Sophie didn't even realize how she reached her home.
She was lost throughout the time in the cab, barely registering her driver's question.
After reaching home, she stumbled inside and fell on the bed, without even changing her dress.
She lay there, staring at the fan and the roof, feeling numb and empty.
She might have been crying, but there was no expression on her face, only tears streaming down her cheeks.
One after another, conversations with Gabriel came to her mind, haunting her
with the questions she could never ask, the answers she never got, the closure she never had.
Her expression was one of despair and hopelessness. She had given up on finding Gabriel, the man she had loved for so long, the man who had left her without a word.
As she closed her eyes, Gabriel's voice filled her mind. She remembered their first conversation, every word and every pause.....
3 years ago.....
Sophie, bored on a Sunday night, decided to explore a new dating app that claimed to match people based on their interests and personality.
After downloading the app, she crafted a brief introduction for her profile.
Swiping left and right, Sophie encountered numerous generic descriptions, cliched quotes, and selfies.
Frustrated, she muttered, "Ahhh, this app sucks."
However, just as she was about to delete the app, one profile caught her eye. The profile name, "The Egalitarian," stood out.
And the profile picture resembled that of a philosopher or someone equally intriguing.
Intrigued by its uniqueness, Sophie opened the profile and was pleasantly surprised by a precise and intelligent bio.
(Hi, I'm an egalitarian....
I believe in equality....
I'm looking for someone who is open to new ideas.
I enjoy reading, writing, and listening to new people.
If you think we might be a good match, send me a message and let's chat.)
Sophie discovered this account, and it stood out from the rest. The introduction was succinct, the profile picture unassuming, and there were no overused cliches like "chai over coffee" or "beaches over mountains and many more.
Sophie was not much into philosophical things, but one thing in that profile caught her attention: "interested in listening to new people" and and in that moment, she felt the urge to converse.
By reading this sentence, she just smiled and thought of sending him a message..
'If it would be boring, then I will block the person. What's the deal?' she thought while looking at the profile.
She swiped right and waited for the response.
Within a few minutes, she got the match.
She felt a surge of excitement and anticipation.
Again, the phone vibrated. A message popped up on the screen.
The Egalitarian: "Hi".
Sophie was pleasantly surprised by his quick response. She smiled and thought he was eager to talk to her.
The Egalitarian (T.E): "Did I reply too soon? Maybe I should pretend to be busy and make you wait. How long do you think is appropriate?" He added a wink emoji to the sentence.
Sophie laughed out loud when she saw this reply and started typing..
Sophie: "Ha..ha, no need to delete the message. I appreciate your promptness."
T.E: "Thank you so much.... By the way, what made you swipe right on my profile? I don't get matches often."
Sophie: "Well, there is not a single pic of yours, so of course your name caught my attention."
T.E: "Reasonable."q
Sophie: "So, Mr. Egg… I hope you're not too cracked up by your nickname. "
T.E: "Well, it's certainly egg-straordinary. I don't mind it at all."
Sophie burst into laughter as she read the reply.
Sophie: "You're such a good sport, Mr. Egg. But don't you think it's time to reveal your true identity? What's your real name?"
T.E: "I'll tell you my name, my lady, but only if you agree to one thing…"
Sophie: "And what might that be?"
Sophie raised her eyebrows and felt a surge of curiosity. She wondered what he was going to ask her.
Sophie could see the typing indicator on the screen.
Finally, the message popped up.
It said: "I will only tell you my name, but other than that I'm not going to give any of my personal details. Is that OK with you?"
Sophie was intrigued by Mr.Egg's message. She found it interesting...She quickly typed back, eager to hear his answer…
Sophie :"Why so secretive?"
T.E said, "The reason is very simple. We are strangers, and I don't prefer sharing personal details with random strangers."
Sophie flashed a mischievous smile....
She decided to play along and see if she could get him to open up.
"OK, boss, agreed. Can I know your name now ?" Sophie asked.
T.E :" I'm Gabriel," .
"Woo, that's a sexy name," Sophie exclaimed.
"Names can also be sexy? I didn't know that," Gabriel typed with a smiley.
"I can make everything sexier and hotter,"
Sophie typed while laughing. She bit her lower lip with a witty smile, feeling a warm flush on her cheeks as she waited for his reply.
But no reply came.
Some time passed and Sophie began to feel that she had said too much. Was he offended by her flirtatious comment?
She checked his profile and saw that he was online, but not replying.
Sophie felt a surge of curiosity and typed, "Hey, don't tell me you're shy. It was just a harmless flirt. Did I scare you off?"
She saw the three dots indicating that Gabriel was typing, but they disappeared after a few seconds.
She wondered if he was having second thoughts.
Finally, he sent a message, "No, no, you didn't scare me. I just didn't know how to respond to that. I'm not very good at flirting, to be honest. Sorry."
Sophie smiled and replied, "Don't be sorry. Flirting is an art, and I can teach you. How about we start with a compliment?"
Gabriel - "You're very easy and fun to talk to, and I'm not flirting."
Sophie:" Thank you. You're not so bad yourself."
She thought that asking a lot of questions would make their conversation more engaging and meaningful.
But before she could type anything, a new message popped up on her screen…
Gabriel: Hey sophie , It's time for me to go. I really liked our conversation. I'll text you later, c yaa.
'No…' she exclaimed, making a face. She wished he would linger and chat more.
Sophie was tempted to ask him when he would be online again, but she refrained. She didn't want to sound desperate or clingy.
She typed, "Okay… see you later then",added a few smiley emojis to make it seem like she was not bothered by his exit.
Gabriel went offline. Sophie put the phone aside and lay on the bed, burying her face in the pillow.
Present Day....
The same way she was lying on the bed today….
She had no idea that a casual chat with a stranger on a goofy app would spark an unforeseen romance, which would become her whole world.
She rolled over and stared at the ceiling, shutting her eyes to soothe her thoughts.
Sophie wished she could erase everything for a moment. But soon, her phone buzzed. It was a text from James.
James - "Hey, Sophie… how are you?"
Sophie read the message and felt a wave of embarrassment. She remembered what she had done at the restaurant.
She wanted to apologize, so replied right away "Hello. I'm good."
James asked, "What are you doing?"
Sophie said, "Nothing, just lying on the bed. How about you?"
James said, "No, nothing much. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you, anytime you need me. That's all."
Sophie typed, "That's very comforting to hear, James. Thank you so much…and I'm really sorry about what happened today."
James replied, "Shhh… you don't have to think about it. It's 4 a.m. You should sleep. Don't think too much. Everything will be alright. Good night."
After sending a brief "Goodnight" to James, Sophie switched off her phone.
She felt a wave of relief wash over her, soothing her restless mind.
Probably James had no clue about the turmoil she was facing because of Gabriel, but he had somehow managed to calm her down with his simple message.
She closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.