I Wasn’t Ignoring You, I Was Rehearsing the Reply

I saw the message.

Immediately.

The notification landed softly, like it didn’t want to scare me.
I read it.
I understood it.
I even felt something about it.

Then I did nothing.

Not because I didn’t care.
Not because I was busy.
But because I needed… time.

Time to choose the right tone.
Friendly but not desperate.
Calm but not cold.
Interested but not too available.

I opened the chat.
Closed it.
Typed “Hey.”
Deleted it.

Typed “Hi.”
Too dry.

Typed “Heyyy.”
Too enthusiastic. Who am I, a cartoon?

I put the phone down to think.
Five minutes, I said.
Just to organize my thoughts.

My brain immediately started a meeting.

What if that sounds rude?
What if this sounds fake?
What if they read it wrong and never speak to me again?

I picked the phone back up.
Re-read the message like it had hidden meanings.

Suddenly, it had been three hours.

Now it was awkward.
Now replying felt like arriving late to a party where everyone already ate.

I considered pretending I just saw it.
I considered pretending my phone was broken.
I considered moving countries.

Finally, I typed a perfectly balanced reply.
Confident. Casual. Effortless.

I stared at it.
Proud.

Then I saw the time stamp.

Seen 6 hours ago.

I locked my phone.

Tomorrow is also a day.