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M y Bryce,

I wish you were here already. They’re talking about the meeting in the cubes around my own, and I just want them to cancel or at least postpone it because I’m so ready to see you again. I’m nervous. I’m really, really, really nervous. There might have been more reallys in there that I deleted because I don’t want you to think I’m weird, but that’s not the point. I want to see you like crazy, but what if it’s not the same? What if we’ve built it up in our minds this past year, and everyone was right that it was just meant to be one night that affected us, but that was all? Do you ever think of that? My friends are kind, patient people, but they’ve made comments that had me thinking I needed to go to therapy for a while because none of them understood. Melinda and Kyle met on one of Melinda’s tours, and it wasn’t exactly love at first sight, but it was pretty close. Bridgette and Monica’s situation was more enemies-to-friends and then girlfriends, but it happened so quickly, that transition. Why is it that people think something can apply to them but not to me? Why is it that some people think something doesn’t apply to them but applies to everyone else? Where does that come from? Don’t mind me. Just rambling now because I’m avoiding actual work.

Anyway, maybe we could talk before you get here? Do you think we could move beyond email and slide into text messaging, at least? That would be a lot easier. I can even assign you a specific tone so that I know it’s you messaging me and not someone else. It’ll make me smile every time I hear it.

Your Sophie

Sophie hit send and opened her work email account, focusing on the agenda for the all-day meeting, hating every minute of it. There was a required breakfast, which would be in the conference room and would consist of coffee from their regular coffee machine, that they would all have to make themselves, and some gas station donuts and grocery store muffins, if they were lucky. They’d hand out awards for the year, which would be certificates, not plaques; no cash prizes or any other impact on the person who won them.

After that, it would be time for the first meeting of the day, during which they’d tell everyone where they were with sales. There would be a break after two hours, where they’d all try to run to the restroom to be first before the line got too long, and then back into the room for a marketing meeting about the efforts of that two-person team. Lunch would be brought in for once, but it would be sandwiches, and they’d be pre-made, which would mean Sophie would need to bring her own lunch.

Every sandwich the previous year had had mayonnaise and mustard on it. Every single one. She hated that combination, and it wasn’t something she could just scrape off. Every sandwich also had Swiss or cheddar cheese on it, but while she could pull that off, it wasn’t worth the effort to her. She could make her own sandwich and bring snacks she actually wanted to eat.

Right around the time Bryce’s flight would be landing, Sophie would be in a meeting about operations. The topic of the day was inventory, and they would be training everyone on how to use the system, again , because no one but Sophie and the operations manager understood how it worked.

When Bryce would probably be checking into her hotel, Sophie would be in an HR meeting, where they’d talk about changes to their benefits plan for the following year. Those changes would somehow make more money come out of her paycheck every couple of weeks, like they did every year.

By the time Bryce’s response had come in, Sophie was leaving for the day. She climbed into her car and opened the email app.

My Sophie,

You said you wanted a text tone for me so that you know it wasn’t someone else. Should I be worried about this someone else? Did you meet another woman in a bar about a year ago, and she’s texting you now, too? I would love to text back and forth with you, annoying everyone around us with the pings and beeps from our phones and our smiles when the messages come in. My number is at the bottom of this email.

And I’m also nervous. I’m very, very, very nervous. I deleted a lot of verys in there, too. Is ‘verys’ even a word? Probably not. I don’t think ‘reallys’ is a word, either, though, so we’re even.

I don’t know what’s going to happen, Soph. Can I call you Soph? Sophie is already a shortened version of Sophia, so maybe you don’t like Soph. Let me know if so. I don’t want to call you something you don’t like. Anyway, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I just know I need it to happen. Does that make sense? It doesn’t to anyone else, but I’m betting it makes sense to you.

I just need to know. If we meet, and it’s gone, whatever was there before, at least we’ll both know, and we can walk away. If it’s still there, though, we’ll feel it, and we can explore it, Sophie. I want that. I hope you do, too.

615-555-3233

Your Bryce

Sophie had Bryce’s number. She had her phone number. There were ten long-awaited digits in that email, which meant she could talk to her now. She could save those digits on her phone, and she’d always have it there from now on. She’d be able to reach out to Bryce whenever she wanted. Sophie quickly tapped on the number to add Bryce Wilburn to her contacts, with an embarrassing heart next to her name. Yes, she was that person now. Her friends would make fun of her if they saw it, but she didn’t care. Before saving the new contact, she also added Bryce’s email address for good measure. Then, she pressed the message icon.

