Page 36 of Come Find Me Tonight

“Because Rook wouldn’t have cared.”

“Fuck Rook! He’s not even real. I’m ready to post a video imitating his death and be fucking done with him forever!” Robby shouts. He straightens his stance, and his facial expression visibly softens. “That’s not how I would have done it, Apps. You deserved better.”

Apps is a good sign.

“How would you have done it?” I ask quietly.

I made a mistake letting Rook be the first, but it was Robby underneath it—a surprising relief. I shift my eyes downwards toward the mattress, and something black against the white sheets catches the corner of my eye. My eyebrows furrow as I pick up the picture.

“That’s, um…” Robby starts.

I’ll love you forever. Goodbye, Appleygirl.

I flip the picture over, revealing the inside texture of sweatpants and part of his genitalia. It’s a bit from one of Rook’s more recent videos.

“What the hell is this? How do you know about Appleygirl?” I calmly ask despite my empty stomach dropping. I shift my gaze upward to read Robby’s expression, but he’s gone pale. Caught in the act.

He knows my first username ever and was going to dump me via fucking Polaroid. Unbelievable.

My throat goes dry. “What is this?” I ask more firmly this time.

“It was time to shut the Rook chapter for both of us,” Robby gently answers.

“What was your plan? Leave this after everything you took from me and disappear?” I can’t hide my temper as it spikes. But who does he think he is? What kind of fresh hell audacity is this? “I mean, you’ll love me forever?”

“I’ve been obsessed with you since I met you, and I know you’ve been following Rook for a long time, too. I just thought you wanted him, and I can’t be him any longer,” he adds, repeating himself.

I pinch my nose bridge between my eyes. “Then don’t? I knew there was more to whoever Rook was.”

“Let me show you who I really am…”

My eyes dart straight to him. “You’re not going to bail after, right?” I ask.

“No, as long as you want me, Robby, here. I’ll be here for you, Appa,” he breathes like it’s an exhale.

I mean, how do you not immediately swoon?

“Let me show you how I would have made your first time if I had known…” he offers.

I exhale. It’s been a whirlwind of a morning already. “I want to shower first.”

“Me too. I’m feeling last night.” He stretches his arms and winces lightly. “Would you happen to have a toothbrush I could borrow? And my contacts are killing my eyes right now.” He lightly flushes, but this is so Robby.

It humanizes the mysterious stranger in so many ways. I always knew there was a good person behind the Rook character. Maybe that’s why I never reported anything because I could sense he was more than a social media sensation.

I hop off the bed. “I’ll do you one better.” I walk past him to the en suite bathroom and open the linen closet. I’m naked from last night, but I’m not afraid of him seeing all of me in the light. Am I trying to test him? “Perks of screwing an influencer.” I retrieve a small box with an unopened electric toothbrush inside. “PR,” I add with a shrug. I open the box on the bathroom counter, and Robby stands behind me, gently wrapping his arm around my torso. He sweeps my tangled hair to the side and plants kisses from my ear down my neck to my shoulder. I try focusing on unboxing it for him, but my fingers tremble with the crinkly packaging, and shivers dance down my spine.

When I finally get it unboxed, Robby closely inspects it. “This is high-end. Are you sure you don’t want to test it?” he asks.

“I like mine,” I say with a shrug.

I open the top drawer of my vanity to grab my toothbrush and toothpaste. I share the toothpaste, and we brush our teeth in unison like a normal couple on a Saturday morning. He watches himself in the mirror as he brushes his teeth, but I watch him. Seeing Robby at the second unused sink is so right. It really puts his-and-her sinks into perspective. After two minutes, my toothbrush quits buzzing automatically, and I rinse out my mouth. Robby does, too.

“I need to get these damned contacts out,” he says, blinking his eyes.

“I don’t have any contact stuff,” I reply.

“It’s fine. I have glasses in my car.” He blinks again and inspects his eyes in the mirror.