Day One

  Day One

  Lauren Runow

  Copyright © 2020 by Lauren Runow

  All rights reserved.

  Visit my website at www.LaurenRunow.com

  Editor: Jovana Shirley, Unforeseen Editing, www.unforeseenediting.com

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  No copyright infringement intended. No claims have been made over songs and/or lyrics written. All credit goes to original owners.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1. Day 1

  2. Day 2

  3. Day 3

  4. Day 4

  5. Day 5

  6. Day 6

  7. Day 7

  8. Day 8

  9. Day 9

  10. Day 10

  11. Day 11

  12. Day 12

  13. Day 13

  14. Day 14

  15. Day 15

  16. Day 16

  17. Day 17

  18. Day 18

  19. Day 19

  Epilogue

  Sparks Fly

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  1

  Day 1

  March 27. 2020

  I open my fridge for the fifth time today. I don’t even know why. I’m not hungry, just bored. If I don’t get my boredom eating under control, I’ll gain weight during all of this, and also my food storage is starting to dwindle.

  I’m on day ten of a shelter-in-place mandate from the Governor of California. There are only a few cases in my small town of the dreaded coronavirus, but just a few miles up the road, a few hundred have been reported, so they’ve put us all on lockdown to stop the spread.

  I knew it was coming. As a sixth-grade teacher, I knew shit was about to go down when they canceled school for two weeks before the shelter in place was even ordered. Canceling schools is a big deal, so when that surprising announcement came, I prepared for more.

  I stopped by the supermarket before I went home, grabbed everything I needed for two weeks, and planned on enjoying the time off by relaxing and doing whatever I wanted.

  Yeah, that lasted all of about three days before I was bored out of my mind. By Tuesday, I was starting to twiddle my thumbs. Now that it is Friday, I’m itching to go out, but I can’t. Everywhere is closed, and when you live alone, you really start to realize how much you rely on outside interaction to keep you going.

  My parents who live a few hours away have been checking in with me, and for the first time, I’ve felt it’s a good thing they divorced after I graduated high school because, now, I get two phone calls instead of one to keep me entertained.

  That’s how sad my days have become.

  I’ve tried to stay in touch with my friends, but since all of their children are home now, they’re losing their minds, and they can’t talk on the phone without having to yell at their kids, or it’s so loud that they can barely hear me, which ends in them feeling frustrated and having to hang up the phone. I’ve gotten joking texts saying, Send wine, from more people than I can count.

  I decide to put mind over matter and shut the refrigerator door.

  I. Am. Not. Hungry. I repeat in my mind.

  Picking up my phone, I sigh as I scroll through Facebook for the tenth time today, seeing if anything new has been posted, when my notification dings with a message from Tinder.

  I reactivated Tinder over the weekend after taking a hiatus. I figured my messages would be going crazy right now with everyone at home bored but that’s not the case. It’s like guys know they can’t get laid right now, so they’re not even putting in the effort. When New York City sent out a message that went so viral even I saw it here in California saying, You are your safest sex partner, I knew things were getting real.

  I open the app and see I have a message from a guy named Drew. It’s been a while since I swiped right, so I click on his profile to see if I remember ever seeing this guy.

  He only has one picture available for me to view. He’s wearing a baseball cap and a smile. It’s cut close and I can’t see his entire body, but he’s pretty good-looking, so I snoop some more to read:

  Drew, 27

  Ten miles away

  Just a guy following his dream.

  The space allows for a paragraph, so him having only one sentence intrigues me, mainly because I like the sentiment. I like someone who has goals and isn’t afraid to put them out there for all to see.

  Since I’m bored, I decide, Why not? I open the message to see what he said.

  Drew: Hey there. Are you bored like me?

  I laugh out loud because he truly has no idea just how bored I am. I decide to play with him.

  Me: I was actually just about to find a cure for cancer, but boo, I got interrupted by your message, and now, the entire thought is gone. Oh well. On to the next.

  Drew: Nice to know I’ll go down in history as the guy who got caught up by a pretty girl and ruined all of humanity because of it.

  Me: Pretty, you say? Do tell…

  I’m shocked when I hit Send. I must be totally losing my mind because that is not something I’d normally say to a guy.

  Drew: From what I saw, I’d say yes. Please don’t tell me those are pictures you found online to pose as someone else…

  I decide to just go for it, showing him what’s really going on over here. I hold up my phone and take a picture in all my quarantined glory. Before I think twice, I hit Send.

  Me: Don’t judge. I haven’t left the house in days, so messy bun it is.

  When he returns the favor by sending me a picture of him lounging on his couch, I pause to take in the photo. His profile one was cute, but it’s nothing compared to the sexy guy who’s now gracing my screen, especially because he didn’t take the time to find better lighting or pose in a douchey way.