Sophie Santiago : I’d like it if you call me Soph.

She smiled as she sent it. Then, she sat in her car without turning it on and waited. It didn’t take long.

Bryce Wilburn : I’d like to call you Soph. Is that someone else you mentioned before also calling you Soph?

Sophie chuckled and typed.

Sophie Santiago : There is no someone else. I meant my friends or my family. No one else would be texting me how you’re texting me.

Bryce Wilburn : How am I texting you?

Sophie laughed again and typed.

Sophie Santiago : Like you want to make out with me.

She watched the three dots pop up and bit her lower lip, hoping that message was okay.

Bryce Wilburn : I definitely want to make out with you, but I had no idea my text messages conveyed that.

Sophie Santiago : It might have been your emails, too. Oh, and there were blogs.

Bryce Wilburn : Yes, there were blogs. Three of them. And people are begging me to write more.

Sophie had read those blogs at least a hundred times, but she hadn’t thought about the fact that people might want to know what, if anything, had happened since the last one, that they might want an update on their story.

Sophie Santiago : Are you going to write more about us?

Those three dots appeared.

Bryce Wilburn : I was going to wait to see if there’s an us to update them on, but they’re pretty insistent. I have over one thousand social notifications and several hundred emails asking me for an update.

Sophie Santiago : You should tell them.

Bryce Wilburn : Yeah?

Sophie Santiago : They’re the reason we found each other again.

Bryce Wilburn : You don’t mind?

Sophie Santiago : I mean, don’t give them my number or GPS location or anything.

She laughed at her own lame joke.

Bryce Wilburn : Only I get your phone number. I’m already dealing with the pesky someone else.

Sophie laughed again. Then, she realized she was still parked in the lot at work, and people were waiting on her to leave because there was a gate that got closed after the last car every night, and, of course, it was manual because the company couldn’t spring for one that locked automatically.

Sophie Santiago : I have to go for a few minutes. I need to drive home. I’ll message you when I get there.

Bryce Wilburn : Drive safe, please. I want to see you soon.

Sophie replied that she would. Then, she reluctantly put her phone down, turned on her car, put it into reverse, and headed toward the gate. She drove through it and pulled out onto the main road, wishing she was home already because she wanted to keep texting Bryce. It was only then that she remembered her friends had requested an update over dinner that night, and while she’d rather just go home, change into her PJs, and text Bryce all night long, Jill had been the one to find Bryce for her, and she owed the woman at least a catch-up dinner.

Sophie was also exhausted and should probably not be texting all night after two nights of not sleeping well because she’d been emailing Bryce all night long. When she arrived home, she messaged her that she’d gotten there safely and added that she had to get ready for dinner with her friends. After changing into jeans and a sweater, she sat on the sofa, and they texted back and forth for twenty minutes before she had to get going. Again, she told Bryce that she had to drive, and Bryce told her to be safe. Sophie loved having someone tell her that. It had been a while since someone had worried about her like that. Having gotten to the restaurant, she texted Bryce that she was there and that she would message her later. When Bryce’s new tone came though her phone, she smiled wide.

“Oh, I bet I know who that is,” Jill noted, smirking at her from the lobby.

“Who?” Sophie teased.

“She has your digits now, huh?”

“She does.” Sophie smiled.

“And you have hers, too, it seems,” Jill added.

“I do. We’ve been texting since I left work.”

“Any nude pics or, at least, sexy messages?”

“What? No.” She laughed.

“Who’s sending her sexy messages?” Melinda asked.

Sophie turned to see her standing there with Kyle, who had her arm around Melinda’s shoulders.

“Bryce,” Jill replied for her.

“You’re at sexy messages already? It took me months to get Ky to send me–”

“Cute puppy pictures. I sent her pictures of my sister’s new puppy,” Kyle interjected quickly.

“I bet you did,” Jill smirked.

“It was the puppy, all right. Kyle was just holding it up while naked,” Bridgette joked as she and Monica walked into the restaurant lobby.

“I was not. I didn’t do that,” Kyle argued.

