Page 4 of Heartstrings & Horizons
Paige: Isn’t it like… social media rule #1 not tell strangers where you live?
Cade: I live in Kentucky. There… Now we’d both be breaking the rules.
Paige: I’m a student at the University of Toronto.
Cade: Canada, eh?
Paige: Laughs in Canadian. Dropping “eh” this early into the conversation is a bit disappointing. What happened to creativity, Cowboy?
Cade: I’m creative when it counts. And I’m definitely not a cowboy.
Damn. There goes that fantasy.
I decide to ignore the suggestive undertone of the last message, bypassing it in favor of a much safer path forward.
Paige: Can’t say I know much about Kentucky. Bourbon, fried chicken and horses?
Cade: So close. You forgot college basketball.
We spend the next several hours bantering back and forth. At some point Mags slipped off to class as our conversation continued late into the afternoon. For an introvert like me, conversation doesn’t always come easily. I often find myself tongue tied in social situations, tripping over the most mundane of topics. Maybe it’s because Cade isn’t from Canada, and this relationship — if you can even call it that — has a one-way ticket to nowhere, but there’s no pressure and it feels uncomplicated. I feel a sense of freedom to just be myself — something that’s usually hard for me to muster, even around family. This feels…easy.
Chapter 2
Cade
? Close to You - Gracie Abrams
Monday, October 7th 1:31am
Cade: This is me officially texting you my number.
Paige: Wait, who’s this?
Cade: Ha. Ha. So funny.
Cade. Wait. This is Paige, right?
Paige: Yeah, Cowboy, I’m just fucking with you.
Monday, October 7th 11:01am
Cade: Good morning, Sunshine.
Paige: Morning? It’s afternoon here.
Cade: Oh shit. Did you sleep ok?
Paige: Somebody kept me up until 4am but I’ll live.
Cade: I’m not sorry. Have a good day. :)
Tuesday, October 8th 10:31am
Cade: Is it hot in here, or is it just you?
Paige: You must be a broom, cause you just swept me off my feet.
Cade: Maybe you should leave the cheesy pickup lines to the professionals.
