving my arms pillared on the table. I let out a reaction as if I was caught. "What...? W-what are you talking about? Wait- that's- that's wrong. What you are thinking right now is completely wrong. I don't like Noah, I don't like- Just!" I panicked with my words.

"I've known you for years, you don't have to deny, stupid." At this moment, he was sounding like the last-year-Sage I knew. 

"...Okay...not okay," was the only words I said. 

I heard him leaned in, his voice dropping to a low murmur across the speaker, "So who do you like?"

"Wah...? What do you mean?" I took the last chance to deny it.