Page 12 of Caught Stealing

I’m telling you, it’s a hoppin’ place for the older folks.

Hoppin’? You sure you’re not already like sixty? Seventy?

Sometimes I feel that old, but no, I’m only thirty-two. Is hoppin’ not what the kids are saying these days?

Okay, insert TONS of rolling on the floor laughing emojis here. I don’t even understand half of what my students say. It’s a whole other language, so as far as I’m concerned, hoppin’ is where it’s at.

Are you flirting with me now? It’s hard to tell. Seems like flirting to me, Charlotte.

What? Me flirt? No. I’m terrible at that. It’s merely a statement of fact. Hoppin’ is happenin’.

This devolved into something I was not expecting.

What were you expecting?

Honest answer? First dates are sort of hard, right? I kind of assumed it would be even harder talking this way. I’m pleasantly surprised. You’re making me smile.

Smile? Well, I aim to please. Maybe a little too much. My friends say I’m a people pleaser, but really I simply can’t stand to see people upset or down.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It’s good to want to make people smile and laugh. Question though…who makes you smile?

I pause and think. When was the last time someone went out of their way to make me smile? My friends, obviously, because they set me up on this app. They want me to be happy, but when was the last time someone joked around with me, had fun, and acted silly just to elicit happiness from me? Someone like…a man.

I don’t know. My friends try, hence being on this app, but truthfully, I guess I haven’t had anyone whose goal was to make me smile.

There’s a long pause. I dropped the biggest downer imaginable, which is probably not what he was looking for in a response. People say they want the truth, but when they get it and it’s not what they expect, it sours things. I’m just about to give up when I get another message, but it’s not from Andrew. It’s from the app.

Andrew sent you a call request.

He wants to talk…over the phone. Technically, I already approved that when I accepted the chat, but I suppose it’s an added safeguard. I hesitate for a moment, then figure what harm can it do? I tap accept and wait.

Chapter Five

Andrew

It was not what I was expecting, but it hit me hard all the same. Charlotte seems to be a lot like my sister—a big time people pleaser who hides her loneliness from others with a big fat smile, all the while all she really wants is someone to put forth the same effort she puts into every relationship. Or I’m reading more into her answers than is there. It’s hard to tell over chats. I need to talk to her. If her smiles are anything like they seem in her profile picture, then…challenge accepted. I want to know what makes her laugh, and to do that, I need to hear her laugh.

I wait after sending the request. Who knows what I anticipated, but my heart jumps when the alert comes through.

Charlotte has approved your phone request.

Her number reappears on the screen and I tap it. A few rings and moments of dreadful anticipation pass before she answers.

“Hey, Andrew.”

Wow. I am not prepared for the sound of my name falling from her lips and my brain scrambles. It’s soft. Feminine. Alluring in ways I did not prepare for.

“Are you there?” she asks.

I clear my throat and refocus. “Yeah, hi. Sorry. I hope it’s okay that I called?”

“Sure. I accepted, didn’t I? I actually thought I ran you off with my response.”

Right. She did accept. This woman’s airy, light voice laced with a sugary sweetness I cannot explain in words has rendered me nearly speechless. Knowing what she looks like, how she sounds, and a little more about her personality, has me intrigued. I’m more than intrigued, I’m…really hoping for an in-person date already.

“It was such a doomsday response,” she adds. “I’m not usually like that, I promise.”

“It wasn’t doomsday. It was truthful, and I like that. I also understand it. My sister is the same way. She’s sweet and kind to everyone, really livens and lightens up a room just by being in it. So, yeah, I like it."

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