Connect For Love: Part Three

~ beetleypete

This is the third part of a fiction serial, in 1080 words.

Alice’s message was long, and included another photo of her. It looked to have been taken on a foreign holiday, full-length, and she was wearing a one-piece swimsuit. She had added a caption above it.
‘Me, in better times’.
It felt strange to see a young woman with such a tiny body, which made her head look unusually large. But the bright smile on her face made Kevin’s heart leap, and he settled down to read the message.

‘Dear Kevin,
I was very pleased to receive your personal message. This is also my first time on a dating site, and I am not at all confident. After being treated quite badly in a previous relationship, I am unsure if I even want to pursue another romance, but I decided to try. You do sound honest, and that is important to me. So many men on this site are brash and crude. You wouldn’t believe some of the messages that are sent to me, or the awful photos that some men think it acceptable to send in a private contact.
You say you like pets, and I have a cat, called Cleopatra. I think you would like her.
Kevin, I would have to take things very slowly, you understand. It is not in my nature to be forward or suggestive, and I was uncertain about sending my swimsuit photo, but thought you should be aware that I am very small, and a little frail too.
I no longer communicate with anyone else on this site, but will be happy to continue our connection, if you wish to do so.
I send you greetings from my small home, and hope that you find all this to be acceptable
Alice. x

Kevin read the message a dozen times. He had been right about Alice, he was sure of that now. A beautifully-written reply, and a little extra information. As well as the swimsuit photo, which was the icing on the cake. He didn’t want to rush off a reply, so he thought about what to say as he finished a can of Sprite. Best to follow her lead. Take his time, and be respectful. No need to take things too far, too quickly. He clicked the cursor into the ‘Reply’ box, and took a deep breath.

‘Dear Alice. I was so pleased to get such a nice reply from you. You are everything I might have imagined, and I think you being small is very attractive. Your face is also very pretty. I don’t mind at all that you want to take things slowly. I am not a pushy person, I promise. We have a dog and cat. They are called Wilbur and Blackie. Both are pretty old now, as we got them when I was still at junior school. I am sorry to hear that you were treated badly before. I cannot understand why anyone would do that to you. I know I wouldn’t. And I will never send you any rude photos. I still live at home with my parents, that’s something you should know. But I have a good job, and will one day get a place of my own. I will not contact anyone else on this site, as long as you are happy to be my friend. I hope to hear more from you soon. Kevin. x

He felt really good as he pressed to send the message. His instincts had been right, and he wouldn’t be contacting any of the others on the list. Alice would suit him very well. She was perfect.

Just moments after sending his message, he regretted not spacing it properly, and hoped it didn’t look clumsy. He sat waiting a while, in the hope that she would message back, but three cans of drink were going through him, and he had to rush off to use the toilet. Back in the bedroom, he wondered how Alice had managed to get into a relationship with someone who treated her badly. She was only twenty-two now, so must have been young at the time. What sort of man could treat such a small young woman like that? It made him angry.

Thinking about that had made him stop looking at the laptop, and when he glanced at it again, he was thrilled to see she had replied on the same thread.

‘Dear Kevin,
I hope that you will forgive my reservation. You do seem to be a very nice man indeed, but I have to be so careful. I am not that well, and being so small makes me feel defenceless too. I have to be wary, and not trust too much in what people tell me. It is nothing personal. I will be happy to be your friend on this site, and I must say that I am pleased to hear that you are not in contact with other girls here. Hopefully we can get to know each other much better in time, then who knows where that might lead? It doesn’t matter to me that you live with your parents, but thank you for letting me know you have a good job, as I could not consider anyone who was lazy, and didn’t work.
I am sure that you are a kind and dependable man, but I do need time to get to know you better.
Affectionately, Alice. x

He found himself nodding as he read the reply. She was right. He was dependable, and not lazy at all. And she had talked about what might happen between them, signing off with ‘Affectionately’ too. He decided to reply immediately. ‘Strike while the iron is hot’, as Mr Reynolds would say.

‘Dear Alice. Take all the time you need. I am in no rush. So sorry to hear that you are not well, can I ask what it is that’s wrong? I also wonder what you do for a job, but if you are not well at the moment, maybe you are off sick? You are right to say that I am not lazy. I have always had a job, and I am qualified in my trade. I think that’s important in life.
I will definitely not be contacting anyone else, and will only be in touch with you, for as long as you want. Kevin x

He looked at the laptop for another hour, before getting ready for bed.

But there was no further message from Alice.

37 thoughts on “Connect For Love: Part Three”

  5. Pies and chips and all these cans of fizzy drinks is making me wonder what Kevin actually looks like. As for Alice… well who knows what you have in mind Pete, but I have a feeling it ain’t going to be pretty.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Kevin’s just a regular 21 year-old. He looks like he has described himself. But he doesn’t drink alcohol, nor tea and coffee, hence the cans of soft drinks. He usually eats proper meals with his parents, and only bought the takeaway so he could sit in his room with the laptop.
      And as for Alice, well you never know… 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  9. again, I have found myself behind in my reading-I do read all posts, but barely have time to comment-but had to let you know how glad I was to find your new series. Already I am hooked on this one. Best wishes, Michele-oh! thanks for the holiday greetings.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Alice as a dwarf? That’s interesting. No, she’s just very short and slim, I assure you.
      As for where it’s going, there might be clues…Only tiny ones though, or perhaps none at all. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

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