Page 86 of Swiped
“So, I’m deleting my profile.” She shook her head. “No, I’m deleting the whole app. As someone once said to me, dating isn’t shopping. It’s messy and surprising and unpredictable and it sure as shit needs to stay that way.”
She tapped a few controls. Then it was done. BeTwo blinked offline for every last user. “I really should have made that harder to do,” she muttered.
The crowd watched her in an eerie silence.
“OK, I’m done.” Her heart raced. She was sweating hot and cold over every inch of her body, and she felt like she might never breathe normally again. “Speeches are hard, man,” she said, starting to slink off stage.
A few slow, tentative claps began from the back corners of the room. Then there was a loud, familiarwhoop!
Nat squinted into the stage lights. A bright pink blur was plowing toward her through the crowd.
“That’s my girl!” It was Sara. Sara in herTeam NatT-shirt. Sara was pumping her fists and strutting through the crowd like a showy wrestler. “Give it up for Nat Lane!” she yelled and started clapping.
Tears flooded Nat’s eyes as the crowd joined in with steady, if somewhat confused-seeming, claps and cheers. She met Sara’s eyes and felt a laugh break out of her. What was her life gonna be now? But what did it matter now that she had her Team? Nat pointed at Sara, then she held the mic straight out in front of her, and dropped it.
Chapter 21
The next morning, Nat was curled up on the sofa in what she had officially dubbed her pink sweater of sadness. She imagined that she would be wearing it often now. Pixel purred on her chest. She’d barely slept all night between the many long and terrifying legal calls with her lawyers, her financiers, her landlords, and all of the other numerous people who made it clear that they thought she was out of her mind and wanted their money.
She wasn’t thrilled with how things had turned out, but she stood by her decision. She was stepping down from BeTwo. The only question was what she would do next.
Sara entered holding the coffee pot. “Warm up?”
Nat held out her mug. “Good Lord, yes.”
Sara maneuvered around the stacks of boxes to pour Nat a cup and take a seat next to her.
“You’re my hero.” Nat sighed as she took a hot sip. “And I’m the terrible friend who can’t even help you move because I blew up my life last night.”
Sara snorted in approval. “You sure did. I was worried when I knew I was going to miss the interview, but I think I saw the main event.” She stretched her feet out on a moving box and rubbed Nat’s shoulder. “And I’m sure you don’t want a bunch of movers in your space today. This timing is truly the worst.”
“Really, it’s fine.” Nat waved her concern away. “Nowhere to go but up.”
“Well, you know that I’m still coming over all the time, right?”
“You better.” Nat gave her a sly glance. “Just don’t try and move back in because your room is now my office for my as-yet-undetermined new job.”
Sara grinned. “You’re welcome for leaving you all my good juju.” She shifted to face Nat and rubbed Pixel’s back. “So, you promise that you’re OK?”
“Everything I said about the app was true.” Nat scratched Pixel’s tiny chin. “Besides, the board has to buy me out so I’ll be OK for a while.”
Sara nodded and decided to broach the more sensitive subject. “Any word from Rami?”
“Nope.” Nat’s face dropped. “Wouldn’t have been the full BeTwo experience if I didn’t get ghosted, right?”
Sara set down her mug and wrapped her friend in a huge, crushing hug. Pixel dove for his life and scampered away.
Nat giggled, squirming. “I still need to breathe!”
“No breathe. Only happy.” Sara squeezed tighter.
Nat laughed and wriggled free. “I just need to say again that I’m sorry.”
Sara waved her hand in front of her face in dismissal. “Dude, I get it. You were just trying to protect yourself.”
“Yes, and also I was clinging to you and then punishing you for having your own life, and it wasn’t fair.”
“Well, that’s accurate.”