  His photo comes off as laid-back, and that’s the kind of guy I want. I’m sick of men who think they’re God’s gift to women. This guy has a cocky way about him but in a sexy way, not an eye-roll way.

  He has a ball cap on that looks old and worn, and I can tell the lounge pants he’s wearing hug him in all the right places because, yeah, he showed me all the goods.

  Fully clothed, that is.

  I smile as I text.

  Me: I call bullshit. Send me another photo that proves it’s you by doing something silly.

  Being a sixth-grade teacher, I swear I’m only slightly above their maturity level, and I love when I get to play with people like this. Life’s too short to be so serious.

  A picture of him with wide eyes while he’s blowing out his cheeks as big as possible appears on my screen within seconds. I laugh out loud at how ridiculous he looks but also at how playful he is.

  Drew: I would have pulled my ears out, too, but I needed to hold my phone to take the photo.

  Me: Fine. I believe it’s you. ;-)

  Drew: Oh no, you don’t get off that easy. Your turn. Show me your silly face.

  I raise one eyebrow, cross my eyes, stick my tongue out to the side while tilting my head to the right, and snap a photo, hitting Send without even looking at it. When it appears on the screen, I slap my hand to my forehead. I can’t believe I just sent that!

  Drew: Well, Sharee, it’s nice to meet you. What have you been doing during this fine time on lockdown?

  Me:
Sigh … nothing. You’ve been the most exciting thing to happen to me in over a week.

  I hit Send and then shake my head at how that sounded, so I go on.

  Me: Yikes. That sounded so lame. I swear I’m not that lame. I just live alone, and I never realized how bad that sucked until I couldn’t leave my house.

  Drew: I hear you. I’ve been gone, and now, I’m back home and not sure what to do.

  Me: Where were you?

  Drew: A little bit of everywhere.

  Me: For work?

  Drew: Yeah. How about you? What do you do for a living?

  Drew: Wow. Now, I sound lame. When did we get old enough to ask someone that?

  Me: Right?! But I get it. I’m a sixth-grade teacher.

  Drew: So, you’re off for a while then?

  Me: Yep. At least I’m still getting paid. How about you? Are you working right now or no?

  Drew: I’m off but still getting paid. I just signed on right before all this went down, so I got lucky. I know a few guys who didn’t, and they’re scrambling right now. Kinda sucks, you know?

  Me: Yeah, everyone’s in the same boat, so hopefully, things will work out. What do you do?

  Drew: I’m following my dreams for as long as I can.

  Me: Yeah, your profile said that.

  Drew: So, you checked me out before responding?

  Me: Duh, of course I did. Though you didn’t give me much to go by. I haven’t swiped right in months so I don’t remember you, to be honest.

  Drew: I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing. But I haven’t been on the app in months, so it might have been a long time ago, and you just showed up in my choices.

  Me: Choices, huh? You got a lot of choices? Is that why you haven’t been on the app? Are you newly single?

  Drew: I meant, lovely options. Does that sound better? And no, just too busy. I haven’t dated in a while.

  Me: So, you travel and are too busy … sounds like you’re looking for a healthy relationship. You do realize we’re quarantined, so booty calls are out of the picture, right?

  Drew: Damn, straight to booty calls. I thought that was another app?

  Me: Oh, believe me, it’s on this app too.

  Drew: Is that why you’re on it?

  Me: Oh God. I totally came off that way, didn’t I? But no. I’m not your booty call girl, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you can move right along.

  Drew: Nah. I’m good right here. Tell me more about yourself.

  Me: Well, I already told you, I’m a teacher. I love science so though I teach all subjects every day, if I were teaching today, we would be dissecting a squid.

  Drew: Would you have had the kids write with the ink?

  Me: OMG, yes! It’s the coolest ever. What would you be doing today if you weren’t stuck at home?

  Drew: I’d have to check my schedule to see where I would have been. But now, I’m stuck at home with no sports to watch.

  Me: Sports fan, huh? What’s your favorite?

  Drew: Baseball. Yesterday would have been opening day. Please tell me you like baseball, or this is never going to work. ;-)

  Me: You’re in luck! Or I’m in luck. Not sure yet. But, yes, I love baseball. I just happen to have the best player in town as my nephew. He plays for the Titans.

  Drew: Yeah? I played for them back in the day.

  Me: How cool! They’re supposed to go to Cooperstown in June, but with all of this going on, their trip is up in the air, and my sister is stressing out. Going is like a dream to them.

  Drew: Yeah, I’d be upset, too, if I didn’t get to go. Some of my best memories were from there.

  I start to type him more questions about the trip, but he sends another text before I can.

  Drew: Hey, I hate to cut this short, but my roommates just got home, and I have to help them with something. I’d love to chat with you some more. Can we pick up where we left off tomorrow?

  Me: I’ll be here, stuck at home.

  Drew: It’s a date. Chat then.

