shellphones | text; an important survey

Type: Text
Sender ID: indispensable (Alhaitham)
To: Public. So, so public.
Subject: A Survey on Romantic Relationships
Warnings: Potential discussions about sex? I guess?? But mostly this is just Alhaitham being the most obliviously shameless man alive.

This is Alhaitham.

I have a survey that I would like people to fill. There are no restrictions or stipulations to the nature of the responder. The only request is for you to be honest when filling it up.

1) Are you currently in a romantic relationship or have been in one? (yes/no)
2) If yes, does your current or previous relationship involve sex? (yes/no)
3) List down 5 to 10 words that describe what your significant other (past or present) makes you feel.
4) What is your main priority when you are with your significant other (past or present)?
5) How do you measure or recognize your feelings as love? What separates them infatuation or sexual attraction? Describe in 100 words or less.

You are free to leave your answers in this post or direct them to my inbox. I will be following up on whatever answers I feel are necessary.

Thank you for your time.

[OOC: ICly, this network post comes up about five minutes after the one Kaveh makes.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well Dehya isn't wrong about the idea of what Alhaitham might do... but what's wrong about that?? It'll be something unique and memorable!!

Though given Kaveh's standards in regards to aesthetics, he supposes there's no harm done in letting Dehya handle this instead.]

...I guess there's no harm in trying.

[Even he knows that this isn't the sort of thing he can rest on his laurels on for too long. Doubly so when this is about Kaveh.]

Great. [She grins, all teeth.] So how long is your survey going to take? Few weeks? [Few days?? It seems a little excessive to her but he clearly holds it to importance if he's making the effort.]

As long as it needs to be.

[Alhaitham isn't going to force himself on a timetable here. Even he knows that trying to rush this is just not going to work out well for anyone.]

If it takes you more than a few weeks you are seriously overthinking it.

[Is this really so surprising when he's trying to declare his feelings to the king of overthinking.]

I need to be certain that he will not take my words in any other way except for the one I intend them to be.

He's already confessed to you. [Like, under duress, but a confession is a confession.] Doesn't mean someone else won't come and sweep him off his feet in the meantime. You gonna take that chance making him wait too long?

Of course I won't let him wait for too long. But I also recognize that I can't rush something like this to ensure that this is something which neither of us will regret.

[Kaveh has had enough of those in his life for Alhaitham to want to add another onto his already numerous woes.]

What's got you so worried you'll regret it? [Dehya props her chin on her hand.] Break-ups happen, it doesn't have to be terrible. Especially if you were already friends.

[There is a bit of a pause here at this point; while Alhaitham isn't exactly hesitant about bringing up his old history with Kaveh, it does feel... a little delicate considering the current context of their conversation.]

Kaveh told me before, once, that he regrets having been friends with me. [...] If possible, I want to ensure that he won't express a similar sentiment if we really are to pursue a romantic relationship.

[It's hard to describe what recalling those words feel like, sometimes, in the moments where his mind decides to throw him the question of what if. For the most part he's been good at grappling them, but there are the days where Kaveh stays even more obstinate than before and a part of Alhaitham can't help but brace himself for the worst case scenarios.]

Oh. [That's a lot more severe than she expected. She shifts in her seat awkwardly.]

Well, you're friends now right? So things must not have stayed bad. He seemed pretty serious about you to me.

It does seem that way.

[And Alhaitham is not doubting Kaveh's words at all, especially given the circumstances that they'd been under. But to say that things had been smooth sailing would be a lie, and as much as he wants to be certain the truth is that Alhaitham isn't entirely sure about everything either. The truth is that it's hard to say if they were ever friends again since their reunion on that night; there's no denying their history, and their complicated relationship that still stands between them, and the way things took a turn ever since they both ended up here.]

I'd never doubt his words, and the conviction behind them. But that does not mean that they won't change.

[They used to be so close when they were students—close enough that Alhaitham thought that nothing could change it, and yet it still had in the end. And as much as he will try to not let history repeat itself, the possibility is always there.]

That still sounds like doubting. [She glances the direction of the garden.] What you need isn't an answer to his confession but to your confidence. You're worried about making the move because you think in the end he won't want you after all, right?

[Well, Alhaitham certainly can't deny Dehya's words and her read of the situation there. It is... uneasy, to recognize the fact that his confidence is shaken, but is it truly a surprise? Right from the beginning it has always been Kaveh who has moved him in ways others cannot.]

Mmn. [A small, tight hum, as he feels his own body tense up from the discomfort that runs through him now.] That would not be inaccurate to say.

[If, at the very end, Kaveh decided that he doesn't want this at all... is it better or worse, to have had that hope only to lose it, or to never have experienced it in the first place? It's a dilemma that he once may have had a solid answer to, but these days it is far more nebulous.]

... Hey. I mean, none of my relationships lasted, but it's obvious you and Kaveh mean a lot to each other. [She reaches under the table with her foot to nudge his calve. Softer:] I think you should give it a go.

[Alhaitham glances over to Dehya then, reacting to both her words as well as her actions. He'd be a fool to deny what she has said about them, and he is well aware of the fact of how deep Kaveh's affections for him must have already gone, considering how important it'd clearly meant to him. Alhaitham has no intention to make light of that, and neither does he want to squander away this opportunity. He'd never forgive himself if he did.]

I know. [...] I will.

[The exact how is still up in the air, but... he definitely will. He'd be just as a fool not to.]

text; an important survey

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