“I’m calling about the lost fiancé. I wanted to report that I saw him on Baker.”
“What?”
“Baker Street? On UT’s campus? It’s near the math —”
“No, not that. What do you mean, lost fiancé?”
“Uh. There’s signs up everywhere. ‘Lost Fiancé. If seen, please notify Birdie Grant.’” There was a long pause, during which I sat down — hard — on Remi’s couch. “Anyway, I gotta go. I did my part.”
The line disconnected.
It was Hayes. It had to be. But what the hell was he doing?
My phone vibrated and I glanced down at the screen to see that I had eleven text messages. Hand shaking, I opened them to read.
Unknown: lost fiancé on Baker
Unknown: now he’s at 4th
Unknown: This is so cute! Just saw your lost fiancé going into math building
Unknown:spotted at Smokey’s
Unknown:annnnd he’s gone
Unknown: who is this? Are you hot? Male or female?
Unknown: can I have your lost fiancé? He’s hawt
Unknown:Lost Fiance spotting at Smokey’s earlier. Sorry, saw sign after
Unknown: he’s in admin
Unknown: how do you lose a fiancé? This is so dumb
Unknown: admin building
“What’s going on?” Remi asked. She’d come back to pick up something she’d forgotten, she said, and to bug me about coming to her parents’ house an hour away again. I couldn’t do it. I wanted…no, needed…to wallow.
I tossed my phone to her. “A variation on Lost Girlfriend, apparently.” I tucked my feet beneath me on the couch and picked up the remote.
“Birdie, what are you doing?”
“I am sitting. Clearly.”
“No. Just, no.” My shoes were sitting by the door. She picked them up and shoved them into my chest. “Get up off your butt, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.” She tugged my hand, pulling me to my feet, and pushed me gently toward the door.
“Wait! Just…wait.” I rubbed my temple and tried to think. How were all of these people even on campus to begin with? It was Christmas Eve. Students should be home with their families by now. Campus should be dead.
I texted Hayes.
Me: WTF is going on? Who are all of these people calling and texting me?
Hayes: please come to campus
Me: you need to tell me what is going on
Hayes: can’t do that Mini