Sarat only took a week to go from feeling uneasy to comfortable with the idea that she had a boyfriend, and that boyfriend was Jamie.
It wasn't that she had truly fallen deeply in love with Jamie. It was just that he hadn't returned to the village at all during that week, claiming he was busy with work and didn't even have time to come back on the weekend. Without seeing him, Sara didn't feel as awkward or uncomfortable.
Still, she remembered that she had to maintain the persona of someone madly in love with him. Even though they couldn't meet in person, she made sure to send plenty of messages.
For instance, "Good morning," "Good afternoon," "Good night," "Have you eaten?" "What are you doing?" "Have a nice sleep," and so on. She sent these caring messages for seven days straight. On the eighth day, Jamie couldn't take it anymore and, in the midst of his busy schedule, sent her a message longer than five words.
Jamie: "Did I start dating an AI? Is that all you can say?"
Sara really didn't have much else to say, but she knew she couldn't admit that. Otherwise, Jamie would doubt her "love" for him.
Sara:"I've actually had so much I wanted to tell you, but you said you've been really busy with work these past few days, so I didn't want to bother you. And now you totally misunderstand me, it really hurts."
After typing out a long string of words, she felt it wasn't enough to completely shift the blame. With a mischievous smile, she added: Boohoo.
When she sent the message, even she got goosebumps, thinking Jamie wouldn't ask her to talk more after this.
The message seemed to sink like a stone in the sea, with no reply from Jamie. She returned to scrolling through short video apps, engrossed in the dramatic drama commentary she loved. Suddenly, a video call popped up, startling her. Her finger slipped, and she answered it.
On the screen, Jamie's handsome face appeared momentarily. He seemed busy with work, his gaze focused on the computer. The gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose added a touch of refined yet repressed allure, making Sara's heart flutter a little. It wasn't until she heard the man's husky voice that she snapped back to reality.
Too absorbed in admiring his looks, she hadn't caught what he said. Embarrassed, she asked, "Sorry, what did you just say?"
Jamie glanced at her briefly, then turned back to his work. "I said you had a lot to say to me, right? Go ahead, I'm listening."
Feeling guilty, Sara mumbled a couple of sounds. Hearing the clattering of his keyboard, she quickly said, "You're still busy, huh? I don't want to interrupt your work. You focus on your job, and we can talk when you're not so busy."
Jamie's voice was calm, "Are you upset that I haven't been talking to you since we started dating?"
"Huh?" Sara was taken aback. That wasn't what she meant at all. She hurried to explain, "No, I..."
"It's my fault. I apologize. I'll work overtime tonight and come back to see you after work tomorrow, okay?" Jamie didn't give her a chance to explain, his tone softening as if he was sincerely apologizing.
Sara was even more bewildered, not understanding how the conversation had suddenly turned to meeting up. Despite seeming nonchalant these past few days, she was actually very nervous about dating Jamie. It was easy to send messages, but meeting in person? She might not even speak a word.
She quickly refused, "No, no, you don't need to come back just to see me. Focus on your work. We can take it slow. I'll wait until you're not busy."
Jamie frowned slightly at her considerate words. He paused, took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, and looked at her with a tired expression, "But we're dating, Sara. I want to see you. Don't you want to see me?"
Without his glasses, the fatigue in his eyes was clear, dark circles underlining them. It was obvious he hadn't rested well for a long time. Looking at his half-closed eyes on the screen, Sara felt a pang of guilt.
She didn't want him to feel sad because of her reluctance, especially when he was so tired.
So, she nodded, "Yes, I do."
