Page 84 of Swiped
He winced. Had he really thought that simply getting a good person to date him would make him a good person? And still only ended up acting like a total shit, instead? Seemed like it.
“And as for Nat, you very obviously don’t hate her, Rami. The opposite of love isn’t hate — it’s indifference, and a whole drama on the internet is not what that looks like.” Allison stood up straighter and squared her shoulders. “I don’t know what you were trying to prove with this competition, but if it was that you’re a better person because you don’t lie on the apps . . .” Her voice wavered a bit, and Rami braced himself for impact. “You kinda just ended up lying to my face instead.”
Rami’s stomach dropped with the truth of her statement. He felt like the biggest fraud in San Francisco, which was a high bar, especially at a tech conference. He forced himself to meet her blazing eyes. “You’re right,” he said. “I’m sorry, Allison. You didn’t deserve that.”
Allison sighed and tossed her copper hair. “No, I sure didn’t.” She knocked back the rest of her drink. “Can I say one more thing?”
“Honestly, the fact that you’re talking to me at all instead of slapping me across the face is an unbelievable kindness.” Rami leaned next to her. “Please, say anything you want.”
“I don’t want to be friends now, Rami.”
“I know.” He gathered up her damp tissues. “Wait here. Let me call you a car, OK?”
“Thanks. I really just want to go home.” She wiped some mascara from under her eyes, put on a brave, tired smile, and sighed. “So, get me the heck out of here so I can never see you again, please.”
Rami smiled back at her candor and ordered her a car — the premium ride, obviously. “Done.”
Allison sighed and turned away from him, surveying the people milling around the party. “I guess this will be a good story to tell my grandkids one day,” she mused into the air. She then simply walked away into the crowd. And in that moment, Rami was deeply grateful for her indifference.
* * *
Nat wedged her way through the boozed-up Buzzers looking for Rami. Several people greeted her with shouts and high-fives. She waved them away, even earning one muttered, “Bitch” as she pushed past a fan.
Finally, she spotted him leaving the bar.
“Rami! Rami wait!” She ran up to him.
For some reason, he seemed happy to see her. He took her hands and his face softened, but he said, “Listen, I have to tell you something but I also really have to get out of this awful party—”
“Wait, I need to tell you something too and you can’t leave until I do.”
His face wrinkled with confusion, but he nodded at her to go on. “You first, then.”
She took a deep breath. “I was wrong, OK? My whole algorithm is wrong because, surprise, I don’t want to be with Thom.”
He nodded again. It was infuriating, and she loved it.
“I don’t want to be with anyone else either. I want to be with you.”
Rami’s dark eyes widened. “You do?”
She showed him their thirteen percent match on her phone. “The data is very compelling.”
Relief spread into his face. She saw the tension in his shoulders drop, and he gave her hands a gentle squeeze.
She stepped closer to him.
“I want to be with you, too,” he said. “I can’t stop thinking about you and our—”
Nat kissed him to finish the sentence. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.
A camera flash went off.
She looked up from Rami’s face to see Thom holding out his phone and smirking.
“Gotcha,” he said.
Nat dropped Rami’s hands and spun toward Thom. “What are you doing?”
