Chapter 1:

Scene 1: Stories Between Pages

Match Made Online

//SE (Sound Effects): Match Made Online dating app notification popped

(Read the notification that popped)

//she whispers

"New matches found."

(Tap the notification on the smartphone’s screen)

(Scroll the phone’s screen to the 1st match of the day)

//murmurs

"Hmm, let’s see."

(Tap the 1st guy’s dating profile)

"Actively searching for his special one, always there if you need or want him, looking for wholesome companionship…"

(Tap his voice record self-introduction)

//Low, deep, manly, cool voice

“Good morning! Oh, it might be afternoon or night in your area. Hello! We’ve scrolled into each other, I believe this isn’t just a coincidence. Fate might’ve brought us here. Therefore, I’m here for a great conversation and companionship with you. We can start with sharing interests and see if everything will work out, hopefully.”

(Swipe right)

//SE: ‘It’s a match’ dating app sound

(Voice chat notification from him)

//She gasps

"Oh, he sent me a voice chat."

(Put in earphones on ears)

(Tap the voice chat he sent)

//Low, deep, manly, cool voice

"Hi. How are you doing?"

//Clears her throat

//Cute, stuttering, slightly raspy, shy voice

"H-Hello… I’m doing good, just didn’t expect someone would send me a voice message right away after swiping right.”

"I see. It’s good to hear you’re good." //chuckles “Well, I love to talk with you by hearing your voice. You didn’t have a voice introduction in your dating profile, so I had to send you a voice chat. What are you doing right now?”

“Nothing much. Just sitting on my chair with a book that I’ve been reading for 2 weeks.”

“What kind of book is that?” //curious

“It is a series of romantic short stories. I haven’t finished it yet. Do you like reading books?”

“Not really. The last time I remember reading a book was when I was in high school.”

“That was quite long ago. How did it go?”

“We had a book report project, which forced me to read it for the sake of my grades.” //scoff “It was okay. But I forgot what the story was all about. Do you read books a lot?”

“I have a goal to read at least 10 books a year. Would you like me to read my favorite romantic short story from this book for you?”

“How? What do you mean?” //confuse

“I will send you voice messages of the first few pages of the story so that you’ll get the gist of what I’m reading.”

“Sounds lovely to me. Please do.”

“This book is from a second point of view. Imagine you are the guy in the story, okay?”

“Oh, cool. I got it.”

“Okay, so here’s the first paragraph. It was a sunny Saturday morning with a cool, windy breeze that sways the trees to dance. You are strolling through the park to meet your friend. You wear a casual plain yellow t-shirt, plain white shorts, a pair of dark brown slippers, with a black body bag. You walked for 15 minutes before reaching the public park from your house. You leaned on a tree trunk, yawned, waiting for your friend. It was past 9 AM. When you scanned the park again, there you saw your friend waving his hand at you while walking. You stood up straight and walked towards him. You heard a girl shriek when you accidentally bumped into her. You looked at her after she fell on her bicycle. You said you were sorry and helped her stand up. You held her right shoulder and left hand. She grunted and tapped her knees, now scratched. You insisted on helping her with her wound, but she refused. She said she’s okay and left you with her bicycle.”

//she flips the book page

“Wait, that’s it?”

“No, I’ll only read my favorite parts of this short story. So, how was it so far?”

“I’ve never read a romance book before, but this one’s not so bad. Could you tell me more about what happened next?”

“It turns out, the girl was new in the neighborhood, but this was their first time meeting each other. Or that they’ve already met but didn’t notice each other until now. That bicycle ride accident has brought them to form a companionship they did not expect. One day, you needed to buy a cake for his cousin’s birthday. You went inside a bakery and chose a cake flavor that his cousin loves. You saw the girl in the park you had bumped into inside the bakery’s commissary, wearing the bakery’s uniform and an apron. You said hi and smiled at the girl. She noticed you and smiled at you. You asked how she’s doing, and she answered that she’s doing good. The scratch from the accident wasn’t serious. She offered you their latest menu, a chocolate heart-shaped cupcake. The cashier handed you the cake you ordered. You took it. You looked for the heart-shaped cupcakes with violet and pink whipped cream in the bakery. You ordered a box of six of them and gave it to the girl. She was confused. You said it was your payment for the trouble you caused her. You said goodbye and left the bakery.”

“That’s a good one. Do they have an ending?”

“Now, for the last part of the story. You invited the girl to go to the museum. She agreed, and you met on the weekend. You smiled when he saw the girl in a red dress, with a white hat and beige sandals. All you could think of is how beautiful the girl with you is. You were just staring at her, smiling like your eyes were locked into hers. She’s the only art you wanted to see because she’s the entire museum. After that, you went to an outdoor restaurant. You listened to her stories while she also asked yours. You were speechless at first and just wanted to listen to her soothing voice. You laughed together when you told her some silly jokes. The romantic date was almost coming to an end when you dropped her off at her house, a few blocks away from yours. You didn’t let another chance pass to ask her for more meetings with her. you were nervous she might turn you down, but she smiled sweetly and said yes.”

“Why is it your favorite romance story?”

“I like the way they met, and how their relationship progressed from strangers to friends to lovers.” //cheerful

“Nice, that must be your ideal one. Thank you for reading to me. I really appreciate it.” //grateful