Olivia
“You catfished me,” Luca says, and for a moment I have no response.
“I can explain,” I say, and his eyebrows move for the first time since I walked in the door. They crawl from a furrow to his hairline, which isn’t much more promising because he is still able to glare at me.
“I take it you listened to the podcast,” I say, even though I was under the impression he already had. Apparently, he missed some episodes, namely the ones that recently aired.
“Luca,” I start to say, but he cuts me off again.
“You know, when Sadie came to me telling me that you’ve been fucking with me all along, I didn’t want to believe her.
I mean, I knew that you and I were toying with each other, yes.
And that we cleared the air, or so I thought.
But I didn’t know that you were actively smearing my name all over your little show, attempting to defame me and destroy my reputation so you could make your podcast more interesting and prove that dating apps are the devil. ”
“Luca. I wasn’t trying to do any of that,” I shake my head, taking a step closer to him. But Luca holds up a finger, stopping me from going on.
“You said yourself that you created a Realr profile so you could get revenge for Sadie,” he says.
“Yes. I did. And I also said that once I met you, I knew we were wrong about you,” I tell him. My voice is growing shakier with each word, while his scowl grows deeper. “If you listened to the podcast, you’d know that. You’d know that I walked out–”
“Oh, I listened to it, Olivia,” he cuts in again. “I typically wouldn’t take Sadie’s word over yours. In fact, I don’t think I’d take Sadie’s word over pretty much anyone’s. But after listening to a few episodes, I realized I was wrong. And that made me question if Sadie was right.”
I nod, biting back a sob. “Can you at least tell me what Sadie said?” I ask. “So I can tell you if it’s true or not?”
“I thought she was your best friend,” he sneers as though he is backing me into a corner.
“She was. She is. But, like I told you, Luca, we got into a huge fight recently. About you. And I told her off. I told everyone off,” I defended myself.
“Really?” His words cut like a blade. “Because on your podcast it sounded an awful lot like you were trying to convince the world that I am a bad guy.”
“Oh,” I let out, my voice growing small. And in contrast, Luca’s voice grows bigger. “You listened to Right Swipe, Wrong Person…”
“Oh, I listened to it alright,” he says. “And you know what else I listened to? My own voice. Because apparently, while I was talking to you on the phone during what I assumed was a private conversation, you were broadcasting it to the whole fucking world!”
“I know it was wrong,” I start to say.
“You think?” he booms.
“And I admit it. Getting revenge for what you did to Sadie, or what I thought you did to Sadie, was my idea. But you have to see things from my point of view,” I say, and Luca laughs. A gritty, angry, triggered laugh.
“Your point of view? And what point of view is that, Olivia? The point of view where I am a monster because I think people have a better shot finding love when the hard work has been done for them in a sensible, logical, psychological way instead of just throwing themselves into traffic?” he grinds out.
“No. The point of view of someone who believes in love just as much as you do and believed that her friend was hurt by you. If it were Matt, what would you have done?” I ask.
“If Matt had gotten involved with someone at work and listened to the head on his dick more than the head on his shoulders, I would have told him it served him right,” he mutters.
“Well, I’m not you. And I believed that Sadie was hurt by you because she was my best friend.
But after you and I went out a couple times, that belief system changed.
Because slowly you proved that you weren’t who she said you were.
Who everyone thinks you are,” I tell him, making no attempt to hide the emotion in my voice.
Because the emotion is real. And if I am going to convince Luca I’m not a terrible person, he needs to know the emotion is real. Along with my words.
“And yet you still continued with the podcast. And the dates,” he says.
“I continued with the dates because I wanted to,” I say, and it’s the truth. “Even though I could tell with every passing day that I betrayed my friend more and more, I still went out with you. Because I was falling for you.”
“And the podcast series?” He asks, not seeming phased whatsoever by the vulnerability and transparency of everything else I just said.
“The podcast is my job, Luca. It’s how I pay my rent. Not all of us have more money than they know what to do with,” I say in a strangled voice.
“No. Some of us just have more content than they know what to do with. So they throw it on the air,” he says.
“That’s not fair,” I snap back, but he comes at me again.
“No, what’s not fair is that there was a turning point in our dates,” he says, stepping close enough to me to look down at me.
“I don’t know when exactly, but it happened.
And when it happened, in my mind all bets were off.
I didn’t care if you were trying to ruin my life.
I knew that you were falling for me, and I was stupid enough to assume that the games would stop.
Turns out, the intimacy we shared just spiced up your show. ”
“I never shared anything intimate,” I tell him.
“No, but you slandered me. The king of catfish, Olivia? Do you have any idea what that will do to my reputation? What it’s probably already done?
” He pauses, and when I don’t answer, he bites back a bitter smirk.
“You know, I didn’t listen to your podcast. Not until Matt suggested that I should.
I gave you the benefit of the doubt. But then I got curious. And I’m glad I did.”
“So you listened to today’s episode then,” I say.
“No. Why should I? I’ve heard enough,” he snaps, walking towards the door and opening it, a cue that I am no longer welcome here.
“Not if you didn’t listen to today’s episode,” I tell him. And Luca just stares at me. His gaze is hard and cold, like black storm clouds on the verge of splitting the sky in two.
“I’m done,” he says, and I gasp, my jaw unhinging as though I’ve just been punched in the stomach.
“You don’t mean that,” I faintly whisper because I am incapable of any more than that.
But Luca’s expression doesn’t waver. “You know, I have to admit,” he says with a click of his tongue.
“Between an organic meet-cute and dating apps, you struck out on both. Congrats. You actually broke the algorithm because despite using in-person fate and the world’s most foolproof dating app, you managed to fuck up your chance at love on both platforms.”
Luca’s words are so devastatingly sharp I decide I need to leave right now. I head out the door, pursing my lips together so my jaw doesn’t quiver, glassy eyes straight forward. But just as I am about to pass him, he says one more thing.
“And for the record, Olivia?”
Against my will, I pause to look up at him.
“I’m not the catfish. You are.”