Page 56 of Ring Me

“That's what I do. I'm a programmer. I design applications, then I sell them to the highest bidder.”

My head felt like someone had pumped helium into it. I was speaking so softly I could barely hear myself. “You mean you've done this before.”

“Multiple times, yeah.”

“How many?”

“Nine times. Though RingMe is the biggest contract I've ever had.”

I let that sink in. I hadn't moved from the chair, and he hadn't come closer. “That's why you're rich.”

“I'm not—”

“I know how popular RingMe is, Conner. You created one of the biggest dating apps out there. The reviews are all great, especially the ones from women! I did my research before I signed up to use it.”

“Of course you did.” His smile was tragic. “I'd expect no less from you.”

“I don't get it. Why would you hide this from me?” I had to be missing something. What was so bad about designing apps? My thoughts were disjointed, facts not clicking into place with how unsettled my subconscious was. “You programmed it, then sold it... but you also use it?”

“I sold it before it got out of beta. I agreed to bug test it for six months after it officially launched. They—the buyers—needed someone who knew the program intimately, someone who could make sure the matching algorithm was top notch. If there were any errors, I'd spot them.” He was talking fast, his passion for the tech-world slipping through. He caught himself and gave me an embarrassed smile. “I'm a perfectionist. Just like you.”

I clutched the arms of the chair until my forearms burned. He was in charge of perfecting the matching system? “Please tell me I wasn't some guinea pig caught up in your bug testing.”

“Of course not!” he shot back, lunging forward—he froze when I wheeled his chair away from him. The distance between us remained the same. “I was browsing the newest users and your profile caught my eye, so—”

“Caught your eye how?”

He shook his head rapidly. “I'm explaining it all wrong. In the Master Developer login, I can see all the profiles on the app. I was looking for how new users were being matched with others. Was it putting the right people together, or was it matching people who should never, ever date.”

“You can see that stuff?”

“Of course, I created the app, I can see everything.”

I sucked in air through my clenched teeth. “Even the things that are supposed to be private?”

Conner went pale. I'd never seen the strong, confident man I'd fallen for look so... so ill. “Maya, please, trust that I wasn't digging into your private data.”

“How can I believe that? You said yourself, you had access to that info! Oh my god, you designed the program, you made all if it!” Jumping to my feet, I leaned towards him with my fists balled at my hips. “All that stuff you said about us being matched because of fate? You had me believing there was something special about us! Something more than us, like a big, cosmic, fucking magical thing and all along, you...” I narrowed my eyes. “You were just researching my data, learning my kinks, to make me believe we had the same desires. What, did it look good to your buyers to have a living proof of concept?”

Betrayal soaked like poison into my body. I worried I might vomit.

“Maya! It wasn't like that!”

Ignoring him, I bent down, grabbing my things.

“Please, talk to me. Maya... Cherry!”

“Don't call me that!” I screamed, whirling on him. Thunder erupted outside the walls like sledgehammers in the sky. His skin had a faint blue glow from his computer, hollowing out his cheeks. Conner was aghast but he remained still as stone in the wake of my fury. Panting heavily, I began shoving my feet into my shoes. “Was that a lie, too, when you pretended not to know my real name? I'm so dumb, so fucking dumb to have trusted you.”

“No, please, it's not how you think it is!”

“You're telling me you didn't leer at my photos, my dirty secrets, before you sent me your first message? You browsed all the new, oblivious users, then you plucked me like I was a fucking grape from a branch.” I stopped tying my sneakers, staring at him as a horrific thought hit me. “Did the program ever match us, the way it's supposed to? Or did you force us together?”

His hands hung limp. He looked away. “The app never matched us. The only reason you saw my profile was because I manually put it in front of you. But, Maya, I swear I—”

“Subway.” I spit the safe word out like it was yellow phlegm. Conner's mouth fell open. The vein in his neck was taut, pulsing, as if he was constraining himself. “This was all a stupid game from the very beginning. You knew everything about me before I trusted you enough to tell you, then you acted like it was new info to you.” My heart shook with a wave of pain. “I knew you were a good actor. I didn't realize how good until now.”

“Maya!” He took a half-step.

I warded him off with my left hand. The ring he'd given me glinted between us; he breathed in sharply, like I'd aimed a gun at him. “We're done, Conner. I'm done.”

“Don't do this,” he pleaded.

“How can I do anything else?” I asked, unable to hide the sadness that choked my voice. The ring fit tighter than a glove, my skin was searing as I twisted it off forcefully. Conner was motionless the entire time. If he wanted to stop me, he didn't try.

Bending low, I hooked my duffel bag by the strap. “Goodbye,” I whispered. I placed the diamond and sapphire engagement ring on his desk. It sat just out of the range of his computer's light, the silver band dulled by shadows.

I shut the front door behind me.

It was louder than the thunder.

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