And I couldn’t be happier.
I take my phone from my pocket. I swipe through my messages to find the thread with my secret admirer, who I now know is Roger.
I tap out my final message to him.
You were right. Robbie was worth a second chance.
I hit send.
Buzz buzz.
I twist around, curious at the sound of a phone vibrating nearby.
Thank you, I tap out.
I hit send.
Buzz buzz.
I stand off the bed and walk around to Robbie’s nightstand.
I tap out another message. You there?
I hit send.
Buzz buzz.
I pull open the drawer on the nightstand and pause. There’s a phone inside. An old flip phone. Just like the one Roger had, but…
I pick it up. I flip it open.
3 New Messages.
My gut clenches. I push the center button with my thumb to read them.
You were right. Robbie was worth a second chance.
I tap through the messages. It’s all here. All of it. From the very first night we spoke until now.
Why does Robbie have this?
Unless…
“All right, Buttercup!” Robbie announces as he waltzes into the bedroom. “Dishes are done. Let’s do this.” He stops and looks at me, his eyes falling to the phone in my hand.
His expression shifts downward.
“Robbie, what are you doing with this?” I ask.
Thirty-Five
Robbie
Shit.
Melanie looks at me with confusion and distrust. Maybe even betrayal. She holds up the phone, that damned old flip phone I used to safely whisper sweet nothings to her in the middle of the night. Or, I thought it was safe.
“I can explain that,” I say.
“Please do,” she replies, her hard eyes locked and loaded.
How do I explain this?
“Roger was over here the other day,” I blurt, “and he left it by accident, so I—”
“Don’t lie to me,” she says.
“I’m not.”
Yes, I am.
She can see it on my face.
“Why do you have this, Robbie?” she asks me again.
There’s nothing I can say to get out of this that isn’t a lie. It’s a familiar feeling, unfortunately. Tell Melanie a lie and I stay out of trouble. Tell Melanie a lie and I sleep in a warm bed tonight. Tell Melanie a lie and maybe, just maybe, it won’t come back to haunt me.
But tell Melanie the truth and she might grow to trust me again.
“Because it’s mine,” I say.
Melanie’s hand falls to her side. “It’s yours?”
Tell the truth. Come clean. And she might understand.
“Yes,” I say, my stomach churning. “I sent you the roses. And the messages. It was me. Not Roger.”
Melanie looks down. I take a step forward, hoping to see her eyes again, but she doesn’t budge.
“When you asked to meet, I had him... pretend to be the secret admirer so you wouldn’t...” I pause as her brow furrows deeper. “I didn’t mean for it to go this far, I swear. I just—”
She lashes out, throwing the phone over my head. It strikes the wall behind me and scatters on the floor in several pieces.
“Don’t...” she says, her voice hard. “Don’t you dare come near me right now.”
I freeze. “Mel...”
“You...” She pauses, unable to find words. “Why? Why did you do this? To mess with me? To punish me? Why?”
“No.” I hold up my hands. “It wasn’t like that in the beginning. I was alone, and the program was working, and I wanted to share it all with you, but I knew you wanted nothing to do with me, so I sent the flowers. Every month, I got a new coin, and I sent you another bouquet. It felt nice. It kept me going. And it made you smile, Melanie. It was innocent, I swear.”
She swallows hard. “Innocent? You call this innocent? You pretended to be some other person instead of just talking to me.”
“You never let me talk to you, Mel! What was I supposed to do?”
“Gee, I don’t know. Write me a letter. Hand a note to my mother and ask her to pass it on. Hire one of those planes that write words in the sky. All things a normal person might think of before landing on catfishing! You should have just told me, Rob!”
“Would it really have made a difference to you?” I ask. “If I had written you a letter after being sober for a month, would you have even read it? Would you have been here fucking me on my couch three days later? No, I don’t think so.”
“So, the ends justify the means? Doesn’t matter how you get my pants off, just that you got some? Is that what you’re saying?”
I bite down. “No, I’m saying that you are impossible and this was the only way to get through to you.”
“And you are a lying bastard.” She holds back a sob. “This whole time, it was you. You...” Her pained eyes rise. “You manipulated me.”
My chest tightens. “No, I—”
“You told me all those things, made me have feelings for you, and then you ignored me? Do you know how much that hurt? And then you had Roger lie to my face?” She shifts on her feet, unable to stay still. “God, Robbie. How could you do this to me?”
“I’m so sorry, Melanie,” I whisper, desperate.
“You’ve done some fucked up things to me over the years, but you were never mean.” Her lip quivers. “This was mean.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, stepping forward. She steps back. “Melanie, I am sorry that it went this far. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I never mean to hurt you.”
“It just keeps happening, right?” she asks. “Whether you’re sober or not.”
I exhale. “I know it seems that way, but we can get past this. You and me? Remember?”
Melanie shakes her head. “Were you ever going to tell me the truth?” she asks.
I hesitate, knowing the truth won’t help me. “I hoped I’d never have to,” I say.
Tear spill down her cheeks. She covers her face with her hands and lets out a painful
