I’d gotten so used to texting my crushes that when I saw that the guy I’ve been casually dating was actually calling my phone, I spiraled into a panic.
- I thought there was some kind of emergency. These days, when I get a phone call, I immediately assume that something is seriously wrong. I think that the person is calling because whatever they have to say is too important to put into text. It’s like they need to get a hold of me NOW and texting just won’t cut it. I totally thought that he was in the emergency room or was right outside my window or something urgent.
- I felt like I was being put on the spot. For some reason, calling someone feels intrusive. When I picked up, I was afraid that I was going to be judged for what I was doing. I know it’s weird to think that, but I’m just so used to being in control of when I talk to people (via text) that having to drop what I was doing and talk to someone just felt foreign to me and threw me a bit.
- Why would he waste time talking to me when he can just text me at his leisure? I was kind of confused as to why he would waste 30 minutes of his day talking to me on the phone. Was he bored and had nothing better to do? I guess the good thing about texting is that you can respond whenever you want. You can interact with someone while you’re doing certain tasks, but I guess it also means that you’re not totally engrossed in the conversation. When you talk to someone on the phone, you basically have to give all of your attention to them and I find that people don’t tend to do that nowadays (especially not me).
- It made me realize how out of practice I am with using the phone. I remember talking on the phone with my friends as a kid every day after school without fail. It was a date of sorts; we knew that every night, we would have a set amount of hours we’d spend on the phone. These days, it’s all about texting and communicating to people through well-thought-out, clever messages. Talking to my date on the phone made me realize how socially dull I’ve become.
- He did it to be spontaneous and unexpected. I get that he was trying to be different, but in all honesty, it kinda made him come off as trying too hard. I feel like calling each other is something that should happen later, when you’ve been together for at least a few months. Calling someone on the phone is a way bigger deal than it used to be.
- I was afraid he would judge me for what I was doing. I was kinda caught off guard. I was literally just binge-watching TV when he called and I got all jumpy cause I thought he would judge me for being lazy or kind of lame. That’s kinda silly, but I’m so used to having complete control over when and how people contact me that this phone call from this guy really threw me off.
- It’s almost too real, so to speak. I didn’t have a chance to hide behind my messages. I had to just be honest and in the moment and that’s terrifying, especially since we barely know each other. It was almost like a mini-date. Nerve-wracking as hell!
- I felt like a teenager. It was weird—when I saw that he was calling, I instantly got nervous, like I really had to impress him. It reminded me of talking to boys on the phone in high school. I would pace around my room while I talked because I was so anxious. This was like a flashback to my former, awkward teenage self and I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
- It was kinda nice though because we were sharing a moment. After talking for a while, I started thinking, “Why don’t we do this anymore?” It’s a purer way to connect with someone because you’re kind of forced to give each other your undivided attention. It’s really sweet, actually.
- It felt good by the end of the conversation. Once I shook my nerves of talking to my crush in real time, I was actually getting into the swing of using the phone again. It made me realize how out of practice I was and inspired me to call my friends every now and then. Maybe after I text them first, though.
