Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Zoe
I woke up to a message from David, telling me where and when to meet them for brunch. Of course, I was already awake because I hadn’t slept for shit. All night, I wrestled with what I should do now that I’d taken this much deeper than I should have without having told him.
The only thing I know for sure is I really want to be with him, which only made my head and stomach hurt worse last night. I don’t know how I got myself in this mess, but more importantly, I don’t know how to get myself out.
Now that I’m ready to walk out the door, I’m even more of a mess and about to go play the role of a lifetime, pretending that everything is totally okay.
The place we’re going to is in Greenwich Village, so I hail a cab, not wanting to walk too much in my dressy shoes.
I figured if I was going to be a mess on the inside, I might as well try to look my prettiest on the outside, so I decided to go with a flowery spring dress with strappy high heels that made me look two inches taller.
Once I’m there, I take one last inhale, then open the door and see their group already sitting at a table next to the entrance.
David stands and comes toward me as soon as he sees me, giving me a quick kiss hello with no shame or embarrassment whatsoever.
“You look gorgeous,” he whispers in my ear before reaching for my hand and guiding me to their table.
“Morning!” I try to sound as cheerful as possible.
Everyone responds with their hello while Katie stands to give me a hug. “So glad you could join us.”
“Thank you for inviting me.” I sit in the open seat while David and Katie take theirs.
“I like you so much better than his ex-fiancée,” she says with zero restraint.
“Katie.” Mary admonishes her.
“Yeah, Katie,” David chimes in.
“I’m sorry. Did you not know he was engaged before?” Katie points at David, as if he weren’t the only he at the table.
“Yes. Thankfully, I told her, or you would’ve opened up a can of worms at this table.” David shakes his head as he picks up the menu.
“Then it’s fine. You already knew.” She waves her hands around like it’s no big deal and goes back to looking at the menu.
“Yes, I knew. And for the record, I’m glad you like me better.”
Our eyes meet, and she gives me a big smile.
“See! All good.” Katie motions between her and me as if to say since I didn’t seem to mind no one else should either. “For real though, that woman had some secrets that would make a dead person turn over in their grave.”
“We get it, Katie. Move on …” David eyes her.
“How’s the wedding planning going?” I ask Katie, hoping to change the subject.
“Good. Countdown is on. Only two weeks away.” Katie’s smile is so big that it’s contagious.
“Is Aiden freaking out yet?” David asks without looking up from his menu.
She sits up straight and says, “Aiden is loving every second of the pre-wedding planning.”
“Yeah, I call bullshit,” David volleys back.
“You’re his friend. Wouldn’t you know the answer to that?” I ask playfully.
“I’m so busy that we don’t talk as—wait.” He puts his menu down and turns to me. “How did you know he was my friend?”
“I, um … you must have mentioned it at some point.” I try to blow him off, but he doesn’t budge.
“I’m just a little confused as to how you know some things about me that I know I haven’t told you.” David pushes further.
“It’s called social media, brother,” Katie jumps in, saving the day, and I want to stand up and kiss her as my thank-you. “Any girl does a deep dive on the guy they’re into.”
David gives his head a small shake, then takes a drink of his water, still contemplating something and making me sick to my stomach with anxiety at the same time. When the waitress comes, the last thing on my mind is food, and I start to really wonder how I’m going to make it through the day.
David
Something has been bothering me since brunch that I can’t seem to get past. Now, everyone is winding down here after a long day of wedding stuff, and I still can’t get these questions out of my head.
When Zoe knew I had siblings, something spoke up in the back of my mind, but I pushed it away. Then she knew about Columbia and Red Lodge, but her knowing about my friend marrying my sister was too much.
Katie made sense that Zoe could have figured out all the other things through my social media if she really had done that big of a deep dive on my Instagram, but putting together that Aiden and I were friends in high school and that he’s now marrying my sister is not something she could have just figured out just by seeing photos.
I scroll through old pictures I posted years ago to see how she could have linked the two.
I guess if she’d really searched enough, she would have found pictures of him from ten years ago, but why would she have looked that far back into my account?
And she would have had to check out my family too.
I have no pictures of Aiden and my sister together.
