Accidental Text-tastrophe and Rom-Com Revelations

As I sat there, munching on fried shrimp and lost in my own little world of daydreams, the doorbell rudely interrupted my train of thought once again. "Oh great, it must be dad," I mumbled to myself, feeling a mix of relief and annoyance.

Mom went to answer the door, leaving Alyssa to continue her lively discussion about baking cakes with Cherry. Seriously, my little sister could make friends with a brick wall if she wanted to.

Finally, dad walked in, looking tired from a long day of meetings. "I'm home. Sorry, honey, got caught up in a meeting, you know how it is," dad sighed, handing his bag over to mom.

"No worries, dear. Go wash your hands and join us for dinner. You must be famished after a long day," mom said with her usual warmth.

And so, dad joined the chaotic dinner table, where Alyssa was already chattering away with Cherry like they'd been best buds forever. I tell you, having a younger sibling is like having a tornado in your life.

"Ah, who is this young lady?" Dad inquired, noticing Cherry sitting at the table with us.

"Um, hello Mr. Nakamura. I'm Cherry Sinclair, a friend of Karma. Nice to meet you," Cherry replied with a smile.

And then came the bombshell.

"Sinclair?" Dad raised an eyebrow, and I could almost hear the dramatic music playing in the background.

"Yes," Cherry replied, her voice tinged with confusion.

"As in Evan Sinclair's daughter?" Dad continued, and I was ready to be mind-blown.

"Yes, he's my dad. Um, but why?" Cherry asked, now slightly nervous.

My dad, always the mysterious one, smirked and said, "Oh, that's great. Evan and I have been great friends since childhood, so the name Sinclair sounded a bit familiar and so I asked you. I haven't seen him in a while. Where is he?"

Wait, wait, wait! Hold up! Our dads are childhood friends, and he knows Cherry's dad, Evan Sinclair? And I was just discovering this now? My brain was doing somersaults, and I felt like I was living in a parallel universe.

"He's in Korea for some work-related stuff, as far as he told me. He'll be back in a week or two," Cherry explained.

"I see. You were just a little munchkin the last time I saw you, and then your dad sent you abroad, right? You probably wouldn't remember me because you were just a kid. Haha," dad chuckled.

"Yes, I did go abroad, but I came back two years ago. And honestly I don't remember you much," Cherry revealed.

"I heard about your return from Evan. Never got the chance to meet you again, but I'm glad you're here tonight. You've grown into such a pretty and humble young lady," dad complimented, earning a shy "thank you" from Cherry.

In that moment, I was like the confused Pikachu meme—ears perked up, eyes wide, and brain completely fried. Our dads were childhood friends, and here I was, clueless about it all along. It's like a never-ending roller-coaster of surprises, and I swear, if one more weird thing happens, I might actually go bonkers.

"Even Evan hasn't seen Karma since then, I guess. Do tell me when your father comes back; I would love to have a family get-together to catch up again," dad said, glancing at me with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

A family get-together? Was this some sort of dad code for matchmaking? My eyes widened, and my brain hit the panic button. I could almost hear the 'Mission Impossible' theme playing in the background. Cherry, meanwhile, seemed genuinely amused by the whole situation.

"Sure, Mr. Nakamura. I'll let you know when dad's back. I'm sure he'd love to meet everyone again," she replied graciously.

And there I was, stuck in the middle of this wacky sitcom, the befuddled protagonist trying to make sense of the madness. It was like being the star of a show I never auditioned for, with each episode delivering an unexpected plot twist.

As we continued with dinner, I couldn't help but feel like the universe was playing a cosmic game of chess with my life. One minute, I'm a regular high school student minding my own business, and the next, I'm caught in a whirlwind of coincidences and quirky encounters.

Mom and Cherry got along like two peas in a pod, and Alyssa was already treating Cherry like her long-lost big sister. The camaraderie was almost too surreal. I half-expected aliens to pop out of the ceiling and reveal that this was all an elaborate prank show.

Amidst the laughter and lively chatter, my mind kept doing mental acrobatics. How did Cherry's dad know my dad? Why did my dad suddenly turn into Mr. Congeniality with her? Was this some cosmic setup for an epic father-daughter matchmaking scheme?

As the dinner wrapped up and Cherry bid us farewell, promising crepes and dessert at her place, I found myself on the verge of going bananas.

As Cherry left, my dad gave me one of his signature sly looks. "You know, Karma, she's quite a catch. Maybe you should take her up on that offer and get to know her better."

My jaw dropped, and I could've sworn a tumbleweed rolled by in the living room. This had officially crossed the line from wacky sitcom to full-blown rom-com.

"Come on, Dad! It's not like that at all. We're just classmates working on a project," I protested, my face turning redder than a cherry tomato.

He winked, clearly enjoying my flustered state. "Oh, I'm just saying, son. You never know what the future holds."

As I lay on my bed, trying to sleep, my brain decided to pull an all-nighter, throwing a wild party of thoughts about Cherry. Who would've thought that the girl I once wanted to avoid like Monday morning classes would morph into a central figure in the circus of my mind?

And then it happened—I whipped out my phone and pulled up the contact Tatsuya had sent me. My brilliant idea? To text Cherry and express my newfound appreciation for her presence. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything. Everything could go wrong.

"You really aren't that bad as I thought you might turn out to be. I think I am starting to like you being around," I typed. And without hesitation, I hit send.

Cue the dramatic horror movie music as I realized the gravity of my mistake. 

Wait, what? No, no, no, no, no, NO! What the actual flying pancakes did you just do, Karma?

I felt like I had just set off a digital time bomb.

In a desperate attempt to undo my folly, I frantically selected the message and stumbled towards the "delete for everyone" button. But in my panic mode, my finger betrayed me like a rebellious traitor and hit the "delete for me" button instead.

Cherry's typing bubble appeared on the screen, signaling her response.

Oh god, now she's typing. Goddamn, I am doomed.

"Who are you? And why do you have my number?" read Cherry's bewildered response.

Oh yeah, I got her number from Tatsuya. Brilliant, Karma. Just brilliant.

With my heart racing, I mustered the courage to reveal the truth. "Oh yeah, I got your number from Tatsuya, no wonder you won't recognize it," I confessed, feeling like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

“Oh Karma, it’s you. I had a nice time too. You are a fun guy, I too liked your company. :)”

So, she didn't run away screaming from my accidental confession-that-wasn't-a-confession.

"Well, well, well, look at us now," I grinned at my phone like a goofy fool.

My fingers were itching to type again, but I fought the urge. It was going to be a long, long night of resisting the temptation to send more disastrous texts.