brushing off the white paper delicately with his fingers,
a subconscious act after finishing the product his hand made,
he looked at the sketch of the buildings and city lights he has drawn.
utterly surprised by this rare urge, he snatched the paper and swiftly put it in his drawer.
he’s been doing this repeatedly for a week now.
he sighed.
and then he looked at his laptop, and shook his head dismissively.
he’s reminded by the thought he had 5 days ago:
do something real.
he decided to make himself a favor.
get away from the virtual place he had inhabited and do something real instead of wasting his time talking to people he wouldn’t meet in actual life.
it’s like the song...what’s its called?
oh yeah, Chasing Pavements.
talking to people online he knew he wouldn’t actually meet is like chasing pavements; it leads nowhere.
how #cheesy, he thought.
what made him think this way?
is it because of Celestine?
partly.
why?
i don’t know.
are you annoyed at her?
no I’m not.
so why are you so cranky after reading her reply?
i waited for hours, dude.
did she…friendzone you?
i don’t know. it’s no big deal to be honest, i think. it’s not like i professed my undying love for her. i just typed what i really thought. and besides, we’re already friends. there's no such thing as friendzone.
is it okay?
of course…
do you still like her?
i think. but maybe I don’t really like “like” her. perhaps, I just like the idea of her.
do you feel bad about not going online?
a bit. she’s been a nice person for a girl i just met online and talking to her every day is like a part of my daily routine but i just couldn’t let myself indulge into something i'm not sure about.
so that’s why you haven’t gone online?
yeah.
he realized that talking to strangers should be a leisure not a priority.
and that’s when he felt the urge of doing something he thought he wouldn’t do again:
drawing.
should I come back?
i guess not. not now.
a/n: okay prepare yourself guys for the longest a/n i made.
i’m kind of sorry for letting you wait tbh. but as much as i can, i don’t want to, like, pressure myself about writing this. i had to remind myself that writing isn’t an obligation.
btw i'm wondering how you guys picture luke, celestine and neil. i never actually describe them physically cause i want to have your own definition of them inside your minds.
btw#2! CONFLATION REACHED #13 IN SHORT STORIES HOLY CRAP! tHANK YOU SO FREAKIN MUCH PEOPLE NO NO SERIOUSLY TAKE MY THANK YOU AND KEEP IT WHEN YOU SLEEP ITS LIKE A DREAM CATCHER OR SOMETHING I. ADORE. YOU. ALL. REMEMBER THAT.
dedicated to @giraffeswithguns who thinks so deeply. she's so interesting. (but aren't you all?) i like how she interprets conflation. a lot. she's incredible. wow
THAT COVER TO THE SITE IS MADE BY @APPOSITE HOLY WOW IT IS SO FRREAKIN GORGEOUS THANK YOU!
YOU ARE READING
Conflation (Beginner's Luck Award)
Short Story❝ the worst way for friendships to end is for literally nothing to go wrong. you just stop talking.❞