To link the two, she would have had to find my sister’s page, then remember that was the same guy from my photos from ten years ago, and I don’t buy that.
No one would spend that much time doing a deep dive, especially because we just got together.
There hasn’t been enough time for her to even do that.
I close out of Instagram on my phone, and when I see the Mystery Match app, my mind starts to go places I didn’t think possible.
There’s no way …
Opening up the app, I go to my messages and start scrolling to see what else I texted on this app that might be connected. When I see us talking about music and the song the “High Road,” my blood starts to boil.
She threw that song in my face after I changed up our presentation!
I jump off the couch and put on my shoes.
“I’m going out,” I say to Katie, who is the only one still awake and watching TV in the chair next to me.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to do something. I’ll be back.”
I walk out the door and call Donny.
“What’s up, bro? Everything okay?” he asks, obviously wondering why I’m calling so late.
“What is the name of the bar where your friend who helped you with the app works?”
“Who, Joey? Why?”
I flag down a cab. “Because I think I figured out who this girl is that ghosted me, and he’ll be able to confirm it without breaking your privacy rules.”
“Hey, look … I’m sorry she ghosted you, man. Truly, I am. I feel responsible for you feeling like this, but going to my friend’s bar? Isn’t that a little bit too far? I mean, have you gone a little crazy on me since you ended it with your ex?”
I open the cab door and hold up my finger to the driver, asking him to hold on.
“I’m pretty sure I just spent the last few days with the girl from the app, except we were on a trip as coworkers.
Oh, and yeah, I totally hooked up with her, by the way, on said trip.
I think she figured out who I was on the app before we left, so that’s why she ghosted me.
Now, can I please have the name of his bar? ”
“Oh shit. Seriously? Okay, fine, yeah. It’s Slim’s, down in SoHo.”
“SoHo. Of course. Thanks.”
I hang up and tell the driver exactly where to go, praying Joey’s working tonight.
We pull up outside the place, and I pay the man as quickly as possible, then climb out of the car. My stride is fast, and I’m determined to finally calm my mind and solve who this mystery girl really is.
I enter the venue and see him standing behind the bar, pouring a beer from the tap. My heart pounds with every step I take, really not sure what to do if what I’m thinking is true.
“What’s up, man? What can I get you?” Joey asks, obviously not remembering who I am.
“Hey, I’m David. You’re Joey, right? You helped Donny create that blind-dating app?”
He snaps his fingers and points at me. “Oh yeah, you helped us with the design. I remember you. Good to see you. What can I get you?”
I step closer to the bar, leaning in when I ask, “I was hoping you could help me with something. You see, I was matched with a girl who said she knew you through your sister I think she said. Her name was Jenelle. Do you know her?”
He shakes his head slowly, like he’s in thought. “No, sorry. I don’t know a Jenelle. My sister has a lot of random friends, but Jenelle isn’t ringing a bell.”
I close my eyes, not wanting to ask the next question, but knowing I need to. After I let out a breath, I ask, “Then do you know someone named Zoe?”
He gestures behind me. “Yeah. You mean Zoe, who’s over there?”
I turn, and there she is, sitting with a group of girls.
I purse my lips and nod my head sternly, tapping the bar twice. “Thanks, man.”
With every step I take toward her, I get more upset.
How long did she know?
Was she playing me the entire time?
Have I been completely fooled again?
She and her friends don’t notice me approaching them, so when I get close enough to where she can hear me, all I say is, “How long did you know it was me?”
Her eyes meet mine, and I can tell she’s been crying, but right this second, I’m too confused to care.
She jumps out of her chair and races toward me. “David, let me explain.”
She places her hands on my chest, but I push them away.
“Just answer my question. When did you figure out it was me on the app?”
A girl jumps up, trying to defend Zoe. “She’s been a mess since she realized it was you. We were literally all sitting here, trying to figure out how she could tell you.”
I take my attention from the girl back to Zoe, who has her arms crossed over her body and tears streaming down her face.
The sight breaks me in two, but I try to stand my ground.
As of right now, all I do know is she lied to me for a few days at least—two days that were probably the most important in building our relationship.
If this is true and she knew who I was, then the very start of us was a lie.