Since that day, when the feds came and arrested him, and took away our house and all our possessions, I vowed never to live like them. I went to public high school and earned an academic scholarship to Columbia. Everything I owned was worked for and paid for by me and nobody else. It was freeing to know that I didn’t owe anybody anything, that I was my own person. Still, I couldn’t shake the specter of my parents, and the way they raised me must have stuck more than I realized.
Around midnight, my phone rang. I checked the caller ID and it was Amy. I swiped right and answered.
“What’s up Amy?” I felt a little worried.
“Hey, Darcy, you okay?”
“I’m fine, kiddo, why are you calling so late?”
“I got your text. I wanted to make sure you got home safe.”
I laughed. The text had completely slipped my mind.
“Thanks, but I’m fine. Home safe and sound.”
“Well, how did it go?”
I wasn’t sure how much I could tell her. She was my best friend, but she also didn’t approve of the way I lived sometimes. She didn’t understand what it was like for the majority of people in this world. She got lucky and landed a perfect, rich future-husband, while the rest of us have to work hard for every scrap. Regardless, I was desperate to share about Rex, but I had to be careful how much I told her. I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea.
“It went pretty good. I met a guy.”
“Oh yeah? Another guy?” I could sense the sarcasm in Amy’s tone.
“This one’s different, Amy. His name is Rex and he’s not like the usual idiots I date.”
There was a short pause on her end. “Did you say his name is Rex?”
“Yeah, why?”
“It’s just an odd name, is all,” she said, though I could tell something was off.
“What’s up?”
“Remember how I first met Shane?” She spoke slowly and quietly.
Of course I remembered. It was the strangest story in the world. Back when Amy was just another anonymous girl, working for tips during the day and coding her app at night, I convinced Amy to sign up for a dating website called Matchstick. That’s how she first met Shane, though he had used a fake name at first. It wasn’t until his company bought her app that they realized they had been sexting with each other for the past few days.
“I might recall some fairy tale story about an online rando,” I said, jokingly.
“Well, the name he originally used was Rex Blue.”
“Huh. That’s pretty weird.” I didn’t know what it meant. Rex was a pretty uncommon name. As far as I knew, those two men were the only ones in the world who used it, though that couldn’t be true.
“I know. Probably a coincidence, but still weird,” Amy said, still whispering.
I laughed. “Are we dating the same guy?”
“I hope not, since he hasn’t left my sight all night.”
“Oh gross, I don’t need to hear that.”
Amy laughed. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Whatever kiddo. I’m going to bed.”
“Alright. Sleep tight, Darce. See you tomorrow.”
“Night, Amy,” I said then hung up.
I turned away from the mirror and plopped down on the couch. For the most part, I was lucky. I had a relatively easy childhood, and I was blessed with decent looks. I had been with my fair share of guys over the years. But of all those men, I had never been in a relationship that lasted longer than a few months, and I was beginning to crave more long-term companionship. Maybe making out with a dangerous stranger in a bathroom stall wasn’t the best way to fall in love, but at least I was trying.
I turned on the television, wrapped myself in a blanket, and spaced out in front of some crappy reality show. I thought about Rex, his muscles, and the way his hands roamed my body. I hoped he would call, though I wasn’t sure why. He probably wasn’t the serious relationship type, but I wanted to find out.
––––––––
The next morning, I felt like shit. I stayed up too late and drank too much, and I was paying for it in spades at work. I huddled down in my chair and tried to act invisible as Marissa droned on about wildlife preserves or something. I was way beyond hung over to even try and deal with her.
Rex hadn’t messaged me, although I didn’t expect him to. There was something strange about him in those last few minutes, as if he were afraid of something. I could tell his mind was elsewhere, even if my mind was firmly locked on his chiseled body. In fact, my mind had been firmly locked on his full lips ever since I left him. He definitely was an arrogant, quiet asshole, but I found myself powerfully attracted to him.