Page 19 of Things We Tell Ourselves

You up for a coffee date in the morning? I make a fabulous home-brewed mocha.

Hope I’m not coming off too forward. I know a good person when I meet him.

Hey!! You’re startin’ to make me nervous. Did I imagine we had a great time??

Camille’s lower lip curls in between her teeth, her anxiety rising as she swipes to the next screenshot.

Okay whatever I’m done! Bye

Wade’s response makes Camille grin.

Hey, I left my phone on silent from our date. I’m just getting these. I don’t know what’s going on for you to act like that, but I enjoyed our date. I have an early meeting in the morning, so I’m hitting the sack. Call you later. Goodnight.

She’s impressed by his use of punctuation, not to mention how he handled a clearly unhinged person. The last text on the screen is from her.

K

“That isn’t that bad,” Camille says, handing it back to him.

He shakes his head. “You’re not done.” He eyes the phone. “Keep scrolling.”

She can’t flip to the next screenshot fast enough to see the series of texts, starting at 6:22am.

Still buzzing from last night’s date. Would you want to get together tonight? I’m off work.

I could make you that cup of coffee I promised you…

What’s up with you? lol Did you leave your phone on silent again???

You said all you had was a morning meeting.

Don’t worry about our hot date tonight or texting me. I CANNOT stand being strung along.

Wow, she thinks. The entire screenshot is of her chewing him out with zero response. Camille stops reading and looks up to see him watching her intently. “You could’ve at least responded. Maybe she would’ve chilled out.”

He shrugs. “I was already on the road when the first two came in. I was trying to decide how to respond when I got out of the meeting only to see that I had all of that,” he points at the phone, “and the start of what you’ll see on the next page. By that point, I was done.”

Camille looks down at the texts. He’s right. At the bottom of the screenshot, the woman had officially lost her mind by anyone’s standards.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Im every man’s dream girl and you can’t even take a second out of your “busy” day to tell me good morning.

Camille swipes to the next screenshot.

Im having a horrible day but forgive me that I don’t like things to end badly. Im glad I met you. I wish you knew how to treat an amazing woman when she falls in your lap

Right there. If she would’ve just stopped right there, maybe it could have been swept under the rug. But, the texts continue.

I can’t stand men like you

I may have messed up but you RUINED your chance

And Camille’s favorite at 11:18am: good thing I’m rich and beautiful. Don’t think I won’t have you replaced come Monday.

Her eyes bulge when she reads the last message on the screen, dated the next day at 7:42pm.

Die

“Oh…my…god,” Camille says, glancing up at Wade gives her a smug grin.

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