In the beginning, when God created humans, why did He accidentally sow seeds of conflict into every soul? Now, Kate often finds herself unsure of what she wants from him. If he shows her too much attention, she gets irritated. If he’s indifferent, she accuses him of neglect. Every evening after their dates, he gently kisses her cheek and says the familiar words, "Sleep well!" Did she like it? At first, yes, but after a few days, she found it boring. Isn’t there anything more romantic? She got tired of it. But if he forgets, there’s trouble immediately. That’s just how it is!
"The subscriber you have dialed is temporarily unavailable, please try again later..." For the past two or three days, James has been turning off his phone at 10 PM until morning. This is unusual for someone who keeps his phone on 24/7. His job requires him to frequently take calls from clients. He’s not in the habit of turning off his phone, even when sleeping. And Kate's number is always set with the loudest ringtone. She often jokes that it’s an alarm siren audible from 10 kilometers away (the distance between their houses) - enough to wake him even at 2 or 3 in the morning. In their six months of dating, James’s phone has never been out of reach. Kate is used to picking up the phone to call him whenever she wants, confident she can reach him anytime she needs.
Kate never thought there would come a day when he’d turn off his phone. At first, she thought she had dialed the wrong number. No! Maybe the network is busy. Impossible! Everyone else is calling each other just fine; it’s not Christmas or New Year’s Eve. A broken phone? No, she tried calling from different phones. Clearly, something unusual was happening. Maybe some troublemaker had stolen his phone. Or perhaps he was with someone else – someone who wasn’t her? Or…he had an accident? Oh no! She started to worry frantically. Thankfully, she still had the number of a friend who lived in the same house with him. She called on a whim and surprisingly, it worked. The friend handed the phone to James, and she heard his hesitant voice on the other end: “My phone ran out of battery!” Okay. She accepted that reason as she always trusted him.
But when this happened repeatedly for a week, it was no longer just “his phone ran out of battery.” She burst into tears like a lost child who couldn’t find their mother. Suddenly, she realized that she had been sleeping in the comfort of his care. She was startled by a vague fear. She suddenly understood that something that is hers can vanish in an instant.
She reassured herself: “You’re too emotional! Maybe he just wants some peace and quiet, that’s why he turns off his phone. He hasn’t done anything wrong.” She wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, but the beauty mark near her mouth and her distant, sad eyes made many boys at her school want to replace him. Until now, it was always him worrying about how to keep her, never her feeling afraid of losing him.
Sometimes, she did get tired of him. Being someone who loves to explore and conquer new things, Kate was never satisfied with what she had. She disliked being tied down and got annoyed with James’s questions, which she saw as controlling. Kate hated questions like “What are you doing?” or “Are you with another guy?” But she felt entitled to call him at any time just to see what he was doing and with whom! Once, when James didn’t answer his phone because he was on the road, he received a series of complaints from her. Still, despite everything, his phone had worked perfectly for the past six months.
In the beginning, when God created humans, why did He accidentally sow seeds of conflict into every soul? Now, Kate often finds herself unsure of what she wants from him. If he shows her too much attention, she gets irritated. If he’s indifferent, she accuses him of neglect. Every evening after their dates, he gently kisses her cheek and says the familiar words, "Sleep well!" Did she like it? At first, yes, but after a few days, she found it boring. Isn’t there anything more romantic? She got tired of it. But if he forgets, there’s trouble immediately. That’s just how it is!
For Kate, love must always be full of surprises and novelty. Like the guy in "50 First Dates," who had to start from scratch every day with the same girl, using countless interesting ways to win her over. It seemed like Kate would never truly love anyone, as she could always predict what they were about to do. There was no excitement left if she could already tell someone was about to give her roses.
Hadn’t she played that game before? She sent him a message: “One morning, waking up, one might suddenly feel tired of each other. Don’t contact me anymore.” Kate asked herself why she did it. Just for fun, to see how much he loved her. And to find a new feeling in their old, worn-out love. She told him not to contact her, but she kept checking her phone to see if he had messaged her. It seemed he understood her unpredictable nature. His reply was as expected. “You must be very tired from work these days. I can’t do anything for you except...come to your house and eat fruit. Even if you turn off your phone, I still like to text you.”
Suddenly, after more than half a year together: “The subscriber you have dialed is temporarily unavailable...” This time, he turned off his phone, not her. A flood of questions swirled in her mind. Did he change his number (he had accidentally let that slip) but didn’t want to tell her? To text someone else (probably that Emily, whom he kept glancing at)? Was he having work troubles (his boss was recently evaluating the staff)? Was he tired of her (if so, couldn’t he just tell her directly, like she did)? A logical girl like Kate couldn’t accept something happening without a reason. At least “tired” was a reason.
10:30 PM. Kate stood on the balcony, looking down at the empty street. Why hadn’t James come tonight? She suddenly missed the light kiss on her cheek, craved the familiar words: “Sleep well!” She dialed James’s number repeatedly, almost unconsciously, even though she knew she’d only hear, “The subscriber you have dialed is temporarily unavailable…”
Beep beep. A strange number. “Come outside and open the door.”
Curious, Kate guessed it had to be James, as usual.
She opened the door. No one was there. Was she being tricked?
Before she could find an answer…
Beep beep. “Hey, I’m not coming. Don’t get your hopes up.”
How annoying. For the first time, someone had outsmarted her.
Beep beep. Still the strange number. “Now turn left and take 20 steps.”
Beep beep. “Oh, and if you’re cold, put on a jacket. You look lightly dressed.”
What’s this? He even knows what she’s wearing? Alright, let’s see what he’s planning.
Beep beep. “You’re there. Do you see the cyclo in front of you? Lift the board; there’s a surprise underneath.”
Kate looked around. No one in sight. She gently lifted the board with two fingers. What’s this: a KFC meal with a carefully folded note.
“My dear,
You’re probably waiting for me to turn on my phone so you can ask: ‘Why did you turn off your phone? Did you change your number to text Emily at work? What are you hiding from me?’ and so on. You’re so silly! I’ve never done anything to hurt you, right? Don’t overthink.
Yesterday morning, when I picked you up, I noticed your pale face and dark circles under your eyes. Where did my rosy-cheeked, bright-eyed girl (who always looked around) go? You said it was because you talked on the phone with me until 2 AM. I also found out you’re working on a big project this week. Do you know you’ve lost weight recently?
On the second and third nights, you kept chatting with me until late. I started to worry. Why have you been staying up late talking? I’m afraid you’ll get sick. Getting sick because of ‘chatting with me every night’ is ridiculous, right? But no matter what I said, you wouldn’t listen. If I worry too much, you get annoyed. If I leave you alone, you say I don’t love you. I didn’t know what to do. Finally, I thought of turning off my phone. It’s the only way to make you sleep early and stay healthy to complete your project. And it wouldn’t make you bored! It’s a win-win. I’m smart, aren’t I?
I may not bring you a love full of surprises and excitement like you want, but I’ll always be there when you need me the most!”
True love can only be built on trust and sincerity. For the first time, Khương’s logical deductions didn’t match reality.
Beep beep. “Don’t bother calling this number. It’s just a kind passerby’s phone that I borrowed to cure the boredom virus of the girl I love. Sleep well, dear!”
Kate finally understood that even boredom is a spice of love. One morning, she woke up feeling a sudden rush of love for him, enough to grab her phone and type: “Even if you turn off your phone, I still like to text you. So when you turn it on, you’ll see me wishing you a good day... Thank you for always being there, even when we suddenly get tired of each other... So I understand: What’s mine will always be mine, as long as I cherish it not with my hands but with my heart.”
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