December 3 （visa expires in 42 days）
I helped him call a taxi, introducing him to a better app than the one he’d been using.
We hugged goodbye. I’d enjoyed myself more than I expected to, but we hadn’t planned to meet again.
I told myself I had probably just been keeping him company in Starbucks until he was off to his next destination.
And even if we had wanted to see each other again, we hadn’t exchanged phone numbers (I had zero intention of contacting him through Instagram like some pathetic fan).
Oh well. At least I could make Keren jealous. I smiled to myself. My pocket vibrated and I pulled out my phone to see if it was something important. There was a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. It said:
“ first date. Daniel. ”
But how? I am such an idiot! He had asked for my number to put into the taxi app because he’d “forgotten” the number of his Thai SIM card. I’d fallen for it. I wouldn’t let that happen again.
“Wait, what? That wasn’t a date .” I shot back.
“Why else would you pay?”
Unbelievable. I’d fallen for another one of his moves.
“So that was a test? To see if I’d pay?”
“You passed with flying colors .”
“Wiseguy.”
“LOL. So where should we go for the next date?”
“Who says I want to go on another date?”
“Aha! So it was a first date! Great .”
He got me again, but for some reason, I didn’t mind. It made me smile. Another text.
“I told you – you’re as transparent as one of those jellyfish.”
Game over.