Chapter 46
DANNY
“Congrats, man.”Gavin raises his water bottle at me. “I was wondering if you two would ever get together.”
“What?” I wave at Paul and a few other Dream Guys as they leave the apartment to head home for the night.
Gavin leans against the wall next to me. “I could tell there was something up between you two.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely, dude. It was clear as glass. I saw the looks you two exchanged.” He makes a low-whistle noise. “You two are the reason the term ‘eye fucking’ exists.”
I shove his shoulder, but he just laughs.
“I’m just kidding. Seriously though. Happy for you two.”
“Thanks, man.”
I notice Gavin’s expression turns thoughtful as he glances off to the side. He runs his free hand through his hair. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
He peers around the room, waiting till a few more people leave before he turns back to me. He opens his mouth, then closes it, then opens it again.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Uh, yeah. It’s just… How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
He clears his throat. “Get into a serious relationship.”
“What do you mean?”
Gavin’s cheeks turn red, almost like he’s embarrassed by what he said. “Look, I know I talk a big game about hooking up, dating, all that.”
“Right…”
He tugs his hand through his hair again. “I know what I am. And I know what I’m not.”
I’m utterly confused. “What are you, Gavin?”
“A pretty face and body. Nothing more.”
I laugh at first, thinking he’s joking around, but when he stays quiet, I quickly stop myself.
“Sorry, man. I thought you were kidding.”
He shrugs. “It’s okay. I’m not really the kind of guy people take seriously.”
His shoulders hunch forward, and his gaze falls to the floor. “I guess I’m just wondering how to change that. How to be someone that women would want to be serious with.”
“Oh.”
I’m taken aback. In the months that I’ve known Gavin, he’s always been the life of the party—a guy who’s down for a good time with anyone—any woman specifically. It never occurred to me that it might all be a front—that he might want something totally different. That he might be more than the fun-loving party guy he comes off as.
“So when you said you know what you’re not, what do you mean?” I ask.
Gavin’s cheeks redden. He lets out a chuckle that sounds embarrassed and flustered. “I’m not…boyfriend material. That’s what I’ve been told anyway.”
“But you want to be?”
Eyes still glued to the ground, he nods. It’s a few seconds before he looks back up at me. Damn, I feel for him. It’s clearly taking a lot for him to even admit this to me.
“You are boyfriend material, man,” I say. “Why would you think otherwise?”
He lets out a laugh that sounds like a scoff. “In my experience, the people I’ve dated have only really been interested in physical stuff with me. Maybe it’s because of the image I give off. Fitness freak, pretty boy, funny guy, all that. But, uh, that’s not really who I am. I’m, um, more than that. At least I think I am.”
He rubs the back of his neck, like he’s embarrassed to tell me this.
I clap a hand on his shoulder. He nods like he appreciates the gesture, but I can tell I’m not offering much comfort. And that makes me feel like crap. Gavin’s my friend. Yeah, we haven’t known each other long, but I like the guy a lot. He’s hilarious and hardworking and goes out of his way to make everyone around him feel welcome and comfortable.
“Dude, I know this is gonna sound weird, but you’re a fucking catch.”
He jerks back slightly at what I’ve said, his blue eye wide and unbelieving. And then it hits me: has no one ever told him this before? That’s what it seems like based on his reaction and what he just told me.
“I mean it. Yeah, you’re funny as hell, you’re charming as fuck, and you’re a fitness freak of nature. But you know what? All of that pales in comparison to the kind of person you are. You’re welcoming and nonjudgmental. You’d help anyone who needs it. You’d give the shirt off your back to a stranger. And they’d probably be all over you because seriously, dude, your physique is ridiculous. You’re like a Roman statue brought to life, and the rest of us hate you for it.”
This time when Gavin chuckles, it sounds genuine.
I look him in the eye. “Whoever told you that you weren’t relationship material doesn’t know what the hell they’re talking about. Don’t waste your time on people who refuse to see your worth. You deserve better than that, dude.”
Gavin smiles, like he’s grateful for what I’ve said. “Thanks, man. Seriously, that’s…” He frowns as he looks past me. “What’s with Eden and Kayla? They all right?”
I look up to see the two of them standing in their kitchen, worry etched on their faces. They’re talking in hushed tones. They look like they’ve just gotten the worst news.
I stand up and walk over to them. “Hey.” I look between them. “Everything okay?”
Kayla hesitates just as Eden sighs, her expression defeated. “No, actually.”
She glances around the room. Her gaze lingers on the remaining handful of Dream Guys who are hanging out.
She closes her eyes before she focuses on me. “It’s the app… We’re in trouble, Danny,” she says quietly before handing me Kayla’s phone.
Dread kicks at the pit of my stomach as I focus on the screen. I recognize the logo at the top right away of a popular entertainment news blog.
I clench my jaw as I take in the image accompanying the article: a screenshot of the Dream Guy app logo with a bloodred “X” over it. I skim the text.
