SilverDust:
So why do you go?
Monk29:
It reminds me I’m still useful.
SilverDust:
You were useful the day you told me to breathe during my panic attack. Remember?
Monk29:
I remember. You typed “I can’t feel my hands.” I still remember the timestamp.
They paused. A warm silence across the screen.
SilverDust:
Can I tell you a secret?
Monk29:
Always.
SilverDust:
I opened our chat during my last exam. Not to cheat — just to feel less alone.
Monk29:
I’m glad I was there. Even without knowing.
Undone – Part 16: Midnights and Muffins
[Chatroom – Day 25 | Late Night]
SilverDust:
1:42 AM. I should be asleep. But I baked banana muffins.
Monk29:
You’re stress-baking again.
SilverDust:
You’re still awake. Why?
Monk29:
Can’t sleep. Mind’s loud.
SilverDust:
Want to talk?
Monk29:
Thought about my last breakup. She said I was emotionally distant.
SilverDust:
You’re not.
Monk29:
I just don’t show it the way people want. I write it. I type it. I… bury it in silence.
SilverDust:
That’s still expression. You don’t owe anyone volume.
Monk29:
I wish someone told me that earlier.
SilverDust:
I’m telling you now.
Monk29:
Then I’m telling you something too: you sound happiest when you’re angry at your professors.
SilverDust:
That’s my love language. Rage and muffins.
They both laughed. It wasn’t loud. But it felt whole.
SilverDust:
Can I ask something weird?
Monk29:
Weird is our genre.
SilverDust:
Do you ever imagine me? Like… outside this room?
Monk29:
All the time. But I keep my eyes closed.
SilverDust:
Why?
Monk29:
Because opening them would make it real.
There was a pause. She didn’t respond for a full minute.
SilverDust:
Good night, Monk. I’ll imagine you too. With my eyes closed.
Undone – Part 17: Tangled Threads
[Chatroom – Day 26 | Early Evening]
SilverDust:
Someone flirted with me in the library today.
Monk29:
…and how did you feel?
SilverDust:
Flattered. Guilty. Confused.
Monk29:
Because of me?
SilverDust:
Because of who you are to me.
Monk29:
And what am I?
SilverDust:
Still figuring that out.
Monk29:
You’re not alone.
Another pause. The screen blinked. Then—
Monk29:
I think about your voice. Your real one. Not SilverDust’s.
SilverDust:
I think about yours too. I almost called you by name once.
Monk29:
Don’t. The spell will break.
SilverDust:
And yet, I keep coming back here.
Monk29:
Because no one else knows you like I do.
SilverDust:
Not even my real bhaiya…
The air shifted. A moment passed.
Monk29:
What if some things are better when hidden?
SilverDust:
Or worse, when they’re not.
Undone – Part 18: Confessions in Incognito
[Chatroom – Day 27 | Late Evening]
SilverDust:
Took you forever to come online tonight 😑
Monk29:
Was… downloading something.
SilverDust:
Hmm? Something important?
Monk29:
Kinda. Maybe. Possibly embarrassing.
SilverDust:
👀
Don’t make me guess.
Monk29:
Fine. Porn.
SilverDust:
😳
Oh.
Monk29:
That’s it? Just “oh”?
SilverDust:
I mean… it’s normal. But I didn’t expect you to be so casual.
Monk29:
We agreed — this is where we’re honest, right?
SilverDust:
Right.
So… what kind?
Monk29:
You really want to know?
SilverDust:
I asked, didn’t I?
A pause. He types, then deletes. Types again.