What Comes With It

Chapter 4

I pick up my phone and start entering the phone number, but without finishing I quickly swipe my contacts app away and toggle straight to Google.

"Ben Archer Chiefs" I quickly query.

I mean, I know him, but like what do I know know about him? I usually make a point to avoid Googling myself and my celebrity friends (and dates), but here we are.

I'm immediately greeted by a mosaic of images. Has he always been this good looking? A quick scroll confirms that yes, he has, but also that he has somehow gotten even better looking with time. I immediately notice his birthday – just one month older than me. My heart leaps when I realize it's the same birthday as my beloved late grandmother.

I shake it off. That doesn't mean anything. It's a coincidence. I clock his height and weight, and momentarily feel bad for athletes who have to have that broadcast for them, before realizing how utterly delighted I would be to be in the company of a man that size. A real man. All 6-foot-5 of him.

I'm tall — six feet in heels. I wear my height proudly. But not all of the men I've dated have been OK with it. I've had to make myself smaller to fit into their ideal of what a girlfriend should look like. I don't like shrinking for anyone.

I review his Wiki stats, previous relationships, and his endorsements. Literally while I'm Googling him a Pfizer ad with his face on it pops up to remind me to get a Covid shot. That endorsement alone tells me all I need to know about his politics. I catch a few clips of his podcast with his brother. I'm drawn to his twinkly eyes, easy-going manner, and how well he and his brother get along, gentle ribbing and all.

I'm interested. Very interested.

I grab the bracelet and begin typing the number into my phone again. I look at the clock – it's already 2 a.m. Nothing — and everything — good happens after midnight.

A bracelet with your number? Clever.

...

The ellipsis bubble appears and disappears almost instantly. There's a pause. It appears once more. Vanishes. Another pause. Then he uses the exclamation point response on my message.

There's no way this is who I think it is. Right?

That depends, who do you want it to be?

Serena, of course. Is it u?

;) Thanks for coming to my show tonight. Did you have a good time?

Wait wait wait wait wait. Prove it.

This is a stumper. I can't send a picture of myself to him. My legal team would kill me. I quickly toggle to Instagram and find his account and shoot him a message there from my verified page.

Is this proof enough?

He double taps my DM so a heart appears. I switch back to my messages app and see the ellipsis bubbles again.

Oh shit, it is u.

 The show was amazing but u already knew that. What r u doing up??

also HI. Sorry I forgot my manners there for a sec. My mom would kill me.

I giggle to myself. I can hear his voice, despite never having met him. It sounds cute in my head.

Hi :)
I can never sleep right after shows ... too wired. Just enjoying the storm right now.

Are u still in town??

Yeah, too dangerous to fly out tonight.

There's another pause. The longest one yet. Finally, after lots of starting and stopping:

I'm glad you're staying safe.

Something tells me that's not what he wanted to say.