Maybe we could go on a date?
I believe him, and it would feel good to finally tell someone.
“Alright... I will tell you what has been bothering me, but I need a moment.”
“Take your time,” he says.
I press my lips together and try to gather my thoughts. What I am about to say has never been spoken out loud before. No one knows. But with Adrian, it feels different. Something about his calm voice and the way he listens makes me feel safe, like I can trust him.
I take another deep breath. “I feel stuck.”
“In what way?” he asks.
“I am studying economics, but it is not what I truly want. My parents believe it is a stable path, that it will guarantee success, but it does not make me happy.”
“I see.”
“My grades are not bad, mostly B’s, but my parents still think that is not good enough.”
Adrian hums. “Can I ask something? Why does it matter so much to you what they think?”
I let out a soft laugh. “Because everyone wants to make their parents proud, right?”
“I get that,” he says. “Family means a lot, but it sounds like yours only care about what looks good on paper. B’s are great, by the way. You are doing fine. What is your name, anyway?”
I hesitate. I do not want to lie, but saying my real name might not be the best idea. “Evelina,” I say, using my middle name instead.
“Evelina,” he repeats slowly. My name rolls off his tongue like something smooth and deliberate.
“Yes?” I ask. “Is there a problem with it?”
“Not at all,” he says. “It suits you. Anyway, listen, your parents will love you no matter what. And if they don’t, that is on them. You should not waste your life studying something you do not care about.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. You only get one life, Evelina. If you spend it ignoring what you love, you will end up feeling empty. That is no way to live.”
Tears sting my eyes, though they are not from sadness. “You sound so sure of yourself. I understand what you are saying, but it is hard to just walk away from what they expect.”
“I know,” Adrian says softly. “But here is something I have learned: never let anyone decide who you are. Even if they laugh at your dreams or call them foolish, keep going after what feels right for you.”
I smile. “Alright.”
“Now tell me,” he says, “what is it that you truly want to do?”
I bite my lip. “Promise you will not laugh.”
“I promise.”
My eyes land on a poster of a cake on my wall. “I want to become a pastry chef and open my own bakery.”
Adrian lets out an impressed sound. “You bake? That is amazing. We might have a star in the making. She is kind, funny, and she bakes? Sounds like the perfect woman to me.”
I laugh. “You do not think it is silly that I would give up economics for something like baking?”
“You cook too?” he asks, surprised.
“Yes.”
He lets out a long breath. “Wow, Evelina. I am seriously tempted to propose right now. How is someone like you still single?”
My smile fades a little. “Because people think I am strange.”
There is a moment of quiet before he asks, “Who told you that you are weird?”
A dull ache spreads in my chest. “Let’s see... every guy I have dated, my roommates, and even my parents.” The words leave my mouth slowly. It takes effort to say them, and I can already feel tears threatening to fall.
“Then forget all of them,” Adrian says. “If they cannot see how amazing you are, they are not worth your time. Especially your parents, because they should be the first to see how special their daughter is.”
“Stop it,” I say with a weak laugh, wiping a tear with my sleeve. “You are going to make me cry, and we have not even been talking for long.”
“We have been talking for weeks on that dating app,” he reminds me. “This phone call just confirmed what I already thought.”
“And what is that?”
“That you are one of a kind.”
I smile. “Thank you.”
Adrian really is something. I like him more than I expected to. How could I not?
We keep talking until the night quietly slips away. We talk about everything, life, dreams, random things that do not even matter, until we notice the time. It is four in the morning.
“You hang up first,” Adrian says. “Let me be the gentleman here.”
I yawn, stretching a little. “I am too tired to argue. I will just do it.”
“I am waiting,” he teases.
I laugh softly. “Trying to get rid of me already?”
“It is the opposite,” he says. “I cannot wait to talk to you again.”
His words make my heart feel warm. “You are sweet. But you might not say that if you knew who I really was.”
“I am sweet and charming,” he says playfully.
I chuckle. “You are so full of yourself. Good night, Adrian.”
“Good night, Evelina.”
When the call ends, I lie back on my bed and listen to the birds outside my window greeting the new day.
A message pops up on my screen. It is from Adrian.
Adrian: I like you, Evelina. I cannot wait to talk to you again. Maybe we could go on a date? Would you like to meet me?
My chest feels tight as I read his message. I stare at the words for a long time before replying quietly to myself.
Even though your message makes me so happy, we cannot meet, Adrian. Because you already know me. And the truth is, you cannot stand the real me... and I do not know how to fix that.