Chapter 85: Risqué Escapades
** Eli ** They didn’t talk again for the rest of the week after that brief call. Eli immediately started using the new codename for Harper’s project — strictly for the private blocks on his calendar that were visible to only himself, of course — and every time the perfect title popped up on his screen, it would bring a smile to his face and remind him to check his phone, in the hopes that Harper would think of something else amazing to ask him or tease him with. Soon, the habit evolved into a constant expecting glance at the blank screen, in frequencies that increased steadily from a few times a day to a few times an hour.
A long four days passed in disappointment though, because of course, a watched phone doesn’t buzz. It wasn’t until he got back to his apartment on Friday evening that he saw a list of missed notifications:
[ Harper: Would you think I’m a chicken if I tell you I’m a bit scared about tmr? ]
[ Harper: I’ve never seen a shop like the one we’re going to. Not in real life at least. ]
[ Harper recalled a message. ]
Interesting. Recalling a message on him? A smile tugged at the corner of Eli’s lips as he immediately texted back: [ What did you delete? ]
Three blinking dots appeared right away. She must’ve been clutching her phone and waiting for his reply — the realization made him feel incredibly flattered, though at the same time, also a bit guilty for making her wait in uncertainty. How could he have missed those messages in the first place? He’d better be checking for her texts even more frequently from now on.
The response came within seconds. [ Nothing. I just made some typos. ]