Chapter 1

I just sat down on our cozy couch when a message popped out of my phone. It was my friend, Ivan. I immediately opened his message, and I read it using only my eyes. It says "Hey Brianna, let's play; we need one to make up a team", he said. At first, I was timid and uncomfortable playing with him and his friends. I am not used to playing with other people since I am not good at gaming, but Ivan insisted, so I gave it a try.

I opened my phone, and after a few seconds, they invited me. It was his friends from school, but I am pretty sure they don't know that it was me since I am not exposed as a gamer. When it's time to pick our hero, his friend asks him. Ivan, who is that? A random player or someone that you know?", he asked. Ivan immediately answers and says, "Secret, just my friend".

After five minutes, the match had already started. Ivan and his friends are known to be this good at playing mobile games. They won each and every match they tried to join. After two matches, they said that we were done, so I grabbed my blanket and laid down to take a rest and scroll through social media. We are stuck at home since it's a pandemic. Everyone is not allowed to go out unless necessary. Being at home the whole day for a few months really sucks, but there is nothing to do since I don't have to work, so whether I am bored or not, I just stick here at our house. in my room, to be exact.

It's a cold night today, September 26. I am wearing my pink pajamas as well as my pink sleepwear, and I opened my phone to play a game alone when someone messaged me asking me to play with him. "Who is this?", I ask myself. After a few seconds of thinking, I think I knew it; it was Ivan, so I do reply to him. "Okay, invite me then", I added.

We play two games. After we played, that's the only time I realized that the season would end soon. I frowned but immediately took it back as my face changed to a new reaction, which was confusion. Someone messaged me, and guess what? It's not Ivan. I open the message, and he says, "Nice game, my bad". I stopped for a moment and remembered everything. I opened my account again to see what Ivan's gaming profile was, and I was shocked when I saw that I played with a different person. I cover my mouth out of confusion. "After all this time, Brianna? You are playing with a totally different person. Seriously?!" I shouted in front of the mirror. I was shy because I even said words that might make him uncomfortable while we were playing because I thought he was Ivan!

"Wait, I thought you were Ivan. I am sorry for the bad words I've said while playing. I didn't know you", I said to him, and I am still mesmerized that I played with another person that I don't know personally. After three seconds, he replied. "It's okay. By the way, my profile is way different from your friend Ivan's." That's what he said. "Yea I know, I just figured it out after you message me, sorry again for bothering you".

"You are not an inconvenience for me for even a second. I had fun playing with you, and that all matters to me. I hope we can play on some other day too". He said.

I am not used to talking to boys, except with my friends. I have lots of boy friends, but I don't like dating or hitting up other people; it's not my thing. I don't know how I am going to talk to him; that's why I just reacted with a heart to his message. I lay down my head on the headboard of my bed, then I am trying to think something. I think I've heard his name before. "Hmm? When was it and why?", I said to myself.

After how many minutes? I already figured it out. "He was the person Hailey was talking about last year!", I said to myself, and I am still amused because what a small world that we interact again, or did he do it intentionally? I grab my phone again and message him. "I knew it! You had a crush on me last year since my friend Hailey told me so, am I right?", I said and sent it to him. He replied in a few moments and told me that he was shy at the moment because I do remember him. "That's why it feels like you are familiar to me", I added.

"Yes, it was me, and if you won't ask, I still have a crush on you". He said.

We talked for hours until I fell asleep while we were talking. The next day I told him that I felt bad that I left him unread since I fell asleep, and he replied that it's okay. Eventually, I didn't notice that we had been talking for a few days already and that we played games often. That's when I ask myself if I will give him a chance since we are talking and playing games too. Maybe because of what we are doing, he has high hopes that we can be together, but I am too advanced, but what if? I am just thinking of the possible scenarios so I can prevent bad things from happening.

I didn't bother to do a thing. I said to myself, Go with the flow only. If it leads me somewhere beautiful, then so be it. If it leads me somewhere that is painful, then I will learn from it. For the five months that we have been talking, I decided to put a label on it. I want us to be a couple. For the very first time, I am not afraid to commit. I believed in love, and thaI called him. It was February 16 at dawn when I called him. We hadn't seen each other since we started talking during the pandemic. I don't know if I should say it's a long-distance relationship because he is not that far from me. We are just in one different city, and it's not that far to call it a long-distance relationship. Anyway, I called him.

"Hey, I want to tell you something, Joel". I said, I sighed because I am nervous. I don't know if I am doing the right thing because he never asks me out. He just confessed that he liked me and nothing else. I don't know how to say "yes" to something that has not been asked. I am literally confused as fuck, but out of confusion, I said over the call "Let's put a label on it". t is amazing. I never knew that love felt like this. I never felt these feelings before; it feels like I am walking on soft clouds while eating ice cream. The feelings are insane.

I heard him stutter; he was trying to speak, but maybe he is nervous like me.

"Is it true?" He says. It looks like he is having fun, but at the same time, he is nervous.

"Yes, it's true, and I am sure". I assured him that I was not making sudden decisions. I want him to feel that I am sure and ready to commit to where we will go. What journey will we take together? I conquered my fear of falling in love with this one man.

"I am so happy, Brianna! I really am". He said this to me while smiling ear to ear.

"I love you." He added.

That makes my heart flutter, and I don't know how to react because I am too happy to speak. I just want to feel the moment. I just want to feel it wholeheartedly.

"I love you too". That's the word that came out of my mouth. I never thought that I would say those words to a man at this age. I don't know what to feel, but all I know is that I am happy.

February 16, 2021, is one of the best years of my life. I am not single anymore. I am taken. I am taken by someone who loves me wholeheartedly. I am with someone who makes me believe that teenage love is true and exists. He makes my high school life happy and exciting. It's just sad because there is no face-to-face class because of the pandemic, but it's okay.

I have no idea what the future will bring to me—I mean to us. But one thing is for sure: I am happy to face all of it with my man. I am so happy that I want to sleep while smiling. That's the best feeling that I could ever have. Thank you for choosing me to be your partner. I am beyond grateful.