- 12 hours ago
He catfished a gorgeous woman online. Then he ghosted her. Big mistake.
Plus-size college guy Jay Whitfield never believed a woman like Sylvia Kingsley could want the real him, so he hid behind another man’s face.
What he didn’t know? His sweet, possessive online girlfriend was actually a ruthless billionaire CEO.
When Sylvia asks to meet, Jay panics, dumps her, and disappears—only to end up months later living under the same roof.
She doesn’t recognize his face. But she remembers his voice, his
Plus-size college guy Jay Whitfield never believed a woman like Sylvia Kingsley could want the real him, so he hid behind another man’s face.
What he didn’t know? His sweet, possessive online girlfriend was actually a ruthless billionaire CEO.
When Sylvia asks to meet, Jay panics, dumps her, and disappears—only to end up months later living under the same roof.
She doesn’t recognize his face. But she remembers his voice, his
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TVTranscript
00:00I lied about what I looked like, met her online, six months, in real life, CEO, cold, untouchable,
00:07barely looked at people when she talked to them, online, different girl, completely called me baby,
00:12called me hers. She once said, you could ruin my life and I'd thank you for it. She never saw
00:19my
00:19face, never saw my body, because if she had, she wouldn't have said any of it. She got obsessed,
00:24talked about meeting up, yeah, no, I dumped her, blocked her everywhere, done spring break,
00:30crashed at my best friend Mark's place, walked in and ran straight into his older sister,
00:35calm, gorgeous, ice-cold face, and somehow I knew that face. Down, boy. My sister hates guys who
00:43throw themselves at her, and ever since she got ghosted by some online fling, worst mood of her
00:48life. I swallowed hard. Mark, your sister's name isn't Sylvia Kingsley, is it? What?
01:00No freaking way. How do you know that? Well, that was it. I was done. I dated this girl online,
01:05ghosted her. Now I was in her house, her actual house. Seriously, what are the odds? Before I
01:11could say anything, actually makes sense. We're basically the same person. I probably said her
01:15name at some point. I just stood there, frozen. Sylvia Kingsley, same house as me, right now.
01:21My heart wouldn't shut up. I kept thinking about an hour ago. Mark brought me home.
01:25Sylvia came down the stairs in a robe, loosely tied, collar open. Looked like she just rolled out
01:30of bed. Didn't care. Owned the place anyway. I stared. Something about her, I couldn't place it.
01:35But Sylvia just gave me a nod. Her eyes went right past me like I wasn't there. Just her little
01:39brother's college friend. No way. This girl, my clingy filthy ex from social media, not a chance.
01:44Online Sylvia was a whole different species, every night without fail. The pet names, the possessiveness,
01:49the way she talked like I already belonged to her. Half the stuff she said kept me up till 2am,
01:54face burning, kicking my feet. And me, I never showed her a real photo. Sent her some handsome
02:00rich guy I found on social media, told her that was me. If she'd seen the real me, size 18,
02:05double chin, all of it, she wouldn't have said a single word. So, how many boyfriends has your
02:09sister had? Just one. Online. She was really into him. Then he dumped her out of nowhere, cold as hell.
02:14She's been the worst ever. Snapping at everyone. If she's rude to you, don't take it personal.
02:20She's like that with everyone right now.
02:24Next morning, Mrs. Kingsley called us down for breakfast. Sylvia sat across from me. I couldn't
02:29stop glancing at her. Then she looked up. Our eyes met. She raised an eyebrow, kind of surprised.
02:35My heart jumped. I looked away, fast, but I could still feel her watching me.
02:39Stay as long as you want, sweetheart. Make yourself at home.
02:42Thank you, Mrs. Kingsley. I smiled and told myself to chill.
02:45So what if we're under the same roof? There's no way she figures out I'm the guy who ghosted her.
02:51No way. She's never seen my face, never seen my body. The guy she thinks she loved was a social
02:56media photo and a voice on the phone. Not me. Definitely not this. The conversation shifted
03:01to Sylvia. I listened, picked up pieces. Apparently her mom set her up with someone recently,
03:06but when she asked how it was going, Sylvia couldn't have cared less.
03:09Mom, I told you. Not interested. Met him twice. Can't even remember his face.
03:13You reject every boy I bring. I swear, I don't know when you'll snap out of it.
03:16You're 26, Sylvia. No boyfriend. Sometimes I honestly wonder if you even like men.
