Chapter Text
How can the simplest message be the hardest to send?
Aglaea, fresh from her nightly bath, cannot quell her restless heart. She rolls over to lay on her stomach in an attempt to calm the pounding. Her phone rests atop her pillow with the screen completely dark. She has long grown tired of all the tapping needed to bring the dimming device back to life, each instance being an agonizing reminder of just how long she keeps stalling.
Her face hits the mattress below in defeat. She feels the weight on her eyelids urging her to rest–and oh how it feels great to have them closed now–but there still lies an important matter to be dealt with.
It’s amusing how juvenile this all is, she can’t help but chuckle into the sheets over the thought of a woman her age being this nervous over messaging a new acquaintance from university. What’s the deal with this guy anyways? Sure, life can feel a bit more exciting with having a harmless crush around, but Aglaea isn’t sure she enjoys having someone occupy this much space in her mind.
A faint buzz catches her attention. After brushing the thin layer of sweat from her palm, she reaches towards the phone with a pointer finger outstretched. There isn’t much thought applied. The objective is to nudge the screen awake just enough to read the notification.
Until the device unexpectedly buzzes again and her finger jolts upwards. It accidentally opens right onto the messaging app she has spent far too much time tonight lingering on. And to her complete shock, and perhaps horror, she is greeted by new texts on this very page.
Her eyes grow wide.
> ANAXAGORAS: Hello.
> ANAXAGORAS: Are you still awake?
A small speech bubble indicating the other party's presence bounces at the bottom of the screen. At Aglaea's arrival, it quickly pops and fades away. She immediately sits up, throwing herself against the pillows until she's fully comfortable. She greatly hopes Anaxa is a man who wouldn’t care for analyzing the implications behind the speed at which she had (mistakenly) opened his message, but there is no time to be pondering such things now. Each passing moment her thumbs remain stilled adds to her increasing tension.
She decides it’s best to be as truthful as possible, since that's a trait she greatly values. She wonders if this peer was also of a similar type.
< GoldenLaea: Good evening, I am. I was just thinking of messaging you too, actually. Was there anything you needed?
> ANAXAGORAS: Nothing of great importance. How did you fare with my notes?
...
> ANAXAGORAS: You were thinking of me?
Aglaea had failed to realize just how close her phone had reached her face.
She lowers her arms, the bottom half of the screen fogged over from her breath. It was a simple question; Anaxa had lent her a few pages of his notes today in class and was merely curious about her studying progress.
But why did he have to add that last question?!
She feels her face heating up as she melts deeper into the pillows, wishing to be buried completely. To make things worse, the message that’s been keeping her up all night has still not been sent. Even with Anaxa making the situation easier by volunteering to pitch first in the conversation, nothing could've prepared her for this absolute curveball.
< GoldenLaea: I spent all evening comparing our notes and rewriting mine to be more comprehensible, thank you again for being of such great help! And I suppose it’s natural to have you in my thoughts after spending hours immersed in your writing
In under a heartbeat after sending her message, Anaxa’s thought bubble reappears at the bottom corner. Her phone drops to her chest. It feels like her heart would’ve exploded out if it had landed on her any harder.
Aglaea reflects on how long Anaxa always takes to type, since even the simplest messages that only require a few swipes across the keyboard can take him ages to send. She tries to imagine what he looks like at this moment, probably also relaxing on his bed like her but with his legs crossed over each other. Maybe he’s leaning against the headboard with a hand resting behind his head. Having only one free hand could explain why his messages took so long to be typed.
Her eyelids flutter shut. A full picture of his appearance fills her mind. Anaxa usually dresses in dark colors, thus it seems likely for his bedsheets to be of the same shades. Perhaps the furniture around him also matches. Not that Aglaea purposefully pays attention to the types of garments he arrives to class in every week or anything like that.
Buzz.
> ANAXAGORAS: Alright, alright, good point. I’m glad it all worked out for you. What was it that you wanted to message me about, though? I sense you’re holding back.
She lets out an exhale. It’s a bit uncomfortable being called out like this, but she’s still glad he continues to give her openings to proceed. Maybe he’s much more perceptive than she thought, although the idea of him being well aware of how nervous she was in this conversation only makes her more jittery. Biting back her fears, she finally types out the message rehearsed in her head countless times before.
< GoldenLaea: Forgive me, I don’t want it to seem as though I’m hiding anything from you. I was wondering if you wanted to meet me for lunch tomorrow. We don’t have class together this day, but I wanted to return your notes as soon as possible lest you too needed them to study with
< GoldenLaea: Also Anaxagoras, do you like cookies? I can bring a freshly baked batch to share, think of it as a thank you gift
…
> ANAXAGORAS: What kind of cookies?
< GoldenLaea: Oatmeal, my favorite 🙂
…
> ANAXAGORAS: I will admit, this is an offer difficult to resist. It’s not urgent for me to retrieve the notes as I’ve already memorized the subject anyways, but I shall still take you up on this offer. Depending on how good these cookies are, we may have to continue this act of sharing notes 😀 I jest, of course.
Aglaea beams at the positive response, rolling back and forth in her bed. It was the only response appropriate to let out the joy coursing through her body.
The two stay up for a little while longer, arranging for a location and time to meet the following day. Aglaea is eventually the first to initiate their goodbyes, knowing deep down that the faster she falls asleep, the quicker she’ll get to meet him in person later.
And unbeknownst to her, in a dormitory bed not too far away, lies an equally sleepy Anaxa. He’s already tucked tightly into bed, his room completely dark except for the low light emitting from his phone. Unable to sleep, he had mustered up the courage to reach for his phone and message the new acquaintance whose bright smile left him restless.
The image of that “cool guy” Aglaea conjured up was far from reality. Instead he hides under his dark-colored covers in a full dromas-themed onesie. Laying on his side, he grips his phone tightly in both hands with his beloved dromas plush tucked against his chest. The back of its head is a bit damp from being pressed against his lips for comfort.
He pulls the plush a bit closer into him.
Anaxa doesn’t really enjoy being a man who holds onto such a great amount of secrets. Such as exactly how nervous he also is in this conversation with a girl way out of his league, despite how calm of a performance he’s putting on. And naturally, no one knows exactly just how much dromas merchandise really fills up the shelves of his room and closet. Nor what he looks like without the intricately woven eyepatch that now rests on the edge of his bedside table.
But maybe if tomorrow’s date–is he even allowed to call it a date?– goes well, and leads to others, he might just permit Aglaea to see the sides he keeps hidden to the rest of the world. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves just yet, now.
Buzz.
His thoughts are interrupted by the notification of the final message he’ll receive that night.
> GoldenLaea: Sleep well, Anaxagoras
Anaxa’s shaking thumbs struggle to hit all the correct keys, constantly backspacing after each word. This particular message evokes more backspaces than usual, this time being due to actual uncertainty over his spelling. He ultimately decides to forgo those two letters of her name.
<ANAXAGORAS: Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Goodnight, Laea.