The Night Before the Meetup

3

I wasn't about to let Tina Warren ruin my good mood.

Back in my dorm, I sprawled lazily on my bed and messaged my online boyfriend again.

"Are you free now?"

As usual, he replied in a flash.

"Yeah. Are you out of class? Are you tired?"

Just as I was about to reply, he quickly sent another message.

"I'm really sorry about today... I didn't expect those things to come up at the last minute."

I replied without a second thought, "It's no big deal. Besides, my school happened to have a lecture today. Since our plans fell through, I was able to snag a great seat."

The lecture came to mind, so I started telling him about my day. "The expert who came today was super aloof. He called on a student in front of everyone, and when she couldn't answer, he just completely ignored her... I felt so bad for her. But aloofness aside, his academic expertise is truly top-tier. I learned so much from his talk!"

Then I quietly added, "I have no idea how our school managed to invite a luminary like him to give a lecture."

I kept typing, "Oh, right! I also had to deliver some materials to him, so I got to see him up close. He's seriously gorgeous!"

But then, worried he might get jealous, I quickly added, "Don't worry, it was just a quick glance. To me, looks aren't that important."

I expected him to share something about his day, like he always does.

But instead, he suddenly asked, "You're a student there?"

I sent a confused emoji.

He sent another message. "Crestview University."

I didn't deny it. "Oh, had I not told you?"

'We've talked so much, I can't believe I forgot to mention something so basic.'

It was such a simple piece of information, but he didn't reply.

Instead, the chat box just showed the "...is typing" indicator.

Confused, I sent another message. "Is something wrong?"

He finally replied. "It's nothing."

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw his reply.

"It's just a shame we couldn't meet today. We definitely have to meet up next time we're both free."

"Yeah!"

His words made me feel incredibly secure.

'When it comes to dating, it'd be a lie to say looks don't matter at all. But to me, kindness, patience, and a calm, steady personality are far more important.'

'Even though I have no idea what he looks like, in the time we've been talking, he's checked every single box for my ideal partner.'