Page 158 of Texting Dr. Stalker

See? This istotallygood for me.

My phone vibrated just as I went to tuck it into my bag.

I hated that my heart rate spiked, thinking it might be X.

After he cut contact, I’d torn out the SIM from the burner phone and put it into mine, cloning the messages and number thanks to dual SIM slots. I refused to carry two phones for the rest of my life, especially if he’d never message me again.

Swiping my inbox open, I stiffened.

Unknown Number:Thank you so much for dinner. It was perfect. I can’t believe you offered to feed me, and I wasn’t awake to say thanks in person. Sorry about that.

I slouched in my velour-covered chair.

Well, it definitely wasn’t X.

Me:I’m assuming this is Zander?

He replied instantly, and I saved his number into my contacts. My address book flashed up with X’s number, seeing as the two letters were at the end of the alphabet. Why did I have to crush on two men with uncommon letters? Why couldn’t one of them have started with a D or an S instead of being almost side by side?

Zander:It is. I can’t believe we’ve never exchanged numbers.

Me:I agree. Don’t take this the wrong way. I’m happy to be able to chat, but…how did you get my number? I don’t remember sharing?

It took him a minute or two to reply.

Zander:It was in one of Gran’s old notebooks.

Me:Luckily, you didn’t throw it out.

Zander:I agree.

The conversation reached a natural end; I didn’t know if I should reply or not. I’d made him dinner. He’d thanked me. There wasn’t much else to say, despite the rising bubbly feelings inside me.

The theatre suddenly plunged into darkness. People hushed each other as the movie started.

One second, I was fine.

The next, that awful, prickly,horriblefear tiptoed down my spine with icy fingers.

My pulse kicked up, drenching my system with adrenaline.

The music system blasted with its ‘Dolby Surround Sound’ experience, making me jolt like an idiot in my seat.

Oh no.

My eyes flew to the exit.

Fight-or-flight gushed through my limbs, making me desperate to run.

Breathe.

Just breathe.

The person next to me kicked my ankle as they shifted to get comfortable.

The urge to hit them and scream almost made me hyperventilate.

You’re fine.

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