The Meeting

The Instagram

leahwilliamsonn followed you.

My heart once again began to race. What was it about this girl that made me feel so on edge all of the time? Of course I found her attractive but there was something with her that I couldn't put my finger on. An excitement that came from being in her company that I had never felt before. I hit the follow back button immediately, mind games of waiting a few hours or days had never really been my idea of fun. I began to scroll down her profile, seeing pictures from her Euros camp and pictures of her and her family. Just as I decided to not scroll too far in fear of accidentally liking one of her posts, my phone vibrated again. She had messaged me. Leah had messaged me.

Hey, I'm really glad we got to meet again in more normal circumstances than me thinking I was about to die. I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable earlier when I said I was gutted you weren't on my next flight. I tend to say what I'm thinking, without thinking. Hope you got home safe x

I didn't want to read too much into the message but I couldn't not respond and have her thinking she had made uncomfortable. Uncomfortable was a big word, I think it was unexpected and then when I realised I'd taken more meaning out of than what was meant, I was more uncomfortable with myself. I thought for a second before replying:

Hi, not at all. I guess we shared a moment when we thought it was the end, not that we are dramatic! Sorry if you thought I got a bit weird after that, I was getting tired and needed to head home. I hope enjoy the rest of your trip.x

With that message, my eyes began to flutter shut and the world became quiet. When I woke up, my phone was still firmly in my hand and I read through the notifications one by one, hoping the write up of my performance would be out and wondering if Leah had replied to me. I noticed the instagram notification from her appeared to look like she had sent more than one message, as I clicked to read them my heart began to pound but then dropped to my feet.

[23:46] No, I'm sorry. I cut you off and told you I hadn't meant what I said in that way when I guess I probably did. I have thought a lot about you since that day, I just didn't want to look silly or make you feel uncomfortable by carrying on the conversation when you were clearly feeling awkward.

[00:24] I'm sorry, I've done it again haven't I? Please just ignore me. I'm a disaster!

Fuck. She had messaged me something so sincere and I was too busy sleeping to reply and now she thinks I was ignoring it because I was uncomfortable - again! I typed multiple responses and deleted every single one of them. I decided to shower and eat before I replied, guessing that if she was still up at 12:30am, she was probably still asleep at just gone 7 and wouldn't notice I had left her on seen.

Once I felt a little more fresh, I sat down to my phone again. I don't know what came over me but I had a sudden rush of bravery as my fingers lead the way, typing my response before I could change my mind:

I'm sorry, I fell asleep last night. You haven't done anything so don't worry about that. I can be more than a little awkward at times but I'm sure you've noticed that. Are you here for long? Would you have time to meet for a drink before you head back to England?x

With that, I lay back on my bed and locked my phone. This would be a long few hours waiting for a reply...