Chapter 4She Traded Away Her Own Secret Crush

She was on fire today!

A flicker of strangeness crossed my mind, but my heart was racing. I quickly switched apps to scroll and calm down.

We’d been dating online for almost four months. She was usually the cool, pulled-together one. She used terms of endearment, but rarely this mushy.

Something was off. Seriously off.

Was she hiding something? Had she done something bad?

The previous night's thread flashed in my mind. The warmth I’d just felt evaporated, replaced by a cold knot of suspicion. I sent a serious message:

Me: [You're acting weird. Spill. What did you do?]

The chat went silent for a moment. Then, a voice message came through:

“Busted, huh, Baby? I bought you a coke. Looks like I’m derailing your diet plan today.”

I felt a rush of satisfaction listening to it.

She’d sent me voice messages before, but they were always a sort of overly sweet, affected "girly" voice. This one, though, was clearer, warmer, and totally melodic.

I saved the clip and sent a voice message back: “You are so strange today. Your vibe is strange, your words are strange, and your voice is strange.”

She replied quickly: “And this ‘strange’—do you hate it?”

Of course not!

I'm a total sucker for softness.

I cleared my throat and held the record button: "I don't hate it. Keep it up."

She laughed instantly: “Okay, Baby. Come downstairs and grab your tea.”