Undersold(3)

“Sure is app day. I might be leaving you guys soon,” I said.

He laughed. “I really hope so. Good luck, Amy. You’re going to do great.” He moved off to the back room, probably to tally the day’s sales.

I wanted to check my phone, but I left it back at my apartment in my rush to get to work. It had only been about eight hours since Rex had asked when we could meet, but that was the longest we had been out of communication for the last two days. I thought about him sitting at his computer, eyes darting to his phone nervously. I didn’t want him to worry, but it was nice to imagine being wanted. I felt a rush run through my stomach as the anticipation rose throughout the night. When the café was finally closed, I got back home as fast as I could.





3.


I lived alone in a small one-bedroom apartment in a rough neighborhood near the Delaware River. I parked my bike on the sidewalk, chained it to a stoplight, and ran up my stoop and into my apartment. The place was messy, but not dirty; I had clothes hung up all over, last night’s dishes still in the sink, books stacked along the back wall in lieu of a bookshelf, and magazines laying around. My desk was covered in papers and many handwritten notes about my app, but it was the most organized part of my space. It’s the spot I spent most of my time, working as hard as I could. It’s tough being a single girl living alone in a city, especially in a sketchy neighborhood like mine, but I threw myself into work to compensate for whatever loneliness I felt.

Once inside, I ran into my bedroom and grabbed my phone. I unlocked the screen and read one message: Did I scare you away already?

That was it, a single message from him. I was both disappointed and elated. Part of me had wanted multiple texts, maybe even a few calls. Maybe a few more pictures while he was at it. I know, it’s crazy, and we don’t even know each other, but the idea that this attractive man is out there in my city thinking about me, maybe looking at the picture I sent him and touching himself, made me more excited than I’d been in awhile.

Plus, he was smart. We spent most of our time describing what we wanted to do to each other, but we did talk about our other things. He had a lot to say about computers and app development, and his knowledge blew me away. It was the main thing that convinced me he was a legitimate tech entrepreneur, and not just some creep lying about what he did for a living to score chicks. However, I had never heard of him before, and I spent a lot of time reading about local Philadelphia companies. A quick search online for his name brought up nothing. Maybe he was another anonymous person like me, trying to make it big. But then again, the confidence with which he talked about the industry made me think he was way beyond my skill level already.

The other part of me was happy he was confident enough not to blow my phone up. He knew what he wanted, and he asked for it directly, but didn’t go overboard and get all needy on me. I found that kind of confidence incredibly attractive.

I changed out of my work clothes and pulled on a pair of black yoga pants and an old high school soccer t-shirt. I still had a lot to do that night to prepare for my meeting in the morning, and I couldn’t get too sucked into messaging with him again. Still, I really wanted to let him know that I hadn’t forgotten him. Far from it, I’d been thinking about his picture all afternoon, imagining running my fingers down his chest while pressing my lips against his, feeling the heat of his body pressed back against me, his strong hands grabbing my hips. His hard, sculpted muscles. I felt myself getting aroused, and had to stop imagining what I wanted to do to him or else waste an hour getting his body out of my mind.

Lying in my bed, I typed a message back to him. Not yet, had to go to work. Forgot my phone at home. I hit send.

There was nothing better than the anticipation. Wondering what he’d say back, when he’d say it back, and where it all was going made me feel better than I’d felt in a long time. Living in Philadelphia was good, and I was able to see Dad as much as possible, but it was also very lonely. I couldn’t let myself get too distracted, so I rolled out of bed, went to my desk, and opened my laptop. I read over the notes and emails again, trying to prepare for whatever was coming tomorrow.

This meeting could change my life, I knew. Living and going to school in New York wasn’t cheap, and I had piles of student loans I still needed to pay off. I felt like I was drowning in interest payments every time I thought about it. Whatever the final number on the sale was going to be, I’d use it all to pay off my loans, and have whatever was leftover to help care for my dad. Best-case scenario, they’d hire me on to keep working on the app, which would mean salary plus benefits. More than that, it would mean stability. But whenever I thought about the sale, self-doubt would take over my chest, and I’d have to breathe deep to get passed it. I tried to block it from my mind, and pretended like my preparation was some kind of game, but I couldn’t help but panic a little bit.