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I reached for my phone as it rang on the coffee table, the screen showing that the call was coming through Hooked, Love as the caller. I held the phone to my ear and said, “I was just thinking about you.”
“Oh yeah?”
“I just got back from California, and I have a free night, so yeah, I was going to text you and see if you’re available—”
“I’m actually calling for a different reason.”
Her tone was one I didn’t recognize. There was a hint of sadness to it—and something else. Whatever that something was, it caused me to get up from the couch and go into my bedroom and shut the door, giving myself some privacy from the guys. “What’s wrong, Love?”
“I don’t know how to say this ... but ... we’ve run out of time.”
I paused two feet in front of my bed, my chest suddenly throbbing. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not going to be around much—if at all. I’ve decided to quit the app.”
Her words didn’t come across as a warning. They were more like a promise.
A finale.
And with that came this unexpected emptiness. A feeling that burrowed its way out of my body, leaving a gaping hole behind.
I didn’t understand where it came from.
Why there was something about this woman that I couldn’t shake.
That I couldn’t get enough of.
That I constantly craved more of.
And while I didn’t necessarily understand those feelings, I knew that this wasn’t the end of us.
It couldn’t be.
“Listen, I get it.” I paced from the window to my bed. “My life has gotten unexpectedly busy as well. It’s actually been kind of wild lately. I’m saying this because I can appreciate what you’ve got going on. But I don’t want things to fade out when they haven’t had a chance to even get started.”
I processed the idea of losing her, and I couldn’t stand it.
I wouldn’t let that happen.
I pulled up our chat box on the app and quickly scrolled through the messages we’d sent each other. Some were just random words we’d exchanged during the day. Some were parts of lengthier conversations. The date and time listed next to each one showed that, for the last month, I’d spoken to her almost daily.
“I know, but ...” Her voice hadn’t lightened at all. “My life is going to be changing drastically. I’m not sure what it’s going to be like, aside from a lot of stress.”
“I won’t add any pressure. That’s the last thing I’d want to do.”
She made a noise, like she was eating something delicious. “I love that about you. You never need, you just always want.”
I finally sat on the end of my bed. “You. Your body. Your happiness. All of it.”
She laughed, but that was the only response I got.
“Why don’t you take my number,” I said. “We don’t have to go through the app anymore—as long as you’re cool with that. When things loosen up and we can make a date work, we will. And if thatdoesn’t happen, at least we can still talk. There’s no reason for that to stop, right?”
“Okay.”
I read my number off to her, and within a few seconds, a text came through.
Hiiii, it’s me.
