When I got home that day, my room felt quieter than usual.
Not because it was silent — my younger siblings were still arguing about something useless, my mother was still moving around the house, and the TV was still shouting from the living room — but because my mind was somewhere else entirely.
Her number was in my phone.
Just that alone made everything feel different.
I dropped my bag on the floor and sat on my bed, holding my phone like it was something fragile. I unlocked it, opened my contacts, and stared at the saved name.
Precious.
Seeing it there didn't feel real.
A few days ago, she was just someone who walked into my class and changed the air around me. Now, she was a contact in my phone — someone I could actually talk to without standing there forgetting how to speak.
But that also came with a new problem.
Now I had no excuse.
I couldn't hide behind shyness or distance anymore. If I wanted anything to happen, I had to make the first move.
I lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
Okay, I told myself.
Just say hi. Don't overthink it.
I opened WhatsApp.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Locked my phone.
Unlocked it again.
My phone was probably confused.
Finally, I forced myself to open the chat.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Hi?
Too dry.
Hey?
Too casual.
Hello Precious?
Too serious.
I sighed and typed the simplest thing possible.
Me: Hi
I sent it before I could change my mind.
Then I stared at the screen.
Delivered.
I waited.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Twenty.
My heart wasn't racing — it was just heavy, like it was waiting too.
Then…
Seen.
And immediately after:
Precious: Hi 🙂
That smiley face felt like sunlight.
I sat up on my bed, suddenly awake like I had just been called for something important.
Me: How was your day?
Precious: Fine. Yours?
We started like that — simple, calm, normal.
School talk. Teachers. Homework. Complaints about boring classes. Small jokes about who dozes off in class the most. And slowly, without realizing it, the conversation became lighter.
The jokes started.
I made one silly comment about how our math teacher sounded like he was reading from an ancient book.
She replied:
Precious: 😂 That's true o
And just like that, I smiled like a fool at my phone.
We talked about random things — favorite foods, music, annoying classmates, embarrassing moments. I didn't feel shy. I didn't feel blocked. The words flowed easily.
Two hours passed like twenty minutes.
I kept checking the time and being shocked that it was already that late.
Then she typed:
Precious: You're funny.
I stared at that message for a while.
No one had called me that in a long time.
Me: Thank you 😅
Then came the message that froze me.
Precious: Why are you shy of me in school?
My fingers stopped.
I read it again.
And again.
My brain started running.
Why was I shy?
Because I liked her.
Because I was scared.
Because I didn't want to mess things up.
But I wasn't ready to say that.
So I typed:
Me: I'm not shy.
She replied almost immediately.
Precious: Yes you are 😄
I smiled, but I also panicked.
I needed a way out.
Something that wouldn't expose me but also wouldn't sound stupid.
Me: I'm just calm.
She sent:
Precious: Okay then 😆
That laugh emoji felt like mercy.
We continued chatting for a bit, then slowly the conversation cooled down. We said goodnight and went offline.
I lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
My phone rested on my chest.
My mind replayed every message.
I whispered to myself:
One small step for you…
One giant step for me.
And for the first time in a long while, I slept with a smile.