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I cross two streets and quickly walk four blocks back to my apartment. I keep looking behind me to make sure Sem isn’t following me, but true to his word, he’s not. Every time I look back, he’s further and further away, his back to me and walking in the opposite direction just like he said he would. I watch him until I can’t see him anymore. I have his phone set for 9-1-1 in one hand and my keys with mace in the other. This isn’t how I expected this night to turn out.
Once I’m safely home, I immediately cancel all my cards and phone and report them all as lost. Then I message Scarlett from my laptop that I’m home safely and am going to bed. I take off my costume, thinking it was a pity that Scott had to be at the bar. Then I take a shower to wash everything that happened tonight off.
For the first time in a long time, I don’t want to wash all of today’s memories away. As I’m standing under the hot water, watching the steam consume the bathroom, I think about Sem Svensson and wonder what he really looks like when he’s not dressed as a knight in shining armor. I close my eyes and rewatch him, punching Scott in my mind’s eye. I’m not usually someone who would condone violence, but after what Scott put me through, it seemed like some angel had answered my prayers. It felt good to have a man stand up to him. And how kind Sem was to me, giving me his phone and all. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I wonder if he really did erase everything from his phone. He wouldn’t have had time for a complete reset in those few minutes. Would he?
I turn off the water, dry myself, and quickly put on my jack-lantern-themed pajamas. Once I’m dressed, I find the phone. It unlocks without any code, and I search it. It looks as if it’s completely empty except for two pictures. I click on the first one that, from a thumbnail, looks like a generic download of Earth from space, which was the picture he uses as the screensaver. The second one, wait, hang on, does he work for Star Trek security? I laugh out loud. The picture looks like a transporter in a hanger bay.
I smile. He must be a Trekkie. “There are much worse things to be,” I say to myself quietly.
I search the rest of his phone, and there’s nothing else. Then I get on social media and search ‘Sem Svensson.’ There’s only one. I’m shocked to see that in real life, he has long blonde hair. I would have never imagined that underneath his knight’s wig, which was long black hair. I study his face and am positive it’s the same man. All his other information checks out from Sweden, and he works in security. I normally don’t like blondes, but my body seems to have full autonomy over me right now, and my finger hovers over the ‘add friend’ button on his social media page.
He was kind when he didn’t have to be.
He struck Scott, which should be enough to friend anyone on social media.
I hit the button, ‘add friend.’
I’m sure he’s met up with his friend now and is out without a phone. He’s not going to accept my friend request any time soon. And maybe not at all. Maybe he was just saying he wanted to see me again to try to get something tonight. It seems unlikely, but then again, you never know with men. Or he could have just been being polite. Like when people say, “Let’s meet up sometime,” and never mean it.
I look through what I can of his social media page, but there’s not much for me to look at since he has everything set to ‘private.’ As I’m in a daze looking at his profile picture, trying to imagine him with a different face color, but not a grey one. Then he accepts my friend request, and suddenly, his profile opens up to me. My stomach feels so fluttery. My heart starts beating faster, and I suppress an urge to scream with delight. What’s wrong with me? How can I be so excited about a man I met for thirty minutes? But I can’t deny my feelings. I’m completely smitten. Well, maybe let’s see him as a blonde.
I check his page as if it’s a crime investigation and am surprised he doesn’t have any science fiction memes, nor is he following any science fiction fan pages. Instead, he has photos from where he’s been. I can’t tell if it’s been for work or vacation because they’re just tourist-type pictures without too much emotion. The captions just state the place or what the people were doing. He clearly likes to travel, and he seems to have friends who also like his pictures that don’t include him or anyone he was with. It’s odd. Maybe Swedish people don’t like to include themselves in pictures?
I’m surprised by his age. It says he’s 32 years old. He looks younger. But then again, maybe that’s why he had zero patience for Scott and his friends.
As I scroll, I notice he’s entered some fencing competitions and follows some of those pages. He also follows ‘medieval swords.’ Unfortunately, I can’t see his friend list, but his best friend Ash seems to comment a lot on his page. Then there’s someone named Caroline, and I wonder if she’s his mother. Her profile picture is only one of flowers, and her profile is set to private. But she actually wrote under one of the landscape pictures, ‘It would be nice to see your face every once in and while.’ I laugh. That is such a mom thing to say.
After checking out everything on his page and deciding he’s probably what I assumed, a nice, shy man who might be into science fiction, fencing, and medieval role-playing games, I privately message him.
Thank you for tonight. You don’t need to cancel your phone. We could meet for a coffee, and I could give it to you tomorrow.
Surprisingly, I see him come online and start typing. I want to scream with delight as I see the words ‘typing’ repeat over and over again as I wait, but I control myself.
I’m glad you made it home safely. Thank you for adding me as a friend. Unfortunately, I can’t meet for a coffee as I have an early flight for work tomorrow to India. I’ll cancel the phone and get a new one.
I’m disappointed.
Okay. If you’re sure?
I’m sure.
I type this thinking that I’ve nothing to lose, even if it makes me look like a woman who reads way too many romance novels. My cheeks are burning, and I bite my lip as I hit send.
Thank you, Sem. You were my knight in shining armor tonight.
He immediately replies,
I promise always to be your protector, Ivy.
My disappointment at him not being able to meet me for a coffee is replaced by the excitement of what he just wrote. I actually screenshot it on my computer and put it into my ‘good memories’ folder.
Just as long as it doesn’t only happen on Halloween.
Sem replies,
As long as it’s always you, I’ll be content.
Is something lost in translation here? But it doesn’t matter. I like the feel of his sentiments.
