INTERTWINED FATES: THE RED STRING

CHAPTER 7

One quiet evening, Nabi was in bed, absorbed in a crime thriller on her laptop. Just as the suspense was building, her phone buzzed with a notification. She glanced at the screen and saw a DM from Zade.

"Hi," read the message.

Nabi's heart raced, and in her excitement, she accidentally hit her head on the headboard. "Ouch!" she winced, rubbing her forehead. Her pulse quickened as she hurried to reply.

"Hi," she typed back.

Zade's next message was, "What are you doing?"

"I'm watching a movie," Nabi responded, her fingers shaking slightly.

"What movie?" Zade asked right away.

"It's a crime thriller," she answered, trying to stay casual.

"Oh," Zade replied, adding a thumbs-up emoji.

Nabi smiled, finding his response both amusing and comforting. Their conversations had become a regular thing, flowing easily as they talked about their days, favourite movies, music, and hobbies. Zade seemed genuinely interested in learning about her, asking questions about her likes and habits. What Nabi didn't know was that Zade already knew a lot about her from Isa, who had been sharing details.

Even though Zade pretended to be surprised by Nabi's interests, like her love for mystery novels and her doodling habit, his responses were thoughtful. Each new message from him made her heart flutter.

For the past four days, they had been messaging late into the night. At school, they would exchange brief glances in the hallways, each trying to hide their smiles. It was a new and thrilling experience for Nabi, who wasn't used to this kind of attention, especially from someone as popular as Zade.

Despite their growing connection, Nabi kept their conversations private. She told Isa and Helena that Zade had been texting her but didn't go into details. She felt the conversations were too personal to share. Isa, always supportive, didn't push for more information, though she was curious. Helena, with her headphones on, simply nodded, lost in her own world.

Meanwhile, Tiana and Thyme were spending more time together. Their friendship had grown closer, and Tiana had developed a crush on someone, which she confided in Thyme about. Thyme listened and offered support, but his own motives were less clear.