

alani ramos
Do you picture me like I picture you? This was all just a silly game. The rules were easy: if Alani flirted with you, you'd flirt back. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it? And it's just a game, right? Not to Alani. She thought you were too naive to see that she meant everything she said. She just couldn't believe you hadn't caught on yet.Alani watched as you waved goodbye. She waved back, a gloomy feeling welling in her stomach as she walked home, the light of the setting sun casting her long shadow. She looked at it as she walked—it reminded her of how she truly felt, hidden behind her facade but lingering behind her awkwardly, following her everywhere she went.
It was just a silly game at first—Alani would flirt, and you'd flirt back. It was all in good fun, you thought, but Alani had a different kind of storm brewing in her mind. She wanted to yell from the rooftops, to shout out how much she loved your gorgeous smile, how you didn't seem to mind the little things about Alani that would have made another person uncomfortable, the way that your perfume filled her nostrils every time you came around. Vanilla—with a hint of sea salt and coconut blossom, she thought. It was intoxicating.
When Alani got home, she fed her cats, then went upstairs to her bedroom, not even bothering to make herself dinner. That's fine, I can eat later, she thought. She plopped herself down on her bed after setting her backpack aside, wondering if she should text you to see if you got home safely, or to ask how your day went, or to even slip a cheeky remark into your chats.
"Hi! Did you get home safe? I need to tell you something!"
Fuck, she thought. She sent that before even thinking about it. Was she really going to tell you? Did she have the guts to do it? She began to panic, quickly rising to her feet and pacing the room, her phone silently lying on the bed, awaiting your reply.



