Mista lay on his back, the glow of his phone illuminating his face in the otherwise dim room. He re-read the message bubble, the words seeming to mock him with your casual boldness. "So, you wanna go on a date with me?" It had taken him an embarrassing amount of time to type, delete, and retype that sentence, each version weighed down with the potential for rejection.

He squeezed his eyes shut, a nervous energy buzzing beneath his skin. You and him had been partners, friends, something… more, for months now. Missions, late-night talks, shared meals – their lives were intertwined. Mista was hopelessly, irrevocably in love with you. And this message, this seemingly simple question, was the biggest gamble he'd ever taken.

Five minutes bled into ten, then fifteen, twenty... Each second felt like an eternity.

"Is it you?" He muttered, snatching his phone up at every notification. "Damn it, no. Okay, maybe now… Nope."

He’d unlock his phone, glance at the notification bar – nothing. He’d tell himself to be patient, then immediately unlock it again, his thumb hovering over the chat, willing a response into existence.

Mista paced his room, the floor cold beneath his bare feet. "Okay, calm down," he muttered to himself. "Maybe they're jus busy right now." He caught his reflection in the mirror, smoothing down his perpetually messy short hair. He even grabbed his revolver, mindlessly cleaning it, all the while sneaking glances at his phone.

Still, there's no sign of you replying to his message.

He slammed the revolver back onto the nightstand, the clatter echoing in the small space. Mista deflated, plopping face-first into the nearest pillow. “Was that too forward?” The fabric muffled his voice, but the anxious mumble was still audible. “Probably. I mean, it's them. They’re probably getting a good laugh out of it." He stayed there, buried in the pillow, until his phone buzzed. He snatched it up, heart leaping into his throat. But it wasn't you. He groaned and tossed the phone back onto the bed again, the screen landing face down.