“Baby, you’re cute,” Melinda said and kissed her cheek, which was kind of their thing. “You’re blushing.”

“Am not,” Kyle argued again.

“I send Mon nude pics all the time.” Bridgette shrugged. “We live and work together, so I like to spice it up.”

“She’s kidding,” Monica said. “She doesn’t do that.”

“Yes, I do,” Bridgette whispered. “Or, I did until Monica just casually handed Aaron her phone one day so that he could figure out why it was running slower than usual, and I realized he might accidentally see pictures of me topless on his mom’s phone. Now, I just email her at work.”

“She doesn’t,” Monica said, shaking her head.

“Have you two had sex in the office?” Jill asked.

“No!” Monica shook her head again.

“Yes,” Bridgette stated at the same time.

Sophie watched the back-and-forth. It was nice to see her friends so happy. It also made her think of the fact that Bryce had messaged, and she hadn’t yet checked it.

Bryce Wilburn : Have fun. Tell Jill thank you for me. I mean it. Thank her. Give her a hug. Buy her dinner, drinks, dessert, whatever she wants. I’ll pay you back.

Sophie laughed.

“They’ve been texting,” Jill explained to everyone.

“Ah. Sophie is the one getting naked pics and sexy messages?” Melinda said.

“What? No,” Sophie repeated. “We just started texting, like, two hours ago. We’re getting to know each other.”

“When is it appropriate to start sexting?” Kyle asked as they walked to the podium.

“I’d say not two hours in,” Monica suggested.

Soon after, they were sat by the hostess in a large booth for six, and Sophie was grateful they’d chosen a restaurant outside the city because it allowed them to sit and enjoy their meal instead of feeling pressured to eat quickly with groups of tourists standing around, staring at them while they waited for a table.

“So, how is it going?” Monica asked.

“It’s good,” she replied with a smile. “Oh! Jill, Bryce told me to tell you thank you. I’m supposed to hug you, too, but maybe we can do that later.”

Jill laughed and said, “Sure. Tell her anytime, I guess.”

Sophie looked down at her phone on the table and resisted picking it up because it would be rude.

“Oh, just do it,” Jill added. “You know you want to.”

“You waited a year to talk to her again. Text her,” Bridgette encouraged her as well.

Sophie wasn’t going to wait for someone to disagree, so she sent Bryce a quick message about Jill saying, ‘Anytime,’ and added a winky face emoji at the end. Then, she looked back up at her friends, but before she could say anything, she had a response. Monica laughed. Melinda shook her head and smiled at her.

“Sorry,” she said. “I just still can’t believe it’s her.”

“It’s okay. We’re happy for you,” Kyle offered back.

Bryce Wilburn : Can I maybe call you?

“She wants to call me,” Sophie shared.

“Now?” Melinda asked.

“She knows I’m at dinner, so she probably means later tonight.”

“Well, tell her yes,” Jill stated the obvious.

Sophie sent Bryce a quick message before she looked up and said, “I’m nervous. What do I say?”

“I would say start with, ‘Hello,’ and see how that goes,” Bridgette suggested.

“You’re not helpful,” Melinda told Bridgette.

Sophie looked down, watching the three dots turn into a message.

Bryce Wilburn : Text me when you’re home? I just want to hear your voice, Soph. I’m so tired that I won’t be able to stay up late, but I need to hear you.

“She wants to hear my voice,” she said with a smile.

“That’s cute,” Melinda noted.

“Adorable,” Monica added.

Sophie texted Bryce her reply and heard someone else’s phone ding. Looking over, she saw Monica pick up her phone.

“Babe, why are you texting me?” she asked Bridgette. Then, Monica smiled and turned to her girlfriend. “Really?”

Bridgette winked at her.

“Sexy pic?” Melinda asked.

“No, she said she wanted to hear my voice, too.” Monica smiled, and Sophie thought she saw a blush creep up on her friend’s cheeks.

“Bryce has some good lines,” Bridgette pointed out as she shrugged. “I think I want to meet her.”

“How about I meet her first?” Sophie offered.

“You already have. It’s why we’re all talking about it now,” Bridgette replied.

Sophie laughed, but as the waiter arrived at their table to take their drink order, all she could think about was how she would be talking to Bryce tonight. Her heart thundered inside her chest all throughout dinner: she was going to hear Bryce’s voice again soon.