Chapter 10

Nina

Dear diary,

I cannot begin to try to explain what has happened since yesterday. You know I gave my number to Mel, simply as a polite gesture, since she’d given me hers. But I never thought she would use it. After all, why would she? I didn’t bring anything interesting to the conversation when we met for lunch, so why would she want to stay in touch with me?

But she did text me. My hands were shaking when I saw it, and I had to double-check the number to verify it was really her. It was such a shock, I didn’t know if I should reply or just let it be. Maybe she had just sent it to the wrong number. She must have plenty of friends, and she could have just sent it to the wrong person. Oh, how I debated with myself, but then realised it would be impolite to ignore it. So after a moment’s hesitation, I replied. Then I threw the phone on the sofa, convincing myself she must have sent it wrong, and now I had made a fool of myself.

But she hadn’t, it seemed, and we kept texting the whole evening. I couldn’t believe it. What does she see in me that would make her want to stay in touch? Could it be that she simply feels obliged to, but I don’t know why she would feel that? I even checked the contest rules, and there was nothing saying that there would be anything more than a dinner.

Even so, I worried that I had made a fool out of myself, and I spent the time in between texts reading through what I had sent to make sure it didn’t sound strange. Why would she, a highly successful artist with a life of her own, want to stay in touch with me? I don’t understand it.

Should I text her now? No, I believe it will stop anyway. She will soon find someone else to talk to and forget about me. I shouldn’t get too attached and instead remember that it’s probably all just a temporary thing when her friends are out of town. I don’t want to force myself into her life, so I will give her the space to back out if she wants to and remember that it will not last for long.