Jack was doing overhead barbell presses when the text came. He felt the vibration distinctly. His phone now muted almost every notification so when it did vibrate it was impossible to ignore.
Plus it meant that it was one person. He had even muted Aaron awhile ago. They still texted all day pretty much. Just that there was no need to get notification anytime Aaron texted. Jack could get to replying on his own time.
life
felt calmer without all the dings and vibrations. When he was first gaining fame the notifications got him high. He could post a picture and sit there watching the likes and comments pour in. He wouldn't do anything else with full focus for hours. Anything he did would be a slight distraction from lags in the online impressions.
After a few months the high fell off. But he kept trying to get high. Eventually he crashed and no amount of likes and comments worked. They just went through him. He felt vapid.
He put the bar on the rack. Wiped sweat from falling off his forehead onto the floor. Took out his phone and noticed a grin reflecting off the black glass. Jack couldn't believe after all these years of being over the notifications, he was happy to receive them once more.
"You free today." the text read. "Would be nice to go to the park if you're around."
In truth Jack had all the free time in the world now. Had been bumming around
Westcity
for almost a month now. But he couldn't just say that outright to
Imogen Howe
. He had to make it sound like he was relatively free. Free enough that they could meet up.