That night, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned for hours, thinking about what happened. My entire body ached and my head was spinning. All I could manage to think was one thing.
What have I done..? It echoed in my mind, slowly getting louder and louder. I felt a twisting feeling in my stomach, and I could barely see straight. I couldn't bring myself to check my phone, even though it had been vibrating like crazy since I fled the restaurant. I sighed and took a glance at my phone and saw two names in the sea of notifications. Jonah and Buffy. I chose to ignore these messages, and instead opened one of my 12 coloring book apps, opting to color my stress away.
Hours went by, and eventually I cleared through all of the coloring sheets for the day. The effects of the coloring worked as I had hoped, as I had gotten my mind to a more stable state. I was now ready to check the messages my friends had sent me. First, I decided to check Buffy, as I didn't quite have it in my heart to check the messages from Jonah.
Cyrus? Jonah texted. Something happened?
Cyrus, please answer.
I can't help if I don't know what's happening.
just text me when you feel up to it, ok?
I sighed, a small smile crossing my face. I thought it over for a moment before deciding to send a reply, just to let her know I hadn't resorted to something drastic or anything.
I'm fine, sis. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. Promise.
I smiled a bit, but it didn't last long. All that was left was a series of messages from Jonah, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to read them. Of course, that didn't stop me. I hesitantly opened our messages.
Cy, what just happened?
Can you please call me?
Cyrus?
We need to talk about what happened...
Jonah's messages triggered a bit of anxiety deep inside of me. I bit my lip and checked the time. Almost 1 a.m. Maybe it would be better to wait until morning to call him. Or maybe it would be better to not call him at all. Calling him would most likely end in me doing or saying something even more stupid than what I had done at the Spoon. I was just about to put my phone down when it went off again. And the message was from Jonah...
Please don't ignore me, Cy. I want to talk about this.
I sighed and shook my head. I could tell he was serious, and he could now tell that I was awake due to read receipts. I nodded slowly and called him, biting my lip as the phone began to ring softly in my ear. After just two rings, Jonah's voice came through.
"Hello..?" He asked in a slightly hushed voice. He sounded like he was tired and stressed, which was not at all how I knew him.
"H-hey, Jonah..." I managed, feeling my heart begin to flutter.
"What happened..? Why did you run..?" Jonah whispered, causing a pang of guilt in my stomach.
"I... I was embarrassed. I mean... I kissed you, Jonah..." I mumbled, my face heating up as I said it. I could feel my body begin to shake a bit as he responded.
"I know... But you didn't have to run away. You kissed me, so what..?" Jonah questioned, not seeming to connect the dots of holding hands, constant nerves, and now a kiss. I sighed and shook my head.
"You know, Jonah... I don't think you quite understand... I kissed you... Because I like you." I whispered, bracing myself for the sound of him hanging up. Instead, I just heard a small sound that I would typically associate with a realization.
"Yeah... Now you see why I'm humiliated..." I muttered, still waiting for him to inevitably hang up. Rather than hang up, however, he gave a tiny chuckle.
"That's okay, Cy... Tomorrow, how about I take you skating with me again..? But you don't have to skate this time. Promise." He chuckled, his voice lightening a bit. I couldn't help but smile. Of course, I didn't know what it meant when he said that, but it was better than him not speaking to me.
"Yeah... It's a date." I said with a small smile.
"Date... I like the way that sounds when you say it." Jonah said, giving a small yawn. After a few moments, I had to ask the question that was brought up by that statement.
"Does that mean we're going on a date..?" I choked out, barely able to hear my own voice over my heart's erratic pounding. I heard Jonah pondering on the other end of the phone for a moment before he let out a small, joyful sound.
"Yeah... We're going on a date." Jonah confirmed, and I felt my heart burst out of my chest.