𝐌𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐘 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍 | 𝖩𝗈𝖻𝖾 𝖡𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗁𝖺𝗆

⁰⁹. 𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━   𝖠𝖫𝖤𝖷 𝖵𝖠𝖫𝖤

IT'S BEEN A few days since I saw Jobe at the store. We've been texting nonstop ever since. It's honestly kind of nice, but the fact that he went back to Sunderland left me feeling a little... sad. Funny thing is, despite all the texting, we've never FaceTimed. Not even once.

I guess I could blame my nerves. Talking to him through messages is one thing, but seeing him face-to-face—even through a screen—feels way more real. It's not like I don't want to, though. I just don't know what I'd even say if I saw his face. Would it be awkward? Would he think I'm weird?

But at the same time, part of me wanted to stop overthinking and just go for it.

But also, there's something about talking to him in person that feels better. I don't know how to explain it—it's just different. Sure, texting is nice, but there's something about seeing someone's face, hearing their voice, and watching their reactions that makes it feel more real.

Although, to be honest, I do get nervous. I mean, he literally towers over me. It's like trying to talk to a tree that also happens to be really attractive. It's intimidating, but in a good way. If that makes sense.

Today was my day off from work, and of course, Ethan and Layla decided it was the perfect opportunity to drag me out of the house. They'd been texting me nonstop since the morning, insisting we needed to "do something fun."

I didn't mind, really—I could use the distraction. Between texting Jobe and overthinking every little thing he said, I probably needed a break from my own thoughts.

So now here we are, at a park full of kids running around and screaming, all because Layla insisted on bringing her dog, Ron. Yes, she named her dog after Ron Weasley, and no, we don't let her live it down.

Ron, a small, fluffy golden retriever, was currently trying to tug his leash out of Layla's hand to chase after a squirrel. "Relax, dude, you're embarrassing me," Layla muttered, tightening her grip as Ron barked excitedly.

Ethan, sitting on the nearest bench with his arms crossed, smirked. "This is the fun day you planned? Babysitting a dog at a park?"

Layla glared at him. "It's called fresh air, Ethan. You should try it sometime instead of sitting in your dark room like a vampire."

"My room is big and cold... I love it," Ethan shot back, leaning back on the bench with an exaggerated sigh of contentment.

Layla rolled her eyes as Ron tugged harder on the leash. "Yeah, well, maybe if you spent less time hibernating, you'd actually enjoy life. Look at Ron—he's living his best life out here!"

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Ron is trying to fight a squirrel. That's not exactly #goals."

I chuckled, watching the dog frantically bark at the squirrel, which was clearly unbothered and perched smugly on a low branch. "To be fair, Ron probably has more ambition than Ethan right now."