Page 32 of March

“Bryce.”

Sophie’s ears perked up at that, and she leaned over the table toward Jill.

“Bryce. I found…”

“Bryce?Sophie’sBryce? You–” Bridgette started. “How many words? How many syllables?”

“Shut up, Bridgette,” Sophie said then. “Jill, what about her?”

“I found her.” Jill nearly caught her breath. “I found her.” She smiled wide.

“You what?” Melinda asked.

“How?” Monica added.

“You…” Sophie leaned back again. “You found her?”

“She foundme,” Jill said as she pulled out her phone. “Well, technically, a friend of a friend, who had a follower who–” Sheshook her head. “It doesn’t matter.” Jill scrolled through her phone. “She wrote about you.”

“Wrote?” Kyle asked.

“She’s a blogger,” Jill replied. “But her blog isn’t written by Bryce, or we would’ve found it when we looked. It’s Food with Foster, and the writer is Foster Jane. I wonder if Bryce’s middle name is Jane.” She tilted her head as if contemplating.

“Jill!” Sophie had to lean forward again. “Make it make sense, please.”

She also pulled out her own phone because she couldn’t wait for Jill now.

“She has this blog that is normally food, but she wrote about you. She has three posts about you now.” Jill turned her own phone toward Sophie. “Here. People are trying to help her find you. There have been posts about it on my feed all day.”

“Oh, my God,” Monica said.

Sophie took the phone and looked at the blog. There was no picture of Bryce, but the first words she read were, ‘My name is Bryce.’ The rest of the blog, which she skimmed through, was about her. She couldn’t believe it. She quickly grabbed the link and sent herself a text from Jill’s phone before she handed it back to her and picked up her own, returning to the blog to read through it more fully. Sophie didn’t care that there were five other people at the table with her or that the waiter had arrived with water for everyone and asked them for their orders. She just read.

“I’ve never believed in love at first sight, but Sophie made my heart race, my toes tingle, my brain unable to form thoughts, and my mouth unable to say words at times. Is that love at first sight? It feels wonderful, confusing, terrifying, and exciting, and I miss it. I miss her. I miss my Sophie, who will never know that for one night, I was the happiest human on the planet. I still picture taking her to dinner, holding her hand aswe walk the city at night, and I still look for her online almost daily.”

“She called meherSophie,” she said in disbelief.

“She did?” Monica asked as she leaned over to Bridgette, who must have pulled the blog up on her phone as well. “She sure did. Soph…” Monica smiled wide. “This was posted a few days ago.”

“And there are two more posts about you, too,” Jill added. “She’s looking for you.”

“After a year?” Kyle asked.

“She’s been looking this whole time,” Melinda replied as she stared down at her own phone. “You two must have just been missing each other.”

Kyle leaned over and read from her girlfriend’s phone.

“What does this mean?” Sophie asked no one in particular.

“It means you found her. Or,shefound you,” Bridgette answered. “Sophie, this is awesome. You never thought you’d see her again.”

Sophie’s heart raced, and she just stared back down at her phone, trying to take it all in. Bryce had written multiple blogs about her. She’d remembered the scent of Sophie’s shampoo. She hadn’t forgotten about her or their night together. She hadn’t moved on.

“You have to message her,” Jill nudged.

“What?” Sophie asked.

“Message. You have to send her a message. Now. Do it now so that we can help you figure out what to say.”

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