  I close the app and bring my phone to my chest with a big smile on my face. Maybe this quarantine won’t be so bad after all.

  2

  Day 2

  March 28

  I have to admit, I’m stupidly excited when I hear the chime of my Tinder message—and, yes, I changed the tone, so I would know it was from Tinder and not a normal text message.

  Drew: I saw a meme on Facebook that made me think of you.

  Below the text is a pink box that says, It’s only the first week of school, and I’m already trying to get this kid transferred out of my class.

  I laugh out loud. I’ve seen so many parents vent about how frustrated they are with having to homeschool their kids, but I haven’t seen that one yet. I text back.

  Me: Been there. LOL! I feel bad for these parents. They need to understand that their kids don’t act that way in school. It’s the kid’s job to test the limits of their parents. They have a way harder job now than I do on any normal day.

  I hit Send and then remember a few memes I saw my sister post today. I go to her Instagram account and screenshot them.

  Me: This reminded me of you today.

  The first picture is of a baseball with text over it, saying, Would y’all please keep your asses at home? I want baseball back.

  Drew: Yes!!! Please, for the love of everything holy, yes!

  I smile and then send the next picture of a baseball that has the face of Wilson from the movie Cast Away.

  Drew: Ha! That’s awesome! I saw someone actually gave Tom Hanks a Wilson volleyball with that face on it while he was in quarantine recently.

  Drew: So, you thought about me twice today?

  A cheesy grin comes across my face as I curl up into my couch.

  Me: Maybe more … but by your logic, does that mean you only thought about me once today?

  My phone dings with five different memes, all about parents having to teach and having a hard time doing so.

  I cover my mouth, laughing out loud at all of them, but I’m also overly excited about how many he screenshot. When I look closer, I notice he didn’t take the time to crop the image, so I see that each one is hours apart from the other, starting last night.

  Me: Those are awesome! But maybe even more awesome is that you took the time to share them with me.

  Drew: I think you’ll be in the most appreciated profession when all of this is over.

  I smile, hoping that’s true. Then, I think …

  Me: Do you have kids? Just curious. Not a big deal if you do.

  Drew: Nope. No kids here. At least, not that I know of.

  My eyes open wide in shock.

  Drew: Yeah, that was a lame attempt at a joke.

  I grin.

  Me: You’re forgiven. ;-) What else did you do today?

  Drew: I had an idea … well, wishful thinking is more like it.

  A picture comes across the screen of him wearing a San Francisco Giants jersey. Today, he doesn’t have on a hat, and I can see his hair is a dirty-blond with hints of brown woven in. Most girls would kill for his color, and I can only assume, or hope, it’s natural.

  His eyes light up in the photo, showing off their hazel color, and it doesn’t seem like he shaved today, as his five o’clock shadow is well past midnight.

  Drew: I’m hoping it’s like the Field of Dreams movie. “If you build it, they will come.” So, I figured if I wore it, it will come … I can dream at least.

  Me: You’re too cute. But, yeah, I don’t think it works that way.

  Drew: What about you? What have you been up to?

  Me: A whole bunch of nothing. Normally, on Saturdays, I go to yoga in the morning and then spend time with my sister and my nephews. I tried to take a yoga class they offered online, but it wasn’t the same. Yoga and carpet don’t really mix.

  Drew: Yoga, huh? Are you super flexible?

  Me: Get your mind out of the gutter.

  Drew: ;-)

  Drew: But in
all seriousness, people have said I should try yoga to help build my strength and flexibility. Who knows? Maybe when all of this is over, I’ll take a class with you.

  Me: I’d like that—as long as you don’t embarrass me. You’re not one of those guys who can’t bend over for shit and will fall all over the place, are you?

  Drew: Jeez, thanks for the vote of confidence. But no need to worry; I stretch before and after I work out, just like the doctor orders.

  Me: OK. Then, I’ll keep you posted when this is over.

  Drew: How long do you think that will be?

  Me: Our school was pushed back to May 1st yesterday. Hoping we return sooner than that, but no one really knows. They asked me to work on my distance learning, so I’ve been making YouTube videos to share with my students.

  Drew: You have to send me the link.

  Me: No way in hell.

  Drew: Oh, come on. Let me hear your voice.

  Me: The only one I’ve made so far is about King Tut and Egypt. It’s a rap video that I sang along to.

  Drew: Now, I NEED to see the video. Please. You can’t tease me with rapping about King Tut and not share.

  Me: OMG! No way!

  Drew: Hmm … I just figured out how I’m going to spend my day tomorrow …

  Me: How?

  Drew: Finding out if I know anyone in your class, so I can get them to send me the link. It’s a small town, you know. I’m sure I can find one person …

  Me: You don’t even know where I teach.

  Drew: True. But I’m guessing there are not many sixth-grade teachers between the four elementary schools in town. I know a lot of people here. I have connections …