He woke up the next morning with that feeling which meant something. It was too early to say what the feeling might mean or where it might lead, but it was clear that the feeling was momentous and thus portended a significant shift in his life that was going to develop over the coming days, perhaps weeks, perhaps months. He was neither able to identify the exact nature of the feeling nor did he particularly want to, but he knew that it meant something important.
If nothing else, the way that the feeling led him through the day showed that it meant something. From the moment he got out of bed, he knew that he was looking forward to something, and he knew what it was. Before doing anything else, he logged onto his computer and sent her a message to see if she was online. Receiving no response from her, he went through his daily routine as normal, eating breakfast, getting dressed, and going to work, but even at work, he felt that he had something good to look forward to soon. It was all he could think about the entire day. He just wanted to get home and see if she was online and what she had to say today.
It should be understood that Sam had been in relationships before. He'd had girlfriends. He had even been in love. It wasn't as though his new friend Sam was the first person he'd developed feelings for. The nice thing about being in love is that when it's real, it has the ability to cleanse the past, to wash away old pains and bad memories and rejuvenate a person, both physically and mentally. He'd had bad experiences with love in the past, but it didn't matter; he had met someone new, and even if it was too early to call it love in the truest sense, there was an energy, a happiness, and a hope she'd brought with her that touched everything he did in his everyday life. Whatever had happened in the past, whatever would happen in the future, his life was better now because she'd become a part of it.
Even she was a bit surprised by how quickly he messaged her when she came online that evening. It showed that he'd been waiting for her. She was happy about that; it's flattering to know that someone is waiting for you, that you're important enough to somebody that they keep you in mind throughout their day.
<APyreInside81> Hello, Sam.
<PhoenixMoon86> Hello.
<APyreInside81> How was your day?
<PhoenixMoon86> It was good, actually. I was in a good mood.
<APyreInside81> Me too. It's surprising how much your mood changes your outlook on life. The world seems like a completely different place depending on how you feel.
<PhoenixMoon86> Definitely. You know that feeling that you've woken up in a different world from the one you lived in yesterday?
<APyreInside81> I do. Do you know why you were in such a good mood?
<PhoenixMoon86> Yes, because of the conversation we had yesterday.
It was so incredibly gratifying, to have someone else appreciate his company, to have someone else welcome him and for him to be able to improve her life just by being around. It validated him and his life in a way that nothing else could.
<APyreInside81> Same here. I was thinking about it too. I feel like I smiled a lot today.
<PhoenixMoon86> What did you do today?
<APyreInside81> Well, I was at work... I work full-time, so I usually spend all day there.
<PhoenixMoon86> Oh, that's nice. Do you like your work?
<APyreInside81> It's okay. It's not the greatest job in the world, but I can tolerate it.
<PhoenixMoon86> If you don't really like it, why don't you find something better?
<APyreInside81> I guess I just don't want to switch to something unfamiliar. I'd worry about leaving for something even worse. Sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don't, you know?
<PhoenixMoon86> Yeah, I understand. It was like that with my ex-boyfriend. I should have left him a long time ago, but I guess I was just too hung up on him. I stayed with him because I didn't want to be alone.
<APyreInside81> I know what that's like. I feel like I've been in that same situation.
<PhoenixMoon86> Really? You're a young, smart guy. It must be easy for you to meet women.
<APyreInside81> Not really. Well, I guess it's easy to MEET them, but staying in long-term relationships is difficult.
<PhoenixMoon86> Why do you find it difficult?
<APyreInside81> I guess I'm just not very interesting. People don't find me someone they want to stay with because I'm boring.
<PhoenixMoon86> That's not true at all. I find you very interesting.
<APyreInside81> Maybe you'll change your mind with time.
<PhoenixMoon86> I've been reading your blog for years. I know what you're like. You're not boring.
<APyreInside81> Well, thank you. I'm glad someone thinks so, really. It's nice that you think that.
<PhoenixMoon86> So wait, you're single AND you're in a job you don't really like?
<APyreInside81> Something like that, yes.
<PhoenixMoon86> I bet you could find something better here. Why not move here and kill two birds with one stone?
<APyreInside81> Whoa, wait a minute... Yesterday we were talking about me maybe taking a trip there to meet you, and now you're already talking about me MOVING there to be with you? Isn't it a little too soon for that?
<PhoenixMoon86> Do you think it is?
She had a way of throwing his questions back at him in such a way that they revealed what he'd been secretly thinking. The truth was, of course, that he'd already had the thought before she mentioned it, but he'd dismissed the idea as crazy and rash. He'd said that she was bringing it up too fast as a way of making himself appear rational and cautious, but...
<PhoenixMoon86> If it takes you this long to answer, I already know the answer.
<APyreInside81> Oh? And what is the answer?
<PhoenixMoon86> You tell me.
<APyreInside81> Why? You said you already know the answer.
<PhoenixMoon86> I want you to prove that I was right.
<APyreInside81> But if I say something, then it's easy for you to claim that that was the answer you were thinking of. If you want to prove that you know what I'm thinking, then YOU have to tell ME what I'm thinking to prove that you can read my mind.
<PhoenixMoon86> Sam? I need to ask you to do something.
<APyreInside81> Um, okay.
<PhoenixMoon86> Please don't read into what I say so much. I want you to trust me.
<APyreInside81> Well, I do trust you. It's not that I don't trust you. But if you say that you know what I'm thinking...
<PhoenixMoon86> I do.
<APyreInside81> You say you know it, or you actually know it?
<PhoenixMoon86> Both.
<APyreInside81> Then what am I thinking?
<PhoenixMoon86> You're imagining what it would be like to be here with me.