Page 49 of Swiped
Now it was Rami’s turn to generate a sudden burst of poise. His face lit with a grin. “Even better than I’d hoped, Tracy!” He raised an index finger to his chin as if in spontaneous brilliance. “You know, it’s incredible how much richer our connections are when we don’t have all the digital spoilers laid out for us.” He nodded and crossed his legs, the glowing picture of a cosmopolitan man with interesting opinions.Dammit.
Nat’s heart raced as Tracy turned to her. She felt her palms go clammy.
“And Nat? How is it using BeTwo for the first time?”
Nat scoffed. “Well, I wouldn’t say it’s the ‘first time’ since I literally built it . . .” She trailed off as the twins gestured wildly off-camera. Jo sliced a hand across her throat. Justin smiled and pointed at his huge grin. Nat smiled and rolled her shoulders back.So positive!“But I guess I just never realized just how much fun it can be!”
Justin brought his hands into a prayer position at his chest, and Jo pumped her small fists in victory.
“I’m connecting with guys who I would’ve never met in daily life, and it’s really expanding my perspective!” Nat chirped.
Rami shifted in his seat.
“Amazing,” said Tracy. She turned to Rami and narrowed her eyes. “Rami, since you and Nat have been forbidden to bein contact, how does it feel to hear that she’s been successful so far?”
Motes of panic shimmered in Nat’s vision as she watched Rami give a thoughtful frown. Of course, they had been very much “in contact” less than twelve hours ago, and of course, he also knew just how very unsuccessful her dates had been. She wondered if his mind was also flashing to the scenes in his bed, and she drove her fingernails into her palm to push the memories away.
Rami cleared his throat. “I wish Nat nothing but happiness,” he said. “It’s what we all deserve.”
Nat felt her mouth go dry. How was she supposed to take that? Was he being kind, or was this a subtle nod to his accusation that she was essentially heartless? She snuck a glance at him, but his eyes were downcast and his face was dark.
Tracy commandeered the silence. “Couldn’t agree more!” she trilled, crossing her long legs. “And, Nat, how is it for you to hear about Rami’s app-less romantic adventures?”
“I haven’t seen him, so it’s news to me!” Nat blurted, heat flaring into her face.Radiate calm, her brain reminded her.Be an influencer.She forced a grin and fixed her eyes on the camera. “I mean, I just really love that journey for him.”
Rami’s mouth twisted in a suppressed laugh, and his eyes twinkled at Nat. Of course, he would see the dark hilarity in her saying something so inane. Of course, he would get it.
Tracy, however, nodded with the deep understanding of an acolyte. “Totally. So, then it sounds like you’re both really enjoying yourselves in this little social experiment?”
“Absolutely!” said Nat, visualizing herself wearing a linen kimono and holding a jar of three-hundred-dollar face cream.
“One hundred percent,” chimed Rami.
“And what about our big deadline?” Tracy tilted her head and leaned in with a frown as if they were all discussing a tensepolitical negotiation. “Are either of you feeling confident that you’ll be bringing areal dateto the BuzzFill BuzzForce Expo opening party in two weeks?”
Nat’s stomach gurgled. “One hundred percent,” she cooed, hearing vocal fry creep into her own voice for the first time in her life.
“Absolutely,” said Rami.
“How fun!” Tracy beamed and turned back to the camera. “Well, I know that I’m not the only one who can’t wait to see how this plays out!”
* * *
Nat took stock of the last twenty-four hours as she looked at her reflection in the communal bathroom mirror of the BeTwo offices. There’d been so many firsts. The first date with Nick, when he’d given her the first kiss she’d had in two years — and it hadn’t even been good. Her first BuzzFill BuzzCheck Exclusive interview, which she had apparently “crushed.” It was the first time that she had gone viral — #BeTwoChallenge. The first time she had lied to Justin and Jo, when she’d told them that nothing strange had happened the night before. The first time the ache in her chest was not about missing some abstract notion of the perfect partner, but instead it was about missing someone specific, even if that someone had been sitting next to her in a folding chair the whole time.
No wonder she looked so exhausted.
She splashed some water on her face and massaged the dark circles under her eyes. Still, now her profile reflected her actual desires and personality, not just the data on what got the most swipes. Now her fate was truly in the hands of her own algorithm, and there was nothing else she trusted more. Right?
She pushed the swinging door back into the hall. It hit Rami on the shoulder.
“Sorry!” She tried not to look at the way the muscles of his arms rippled as he gestured.
“Nice office,” he said, rubbing his arm. Sunlight streamed in through the hallway’s floor-to-ceiling windows, lighting his skin with a warm golden glow. “If I had this view, I wouldn’t need to make a weather app.”
“The view from our actual office isn’t like this, believe me.” She forced herself not to look at the way he filled out the jeans he was wearing, and met his coffee brown eyes. “You do have a really great app, though.”
His face softened. “Thanks.” He nodded. “You did good out there.”
