Chapter Forty-Eight Ella
Chapter Forty-Eight
Ella
We found ourselves sitting in the Tick Tock diner a few blocks down from the office, and within twenty minutes, we were surrounded by cookies she could sue us, and we all know how Americans love to go to court.
But we could say we’ve created this great dating app to make dating safe again and the media has spread untrue stories about us . . . That . . . I don’t know . . .’
‘That have made investors pull out. We play it like a conspiracy,’ Zola added. ‘Americans love to go to court and they love a conspiracy theory. We play it off like, Why are they trying to stop this app from launching?’
Katy was grinning, Nutella covering the sides of her mouth. ‘Then we make a plea for investors!’ She clapped her hands. ‘It’s worth a shot? I mean, Flirtify own the rights to the app? So, we can’t sell it.’ She shrugged.
I smiled, knowing that it was probably our only shot, but I hoped Jimmy wouldn’t mind. I hoped it wouldn’t paint his company in an even worse light.
We finished off our meal and headed back to the apartment to set up and rehearse our TikTok.
We dressed in plain, modest clothing, keen to rebrand our image from the money-grabbing whores that the media had painted us as, and I set up my phone on a tripod facing the sofa.
The three of us sat close, ready. We’d thoroughly gone through who would say what, careful not to blame anyone outright, but to be suggestive enough that it wasn’t our fault.
My phone pinged from the tripod, and I stood up, wondering if Jimmy might be reaching out.
Philip: Can we talk? I know I fucked up. X
I screwed my face up, ignoring the message, and pressed record, running back to the sofa.
Katy began, ‘My name is Katy, and these are my friends, Ella and Zola, and we want to tell you our side of the story.’
I jumped in next. ‘We were brought over to New York to develop and create a dating app that would help Americans really find true love. And we put together a way to finally eliminate time-wasters and spot abusers or narcissists before having to meet them. We had the privilege of working with Flirtify, one of the largest technology companies in the United States, and together we created something magnificent.’
Zola tilted her head dramatically, then faced the camera.
‘Unfortunately things turned sour. We held a pre-launch party with investors, influencers and the media to reveal how our app, Stars and Swipes, would change the way dating works today. However, during the pre-launch, the media launched a bitter attack on us, on the integrity of our characters, and they didn’t hold back in spreading untrue stories. ’
Katy rubbed her eyes as if she were in tears. ‘We will attach some of the awful headlines below,’ she said with a demure sob. Jesus, I thought, give this gal an Oscar. ‘And this caused two major investors to pull out, making our app unable to launch this Thanksgiving.’
I rubbed Zola’s shoulder, then returned to the camera.
‘Stars and Swipes is an app for safeguarding both women and men, and we don’t understand who has leaked false information, but someone out there is trying hard not to protect the American people.
Last year alone, thirty-one per cent of women were assaulted by someone they met on a dating app. Thirty-one per cent!’
Katy shook her head, sorrowfully. ‘And Stars and Swipes, the app for the people, for you, hasn’t been allowed to launch. So, I ask why? Who doesn’t want to protect you? Why have they spread such horrible rumours about us?’
‘We have been stalked, threatened and humiliated, all while someone out there has tried to force us to leave this app alone. But we will not stand down, we are determined to share our story.’
I stood up and paused the recording. ‘We smashed that.’ I grinned proudly to my friends. ‘And amazing emotion from both of you!’
Zola smirked, flicking back her hair. ‘It is true, though, even if all we do is clear our names, then it’s got to be worth a shot.’
Once it was uploaded, I sat back on the sofa with my friends, scrolling through photos of Jimmy and me in my camera roll.
I wondered how he was holding up and whether I should reach out.
But I understood that he needed space. So much had happened between us that was unfixable now, especially as the reality of returning home to Glasgow loomed closer, but I cared for him and wanted to make sure he was OK, regardless of how things had unravelled between us.
My phone pinged again.
Philip: Are you home? Or still in NYC?
‘Ewww! Leave me alone!’ I screamed at my device.
Zola laughed, lifting her head. She had been playing the video we just made on repeat, commenting back to everyone to help the algorithm prioritise us. ‘Philip?’
I nodded. ‘Yep!’
Zola returned to her screen, then sat bolt upright. ‘No way! Flirtify have reposted our video!’ She gasped. ‘They have two million followers!’
Katy lunged over our laps. ‘Shut up!’
I grinned, grateful for the repost. I wasn’t sure if Jimmy would have been pissed about the video, especially since it heightened the drama around his company. But I was glad he reposted it, and relief washed through me, knowing his anger wasn’t directed at us anymore.
I snuck off into my bedroom, took out my phone and messaged him.
Ella: I know how difficult that must have been today. Thinking of you x
I hovered, staring at my message as he read it almost instantly, but nothing came back. My breath caught – what was he thinking? I sat frozen, hope and dread battling inside me, desperate for even a single word to confirm he was all right.
After a while Zola and Katy drifted in, both still staring at their phones.
Zola laughed. ‘The comments are gold!’
Katy grinned. ‘It’s been shared three thousand times.’
They dived into my bed, cuddling up with me, as we watched the number of views climb, knowing we were slowly clearing our name.
‘Guys,’ Zola said eventually, popping down her phone. ‘We do have to think about going home,’ she said. ‘Our work is done, and we can’t stay here forever.’
I shimmied down the bed, knowing she was right but feeling a pang of sadness at the reality of leaving. Returning home meant facing uncertainty, facing a small apartment. It meant facing a city where Jimmy Link was thousands of miles away.
Katy sighed. ‘Let’s look at flights tomorrow. Today, let’s just enjoy going viral.’
Zola giggled, picking up her phone again. ‘Deal! Ella, you good with that?’
I nodded, the ache in my chest flaring up. ‘Back to reality,’ I said with a wobbly smile, grief threatening to leak from my voice at the thought of leaving all the mess and magic of New York behind.