Say it isn’t so! A trusted source who has asked to remain anonymous has given us the inside scoop about the popular new dating app Dream Guy: it’s nothing more than an escort service dressed up as a dating app.
I stare at the words on the screen. What the actual fuck?
Dream Guy is unique in a sea of dating apps because it offers a cool twist on modern dating. Users can choose from going on real dates or fake dates depending on their preferences.
The honesty and practicality of the app seemed to set it apart from every other app on the market. Dream Guy is perfect for users looking for true love or a professional arrangement—or both.
Its unconventional offering was a hit based on how quickly the app exploded. After just a handful of months in existence, the app boasts users and Dream Guys all over the West Coast, with plans to expand to Chicago and New York City.
But our source tells us the “professional arrangement” that the app offers—the option to hire a professional to accompany users to social engagements, work events, and more—is actually a thinly veiled escort service that promotes infidelity.
“Dream Guy is solely responsible for the end of my relationship,” the source claims. “People think this app is just for single folks? They’re dead wrong. My wife was using Dream Guy behind my back to go out on dates with guys. I had no idea. And I’m not the only one. I know two other people whose significant others have cheated on them using Dream Guy’s escort service. It’s appalling. And heartbreaking.”
My blood boils the more I read. This is all bullshit. Outright lies.
“Dream Guy should be put out of business. They’re ruining relationships—they’re ruining lives in the name of money. It’s disgusting.”
What do you think? Have you used Dream Guy’s escort service? Do you think the app should be shut down? Let us know in the comments!
My hand twitches to punch the wall as I skim the dozens of comments at the end of the article.
WTF Dream Guy is an escort service?!
Damn, they had me fooled. I thought this app sounded so cool and modern, but it’s all about cheating apparently.
Boycott Dream Guy!
This is so messed up…
Are we really gonna blame an app for infidelity? Some people are gonna cheat, app or no app.
I’m deleting the Dream Guy app from my phone. No way am I supporting something so unethical.
I force myself to stop reading the comments. All that’ll do is piss me off even more. I hand Kayla back her phone and take in the anguish on her face.
“How could anyone say that about Dream Guy?” she says. “We’re not an escort service. And we don’t promote cheating. We never, ever have.”
Eden’s eyebrows crash together. She looks so distraught, so pained that I want to take her in my arms and tell her it’ll all be okay, that I’ll fix this for her.
But keep my arms at my sides. Because the truth is that I haven’t the slightest clue what the hell to do right now.
“And who the hell is this confidential source?” Kayla spits. “For all we know it’s some random person who’s lying.”
“Of course they’re lying,” I mutter. “None of what that person claims is true. I can’t believe that site would run that story. Did they even contact you to give you a chance to respond?” I ask Eden.
She aims her worried frown at her phone and shakes her head. “No, but it doesn’t matter,” she mumbles. “It’s a hot story, and so many websites will run with it because it’ll earn them loads of clicks and ad revenue. They don’t care if an article is true or not. All they care about is exposure and the money it gets them.”
She swipes her index finger across her phone screen and mutters a curse.
“What is it?”
She holds her phone up to me. “That article went viral.”
She sounds like she’s swallowed poison. I look at the social media feed on her phone and see that Dream Guy is trending, along with that article. And then I see countless posts insulting Dream Guy.
Eden’s gaze turns dazed as she drops her hand at her side. “This is bad, you guys.”
I touch my hand to her arm. Before I can say anything reassuring, Kayla mutters a curse.
“What is it?” Eden asks.
Kayla hesitates.
“Kayla. Just tell me.”
She flinches at Eden’s command before speaking. “Dream Guy’s rating is tanking. Fast.”
She shows her phone to Eden. I peek and see that it’s dropped to 3.9. The article has been published for less than three hours. Fuck.
“What are we gonna do?” Kayla asks Eden.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I’ll figure out something, I just… I don’t know what yet.”
“Hey. Is everything okay?” Gavin walks up to us.
I notice that it’s just him, Ian, Brendan, and Jamie left in the apartment. They’re all looking over at us with curious stares. They know something’s up.
Eden sighs before glancing at all of them. “Guys, I’m really sorry. But I’ve got some upsetting news about the app.”
When she finishes explaining, all the guys stand around and say nothing. Everyone looks both confused and devastated.
“What the hell…”
“This is so fucked up.”
“We gotta fight this.”
Ian mentions hiring a lawyer. Everyone says that’s a good idea.
“Does anyone know a lawyer?” Jamie asks. We all look at each other and shake our heads.
A long stretch of silence passes. It’s so quiet I hear a siren wail from the nearby street, a car backfire, and a trashcan fall over. And then seemingly all at once, everyone looks over at Eden. It’s like we’re all silently asking her, our leader, what the hell we’re supposed to do. She’s the brains, the brilliant one.
Her deep brown eyes go wide before she blinks furiously. She looks completely terrified. I start to reach for her, but she holds up a hand before I make contact, stopping me.
“I—I just need a second,” she blurts.
And then she takes off down the hall, disappearing into her bedroom.