Chapter 8
David
I’ve tossed and turned most of the night, so by the time I decide to finally get up and start doing things around the house, it doesn’t take me long to realize I feel more tired now than I did before I tried to go to sleep.
I still haven’t heard anything from Tori—which is really starting to concern me—but thinking back to what happened in the mall, it’s really no surprise if she’s had a major setback again.
Kyle’s cousin was way out of line and the insinuations were definitely uncalled for.
It’s not really my place to say anything, but I should’ve stepped up to defend her.
I pour myself a mug full of coffee and reach for my phone.
The sun is still a long way from coming up, and the dimness within the house is actually quite fitting for the mood I’m currently in.
Being off these last few days hasn’t been all that exciting, and I’ll actually be glad to go back to work tomorrow morning.
If nothing else, so I can hit the gym again.
I haven’t been on my phone, so I’m not surprised to find that my social media notifications and email are out of control. I should delete everything—since I’m sure ninety-nine percent of them don’t pertain to anything important anyway—but I decide to go thru each one just to be on the safe side.
‘Your profile has been saved on your Singles in Gorman Valley account. Click the notification to see who has viewed your information.’
I reread the words one more time. Seriously, I’ve had this stupid account for years, and no one has ever bothered to save it before. So why now? I almost laugh at the absurdity of it. The only reason I created the thing in the first place was because the guys dared me to.
We were sitting around the station one night discussing relationships, and because I was the only one who didn’t have a significant other in their life, they all decided to pick on me about it.
Thus, the account was created. I didn’t take any of it seriously at first—for one thing, I didn’t use an actual image of myself but rather an illustration of a fireman’s hat—so that alone wasn’t something that would attract very many views.
Sure enough, less than a dozen or so people even took the time to read what I’d added about myself and that was pretty much the extent of it.
A few days later, I’d lost interest in the account altogether.
And thankfully, so had the guys from work.
Over the years, I’d have random messages left, but I never even bothered to reply to any of them. I simply wasn’t interested in hooking up with anyone this way. It was more or less created as a joke just so the guys—me included—could have a good laugh.
As I stare at the notification though, I can’t help but wonder about the person who took the time to save it. Is she pretty? Smart? Does she have blonde hair? Maybe she’s a brunette? Sadly, I don’t even recall half the stuff I filled out about myself.
Bored and with nothing better to do, I open the app and shake my head. I can’t believe I’m even doing this. When I submit the payment to activate my account for thirty-days, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve reached the point of desperation.
I spend the better part of the next hour updating my profile with somewhat accurate information but there’s no way I’m ready to include an actual photo of myself. I’ll probably end up deleting the entire account before it’s all said and done.
I finally reach the section to view the individual that saved my profile. Their personal info is even more vague than mine, and it’s easy to see how reluctant they are to share certain information too.
I decide to reply to the message—to see if they’d be interested in a private chat. I’m not obligated to do anything, so why not?
* * *
The next few days seem to pass in a blur. I knew picking up those extra shifts would be torturous—especially if we had a lot of calls—and sure enough, this is exactly what happened.
I don’t even bother to shower when we get back to the station after the latest call.
Working a traffic accident is a little different than battling a fire, and though I’m still hot and sweaty by the time we pull up at that station, I can hold off until I get home.
Don’t get me wrong, the station has a decent set of showers, but nothing beats coming home so I can use my own.
I still haven’t heard anything from Tori, and now that the rain has finally moved out of here and the ground is no longer saturated, I make up my mind to pay her a visit in the morning.
Well, her yard that is. If she comes outside to see me, then I’ll know she’s doing okay.
But if she doesn’t…I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
Hopefully, she’s just been busy and nothing else.
To be quite honest, I haven’t thought about the dating website until now. And while I’d like nothing more than to take a nap, I’m curious to see if WidowinGV, the profile I sent the message to, has had a chance to respond.
I’m a little shocked to find three messages waiting for me and I quickly read through them.
I half expected to laugh at what she had to say—because these stupid sites really are a joke—but instead, I find myself deeply invested.
Seems that WidowinGV has had a rough couple of days and has been feeling down in the dumps.
I begin to type out a response, choosing my words carefully and precisely, then suddenly delete everything when I realize what I’m confessing to a total stranger, no less. It’s just…I can’t get over how this sounds like Tori.
I toss the phone down onto the sofa and head to the kitchen for a glass of water. I should probably splash it across my face instead of drinking it, because of where my head is right now, but I don’t. Stepping out onto the back porch, I look up at the sky.
Tori is all I can think about.