His finger stroked the mouse, hovering over the button. His heart was beating in his chest and his hand sweating.

“Oh, just do it,” Rufus said aloud.

Finally, he clicked the ‘send request’ button, confirmed whether he wanted to send the request and immediately shut the computer down and went to bed.

“Up early tomorrow, after all... Night Amy,” he said to the empty room.

Rufus laid awake thinking of Cynthia. He couldn’t get her out of his head. Even knowing that there’s no such thing as perfect, he just couldn’t think just how perfect she was.

Cynthia didn’t even look on Facebook that night. She was too nervous.

‘I can’t believe it. That man is gorgeous,’ Cynthia thought. She grabbed her diary:

I met a lovely man tonight. I’d seen him a couple of times before, but never talked to him. I just didn’t have the confidence. Tonight was different. He asked me when the bus was due. Luckily, it wasn’t due for ages yet, so I told him exactly when it was due. He then offered me a cup of tea at the cafe over the road! I couldn’t believe my luck, so I said yes and we talked. He’s so funny and he likes Lacuna Coil, can’t go wrong with that! He’s sending me a request on Facebook! Squee! I’m so excited. I hope I can sleep tonight... P.S... He drinks tea! And, he likes it strong, like me! Right, now... TO SLEEP!

Sitting in the dark, Rufus’ brain was turning around. He grabbed his phone and opened his text editor:

I’m still a bit taken aback by my confidence. Where’d it come from? Really, I have no idea. That woman is so great, though. Cynthia is her name. We talked and giggled and drank strong tea, yes, she likes hers the exact same way as me! She’s something else, she really is. I sent her a friend request on Facebook... crapping it!. I might be a little too excited to sleep...

Rufus and Cynthia laid there in their respective beds. Their thoughts were swimming, their smiles threatening to split their faces. Eventually, they fell asleep and awoke, still giddy, in the morning.

They fired up their computers and Cynthia saw the request from Rufus. She clicked the accept button and opened up a chat window.

C: Rufus, how are ya?
R: I’m good, just getting ready for work. I loathe mornings!
C: Me too, they should be illegal!
R: Darn tootin’! Anyway, I’ve gotta go, waiting on a shipment of drugs coming in (kidding, really)
C: ok, later, then.

‘Funny man,’ Cynthia thought and then went downstairs for breakfast.

Her family was making an absolute racket and she just couldn’t stand it.

“Must you lot be so uncivilised?” She growled meekly.

They didn’t hear her and instead continued their animalistic displays of grotesque power and spectacular ugliness

'Fuck this riot, I’m having a shower.’

Cynthia thought about Rufus in the shower.

'Stop it, don’t think about those things. Oh, but he is so sexy,’ Cynthia thought.

Shower finished, Cynthia got her clothes on and headed out of the door. The ungodly familial racket was still going on.

‘I need to move out, seriously,’ Cynthia put her headphones in and selected her music.

Nothing better than bopping down the street to heavy metal first thing in the morning. Love it! Read her Facebook post.

Rufus saw it and laughed: ‘My thoughts exactly,’ he thought.

He was doing the same, but he was on the bus by now, on his way to inspect a computer.

‘I really need a car,’ he thought and then opened Facebook, just to type that exact thought into it.

“And I need to move out,” read Cynthia’s comment.

“Hmm, I could do with another flatmate...”

A few minutes later, Cynthia commented again:

“lol, I’m a nightmare to live with!”

“Ah well, we’ll just have to grind our axes elsewhere! Doing anything after work?” Rufus commented.

“Feeding the dog and going to bed.”

“Wanna meet at that cafe again?”

“Yeah, OK, it’s on me this time, though.”

“Alright, sounds like a plan. What time do you get off?”

‘If your voice was involved, any time!’ Cynthia thought.

“Working late tonight, so six.”

“Right, I’ll see you in the cafe, I’ll be there first. Hardly anything to do today, you see.”

“Cool... later, Rufus!”

“Indeed.”

‘Did I just ask her out?’

‘Looks like I got asked out.’