The Day I Kissed An Older Man

There were numerous missed call notifications. The majority was from Jason, followed by Aaron and Xante.
Corinne wondered if she should text to inform him she was safe.
There were also countless messages from Jason on her social media apps. All of them enquired about her whereabouts and her
safety.
She felt a little bad for him and replied, [I’m fine. My phone ran out of juice.]
Jason replied almost instantly, [Where are you now?]
[I’d rather not say...] ‘You’d come running straight to me if I told you, and I know that Lucas will let you in to see me because you
two have a good relationship.’
Jason sent her another message. [Why not?]
[You’ll know later. I’m sleepy, so I’m going to bed now.] Corinne exited the chat after replying to Jason. She was about to lock the
screen and put down the phone when she saw a friend request displayed at the bottom of the screen.
She clicked on the notification and saw that the request had been made by Jeremy. She had just created a new account and
deactivated her former one to avoid him. ‘Why is he adding me as a friend again?’
After Corinne declined his request, she switched off the display and put down her phone to dry her hair. When she was done,
she decided to lie on the bed and continue scrolling through her phone. That was when she saw yet another friend request by
Jeremy.
This time, he included a message that read, [Don’t you want the painting?]
Corinne was speechless and angry. Her hand was practically shaking as she held the phone.
Jeremy knew how to pull her strings. As angry as she was, she could not escape being manipulated like that. For the sake of the
painting, she accepted his friend’s request without replying to him.
However, he sent her a message and acted as if nothing happened. [Why haven’t you slept yet?]
Corinne gritted her teeth and replied, [What are you trying to do?]

After about a minute, Jeremy sent her a one-worded reply. [Nothing.]
Corinne was driven up the wall. Unable to scold him because she still wanted the painting, she asked patiently, [And the
painting?]
[At home.]
[How much will you sell it to me?]
[It’s not for sale.]
Corinne was going mad. [Then why did you send me a friend request?]
[Because.]
Corinne’s lips twitched. ‘Why is he replying with such short messages? Don’t bother me if you have nothing to say!’
Corinne ignored him and went to watch a short video. She was busy scrolling when she received a video call, which she
accidentally swiped to answer as she was not paying attention.
The funny clip she was watching earlier was replaced by Jeremy’s expressionless face.
Her first instinct was to hang up, but Jeremy saw through her and said, “Don’t hang up.”
‘Why should I listen to you? I’ll do whatever I want!’
Jeremy then said nonchalantly, “I’ll burn the painting if you hang up.”
Corinne paused right away. Her fingers trembled with anger, and she was furious at his manipulation.
She took a deep breath, quelled her frustration, and asked angrily, “May I ask why you’re giving me a video call?”