Page 15 of Texting My Valentine

“Newsflash, Lily: being honest with your date from the get-go is a recipe for disaster.”

“I happen to disagree with that profoundly,” Lily retorted.

My phone vibrates. It’s my Valentine's stranger.

Valentine Stranger:Don’t worry. I wasn’t expecting a damn thing. If you want the truth, I think this is awaste of time. I don’t want to spoil your evening, but you might be better off texting somebody else.

Wow, talk about grumpy. And here I was, thinking I was the most negative person in this joint.

Tori:I can’t do that since we’ve only got each other’s numbers.

Valentine Stranger:I don’t want to disappoint you.

It’s difficult to keep it casual when he’s being so stubbornly grumpy.

Tori:What’s your favorite color?

Valentine Stranger:Laugh out loud. Did you seriously just ask me that?

Tori:You just typed ‘laugh out loud’ instead of using LOL. Don’t try to take the moral high ground here.

Valentine Stranger:LOL makes me feel like an angsty teenager texting my crush.

Tori:Are you always this serious?

“Lily, is she smiling?” Cleo teases.

“Hush,” Lily says. “Don’t break the spell.”

Heck, they’re right. I’ve got an unabashed grin on my face, and no way to deny it.

It’s not my fault this guy is the grumpiest person in the universe.

Valentine Stranger:I’m not one for games.

Tori:Why? Been played before, huh?

“Hmm, I may have struck a sore point,” I mutter when he doesn’t reply for a few minutes.

“Can I see?” Cleo asks.

I overreact, holding the phone to my chest.

“Message received. Getting spicy already?” Cleo says, holding up her hands in surrender.

I shake my head. “No, but my texts are private, thank you very much.”

“Your silver fox has been on his phone, by the way,” Lily chimes.

I turn, casually glancing in his direction, but he’s leaning broodily against the bar. Several women are sneaking glances at him, probably hoping he’s their secret texter. It shouldn’t bother me, especially since I’ve solemnly vowed to be casual. But maybe it bothers me just a little—the teensy tiniest amount.

“He’s not now,” I say.

“Have you received any texts back?” Cleo asks.

“Nope.”

“I’ll sneakily watch him. When he’s on his phone, if you get a text, we’ll know it’s him,” she says conspiratorially.

---