A Text From a Stranger

# A Text From a Stranger **Alice, a sophomore at a Tier One University of her city; the definition of a quirky half-pie, as many call her. Most of her days were what a tedious life of a college-goer would be. Recurrent but significant. Mornings, an itinerary of eight to twelve-o-clock lectures. Evenings drowned in the melody of her Piano lessons.** **Today was no different; her heavy footsteps marked her ingression to the place. She rushed into her room. Tossed the four and a half-pound bag into a corner and threw herself on the bed. Nothing more satisfying than the comfort of lying on the bed after a long, eventful day. Her moment of peace interrupted by a raucous knock on the door. It was her mother. She held a plate with two ham sandwiches on its top. Her favorite. The plate was kept on a nightstand next to the bed. An instruction of finishing the edible was commanded and the place was quiet again.** **Ten minutes later she was sitting cross-legged. One hand feeding the sandwich slice to her mouth and the other occupied in scrolling an iPhone screen. The eyeballs exercised a top to down motion as she read those everyday messages from friends, family, and acquaintances. And then the phone thrummed, the screen glowed a shade brighter synchronously. A peculiar notification popped up on the phone screen.** ***(Message Notification from Unknown(1): Alice Thomson, I..*** *5 Jan, 10:15 PM* **Unknown:** Alice Thomson, I saw you today. Mustard top. Radiant smile, and that messy blonde hair. Huh! Any guy will run crazy for your sight. And me? Solicitous nut. You smile, I grin. You glance with those chasmic, brown eyes and my world sees a perpetual pause. I am not a man of grit so trust me when I say, I never felt this way before! I can’t get you out of my head. Even my fingers couldn’t resist the thought of texting you and here I am. ***Alice’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped in astonishment. The abandoned sandwich bite landed slickly on her lap*** **Alice:** Sorry, do I know you? **Unknown:** I believe you don’t. I am John Mathew, a fellow University student. Hitherto even I was oblivious of your presence. But after seeing you at the cafeteria today, I was mesmerised. You are a human incarnation of Aphrodite. I always firmly believed ‘Love at first sight is just a myth.’ It’s not. I know, because I felt it the moment I saw you. **Unknown:** You there? **Unknown:** Alice? **Alice:** Geez! You really want me to buy this shit? No girl will fall for it in her right state. **Unknown:** Why not? It isn’t a lousy trick and I ain’t a creep. **Alice:** And I ain’t a bonehead gullible. **Unknown:** Haha. You certainly aren’t! *6 Jan, 10:00 PM* **Unknown:** What were you doing at the Hoppins shopping complex today? **Alice:** What the… how do you know? **Unknown:** Stalking you, undoubtedly. **Alice:** What a scumbag, you are! **Unknown:** Haha. I said in jest. I happened to be at the place today. Then I saw a pair of beautiful brown eyes. The prettiest face in the world, I have ever come across, was standing opposite me. Ten feet apart. I stood there, frozen in admiration. And there you were Alice, passing past this creature of petty. Of course, you failed to see me. Because as a matter of fact, we never really met. **Alice:** Ah, you cheesy mouth. You sure do hold a Ph.D. in flirt science. **Unknown:** That depends on whether if any of it really worked. **Unknown:** Honestly, all I ever wanted was knowing you closely. I apologize if I ever pushed you to unease. **Alice:** No, it’s fine. Maybe I was the one who made the judgment too quick. *7 Jan, 10:15 PM* **John:** Hey girl! **Alice:** Hey **John:** What’s going on? **Alice:** Nothing. Bored as hell! **John:** You interested in playing a game? It’s called ‘You never Know!’ The game’s gonna be a series of questions followed by its respective answers by the two of us. **Alice:** Sounds interesting. But why this name? **John:** The name of the game depicts its theme. You never know what the next question might reveal about the person. **Alice:** Really enthralling! **John:** You’ll give the start or shall I do the honors? **Alice:** No, I’ll ask first. **Alice:** Okay, so what’s the first thing you notice about a girl? **John:** I am not sure what it is, but with you, it was your winsome smile. So unfeigned and pure. **John:** You answer now. What’s the first thing you’ll notice in any guy? **Alice:** It got to be his height. I don’t know why but I am more likely to fall for someone who has a tall personality. Genes, I guess! Even my mother married my father owing to her obsession with tall men. **John:** Haha. I too qualify for your attention then. I too have a great height. **Alice:** Shutup! Next question now. **Alice:** What is something you would change about your past if you could? **John:** My ex-girlfriend. I think I deserved better. **Alice:** Or she deserved better and got rid of you? Haha. **Alice:** No offense. **John:** None taken. **John:** Okay, you tell! What would you change about your past if given a chance? **Alice:** My parents didn’t divorce for my sake. They are the craziest couple, I’ll ever know. The day starts with them quarreling and ends with the same. I might be the only daughter on this planet saying this but I really wish they had taken divorce a long time ago. **Alice:** So yeah, if I could change one thing from the past, that would be getting them divorced. **John:** Woah. It takes gut to even think of doing that. **Alice:** I know. **Alice:** Anyway, moving with the game! What’s the creepiest thing you have ever done? **John:** Texting you certainly tops the list. **Alice:** Haha. Agreed! **John:** You? **Alice:** I once helped my bestie sending a billet-doux to a professor from the University, she had a huge crush on. Creepiest thing, to date. **John:** Haha. I can’t stop laughing. Hats off to you! You really got guts girl. **Alice:** Hehe. I know. **John:** Okay, next question? **Alice:** Yeah so, if there was a secret conspiracy you could start, what would it be? **John:** A well-planned conspiracy of robbing your heart. **Alice:** Yeah, very funny! **John:** You answer, what conspiracy would you, come up with? **Alice:** Tough one. Let me think. **Five minutes passed** **John:** You taking too long to answer. Quick! **Alice:** I am still thinking. Wait… **Five more minutes passed** **John:** It’s too much now. You already took so long. You lose. **John:** Alice? *8 Jan, 9:30 PM* **John:** Hey, what happened yesterday? You stopped replying. **Alice:** Oh that? I dozed off actually. **John:** You are unbelievable. How can you sleep amidst a game? **Alice:** Just happened. **John:** I wanted to talk about something. **Alice:** Yeah, go ahead. **John:** I think you know it already, how much I am into you. Still, let me say it. I really like you. I tried pushing this insanity back to the core for a really long time. But every time I tried doing that, it only came out oozing with a greater thrust. **John:** Alice? **John:** You don’t have to go awkward. This was just a dumb confession of my heart. **John:** We can just be good friends. That’s all I want. **John:** I do have an idea, how I swept you daunted with my words. I won’t trouble you again with such daft texts of mine. **Alice:** Oh no! **John:** What? **Alice:** Umm… I mean… I don’t know! **Alice:** Never had I thought, I would say this. Talking to you just feels so good. Maybe, I like you too. **Alice:** John? Say something. **John:** Let me sink it in. Alice Thomson likes me too. OMG! Why do I feel so sick all of a sudden? I need to see a doctor. I am dying of exhilaration. **Alice:** Haha. I certainly understand your state of euphoria but you don’t have to overreact. **Alice:** Anyway, I gotta go now, mum’s calling! **John:** Okay, bye. *9 Jan, 11:15 PM* **John:** Hey. How are you? **Alice:** Heya! I am good. **John:** Alice, can you please do a favour? It’s urgent, else I would have asked someone else to do it. **Alice:** Yeah anything. What’s it? **John:** I have to deliver important belongings of a relative of mine. She stays really close to your place. Just two streets back, Beckhman House, 30/B. **Alice:** Oh that’s real close to my home. No big deal, I’ll do it! **John:** Thanks! I’ll catch up in the college then. **Alice:** Okay, bye. It’s already so late. *10 Jan, 10:20 PM* **John:** Hey, you got the parcels? **Alice:** Yeah, I got it through an acquaintance. He said I wasn’t in the class