Gabriel had been offline for 15 days, leaving Sophie in a state of uncertainty.
She grappled with the dilemma of whether to move on or cling to the memories of their three years of conversations.
The fateful swipe right on his profile now haunted her, and she wished she hadn't repeatedly begged him to reconnect.
The silence was deafening, and Sophie wondered if she'd ever hear from Gabriel again.
Sophie couldn't figure out what drew her to that man. How could she talk to him for three years without ever seeing his face!!?
Gabriel never even shared his phone number; they only communicated through that app.
Ever since Gabriel ceased texting, Sophie had become an ardent investigator of their relationship.
The silence between them weighed heavily, urging her to dissect every memory, every word exchanged, seeking answers that remained elusive.
Sophie couldn't forget her second chat with Gabriel. It had impacted her profoundly, leaving an indelible trace in her mind.
After their initial chat on the app, Sophie eagerly yearned for another conversation with Gabriel.
She sent him several messages, saying "I truly enjoyed our talk. Can we chat again soon?"
A day later , Gabriel replied, "Hey, I'm glad to hear that.....but what did you like so much about our conversation?"
Sophie quickly typed back, "Maybe your calmness."
Gabriel asked again, "How did you sense that I was calm in such a short time?"
Sophie paused and wondered how to answer. Before she could think of anything, Gabriel sent another message;
"Were you just making things up? It seems like you have nothing to say."
Sophie felt annoyed by his accusation. She wrote, "That's not fair. Just because I can't express everything in words doesn't mean I'm lying."
Gabriel replied with a smiley emoji. "Don't be upset," he said. "I'm not trying to provoke you. I simply believe that if you can't explain something clearly, perhaps it's best left unsaid."
Sophie, contemplating Gabriel's words, acknowledged his insight.
Disliking empty speech herself, she frequently criticized others for it. Yet, she hadn't recognized her own shortcomings.
She messaged, "You're correct. I should've been clearer about what I meant. Can I have some time to think about it?"
Gabriel wrote, "Sure, no rush. I respect your honesty and I hope you'll be more accurate in the future."
From then on, they chatted every day and Sophie learned something new each time.
Sophie used to think that talking to someone every day would make her lose interest, but for the first time, she felt that she could never get tired of Gabriel, because he had so much to teach her.
Sophie's maturity surpassed that of her circle of friends. And she also had a little pride in this matter.
She used to say in front of others that she needed to learn further, but she was not able to learn, perhaps because of her arrogance.
One of the reasons could be that she lacked intellectual stimulation in her surroundings, as everyone around her was wealthy self-absorbed people.
They seemed to have no clear vision or purpose in their lives, except for accumulating more money. And that was the only reason why people paid attention to them.
She recalled another thing that Gabriel had asked her once.
He had said "You frequently mention having few friends due to the lack of intellectual depth in those around you. Now, Sophie, could you share the qualities that would make an intellectual enjoy conversing with you every day?"
Sophie faced a reality check. She had never considered this question before.
Yes, she had something that made her stand out from the people around her. But was that enough to achieve her potential?
Sophie struggled to find the answer.
Maybe it was Gabriel who guided her to find it.
In fact, Gabriel revealed two special things about her that she was unaware of herself.
First, her curiosity for learning new things.
Even though she sometimes rejected things because of her pride but deep inside she craved knowledge. Perhaps she had never realized this.
Second, Sophie's determination. Even though she had everything, her idea of doing a job to help the poor, seemed like foolish obstinacy to many people.
But for Gabriel, this was a very special trait. He thought that because of her persistence in doing something good, Sophie could do a lot for the society.
Sophie in all her days, had never possessed such profound self-awareness.
As she engaged in conversations with Gabriel, clarity dawned on her like a sunbeam piercing through the mist.
The fog lifted, revealing answers to questions that had once confounded her.
The very qualities she sought to refine became clearer, and she found herself navigating life with newfound purpose.
Perhaps this was why she continued talking to Gabriel, despite their physical separation over the past three years.
The absence of face-to-face meetings didn't diminish her interest; instead, it fueled their connection, like an unbreakable thread woven across time and space.
Present Day.....
Sophie lost track of time as she thought about all this.
She wondered if she should always be obsessed with Gabriel like this??
And the worst part for her was that she couldn't even share this with anyone.
Gabriel always wanted their relationship, which relied on a phone conversation, to be a secret. He used to think that some things are better left private.
But when he stopped talking to her, a great torment filled her heart.
She wished to express her suffering to someone. And the only person she had now was 'James'.
But she was also scared of his judgment.
How would she explain to James that for three years, she had been talking to someone on a random dating app, without any clue about his appearance, his number, or his identity.
It was possible that James would end their friendship when he heard her story. He might consider her naive…perhaps James would not understand the connection that Sophie felt with someone she could not describe.
But Sophie needed to tell James the truth, to lighten the load on her heart.
For the past 15 days, James had asked her to meet him many times, but she always dodged his messages.
This time, however, Sophie wanted to meet him.
She grabbed her phone and typed a message to James: "Hi James, are you available today? Can we meet in the evening?"
She wanted to meet James that very day, even though it was a weekday. He might be busy, but she was desperate to see him.
She waited for his reply, which came after five minutes.
"Hi Sophie, sure we can meet, but is it okay if I'm a bit late?" "Yes, no problem," Sophie answered right away.
A weight lifted off Sophie's chest.
Now she didn't worry about how James would react. She found peace in her mind as she thought of sharing with him.
Sophie decided to dress up elegantly for the evening . As she walked towards the mirror, she recalled a quote by Akiroq Brost
"The only way to heal is to trust and open up. To lay our guards down and show our true selves. To communicate, to share, to love."