so someone handed it to him. Don’t worry, I delivered it to your relative while coming back. **Alice: **Had I been to class a little earlier today, we would have met. I think it’s time we meet now. **John:** What do you think, I don’t want to? I want it just as badly as you do. **John:** Cappuccino date tomorrow? **Alice:** Sounds good to me. **John:** See you at the cafeteria after classes then. **John:** My heart is beating like crazy. So restless. So loud, it won’t let me sleep today. **Alice:** Same here. Can’t wait to finally meet you. *11 Jan, 1:00 PM* **Alice:** Hey! I am at the place already. **Alice:** Uh-oh! You got no etiquettes, man! Who on this Earth makes a girl wait this long on a date? **Alice:** It was the third time the waiter demanded if I want to order something and there’s still no sign of you anywhere. The manager of the Café too has started creeping me out with his deep grey eyes, with the haunt that of a scary owl. Constant stare and no blink. Enough for the clue that I am taken to be one of those lazy lads who sit here all day long, to taste what they call pre-eminent conditioned air. Conditioned air, my foot! I too have an AC at my place. Do I look an idler enough to while away my time in this stupid cafeteria doing nothing? Or is it my hair? I overdid it. Oh no… that can’t be, even Mom complimented how I am slaying this magenta peach outfit, I bought on my last birthday but hadn’t worn once since. Maybe I didn’t want to tarnish the fabric, wanting to keep it all nice and flawless or maybe I kept it new for a day, as special as today. But what’s the point because you won’t show up. **Alice:** What’s taking you so long John? **Alice:** Enough now! I am leaving. *9:30 PM* **John:** So sorry Alice! I got stuck with something really important. I know, I should have informed you beforehand but didn’t get a chance. **Alice:** You have no idea how long I waited, do you? **John:** I am sorry! **Alice:** I sat like an idiot there. I waited for two hours. Two f*****g hours. And all you have to say are those three futile little words, ‘I am sorry’? For those two hours were what seemed years to me. I had my gaze fixed on the café entrance. I know we never met before but I knew I’ll recognize you the moment you’ll show up there. I know it sounds insane but I knew I would. **John:** Okay, calm down! I know there is a hell lot of anger boiling inside you. I know you want to gouge my face bleeding with your paw. But please calm down. **Alice:** You find this funny? **John:** Not at all. But please understand, we’ve got all the time in this world to meet. I ain’t going nowhere. **Alice:** Yeah. Maybe I am overreacting too much. It’s just my head’s a little heavy from all the anger and annoyance it had. **John:** All you need is a good sleep right now. **Alice:** Yeah, good night! Though this isn’t over yet. We’ll discuss it tomorrow, yeah? **John:** Haha. Of course! *12 Jan, 7:00 PM* **Alice:** John, what the hell is going on? What are these cops saying? **Alice:** I am at the police station right now. These morons charged me for illict drug trafficking. It won’t be long before they throw me into one of those filthy, dingy cells. Please come and clear this goddam confusion. **Alice:** I have no bloody idea what’s going on John! Please tell these idiots… the parcels had nothing but some of your relative’s stuff. Please take me away from here. Please… I know, you would never do something like this to me. I trust you, John. I really do. **Alice:** John… **Alice:** John, damn it… Speak something! **Alice:** I should have never trusted you. It’s all my fault. I won’t keep mum. I’ll expose you, you son of a b*tch! I’ll show all our chats to the cops and tell them how you framed me. I will make sure, you rot in these cells and not me. ***Alice scrolls for previous chats*** **NO CHAT RECORD FOUND.** *Alice starts typing again* **Alice:** You deleted all our conversations. I won’t leave you asshole. Why did you play with my heart? How dare you play with my emotions? I won’t forgive you ever for that. WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT? WHY? *Hits send* **THE MESSAGE CANNOT BE SENT. YOU HAVE BEEN BLOCKED.** ---------- ***Content by Anushka*** ***Design by Swagat***