03:21Mom, her orientation is fine. Promise. She's just romantically cursed. The guy she wants likes
03:24to play games. That's all. I wanted to disappear into my plate. Didn't dare breathe. But of course,
03:29the universe wasn't done with me. Jay Whitfield.
03:31I flinched. Almost dropped my fork. Just my name. Nothing special. But hearing it from her mouth
03:35chills down my spine. Instant. Before I could think, her eyes were already on me. Reading me.
03:40Something I couldn't figure out behind them. You look guilty. Did you do something you shouldn't
03:44have? My brain shorted out. I had nothing. Thank God Mrs. Kingsley stepped in. Leave him alone.
03:50Jay's our guest. Be nice. Wow, sis. I said Jay's name once and you memorized. Everyone laughed.
03:55I kept my head down. Didn't say a word. Didn't notice Sylvia narrowing her eyes at me from across the
04:00table. Mark had a fever the past couple days. After breakfast, he took some meds and went back
04:05to bed. I did some homework. Went downstairs for water. Saw Mrs. Kingsley grabbing her keys.
04:10Where are you going? That daughter of mine rushed out this morning and forgot her documents.
04:15Now I have to drive all the way to her office. She's never this careless.
04:20I don't know what's gotten into her. I can take them. You should rest.
04:25Oh no, sweetie. I couldn't ask you to do that. Really, it's fine. I've got nothing else going on.
04:30Mrs. Kingsley had been so kind, letting me stay. This was the least I could do. She couldn't argue
04:35with me. Eventually, she texted me the address. In the taxi, I pulled out my phone, searched her
04:40name. Same story everywhere. Ruthless. Sharp. Decisive. Couldn't picture a girl like that on social
04:46media. Back then I was a freshman. Parents just got divorced. Life sucked. Every night on social media,
04:52anything to not be alone. That's where I met her. Felt like a relationship, kind of. Even if we'd never
04:56met,
04:57made me feel something good enough. But I was careful. Lied about my age. Told her I was a
05:02senior. Never gave her my real name. Never sent a real photo. Never took her video calls. Just my
05:07voice. 30 minutes a night. That was it. Sylvia, she gave me everything. Then mowed me money constantly.
05:14Random amounts. Get yourself something nice. You haven't eaten. Order food. The numbers were insane.
05:20I sent it all back. Just wanted someone to talk to at night. Wasn't gonna marry the grill. Her money,
05:25not my problem. Then she got clingy. One day, she said she wanted to meet. I had two weeks till
05:31finals. Meet in person? Yeah, no. I thought about it forever. Then I typed it out. No point meeting
05:36up. I'm kind of over this. Let's end it. Hit send. Blocked her on social media. Unfriended her
05:42everywhere. Deleted every message. Figured Sylvia would have moved on by now. But from the way Mark
05:46talked about her, she hadn't. Not even close. First time at Sylvia's office. Receptionist walked me up to
05:52the top floor. Apparently she owned the whole building. Must be nice being rich. Elevator dinged.
05:58Doors opened. The second my eyes landed on her, I froze. Sun behind her. Sharp jaw. Something
06:04dangerous about her. So this was her at work. Something squeezed in my chest. She'd just come
06:09out of a meeting. Board members walking behind her. Every single one older than her by a decade.
06:15None of them could touch her. Looked like she was born to run the room. Hallway went dead quiet.
06:19Miss Kingsley, and this is... Her eyes wouldn't leave me. Her eyes landed on me. She paused. Then
06:24she stepped in front of me, just slightly, like it was nothing. A friend. Like she was hiding me.
06:29Not her brother's classmate. Not the guy staying at her house. A friend. Miss Kingsley, this young
06:35man says he's here to drop off your documents. Got it. Take him to my office. She hit the elevator
06:40button. Seemed like she had somewhere else to be. I thought about it for a second. Handed the documents
06:45to the receptionist. These are delivered. I'll get going. Don't want to be in the way. The second
06:49I turned around, something stopped me. Sylvia's hand on my arm. Did I say you could leave?
06:59I stopped. She was so close I could smell her. Something clean, cold, like pine in winter.
07:04Forgot how to move. Where her fingers touched my arm, buzzing like a live wire. She breathed out.
07:09Wait for me. I have something to tell you.
07:11I had no idea what Sylvia wanted to say. As far as she knew, our only connection was her brother.
07:15Whatever this was, it was freaking me out. By the time her assistant swapped my coffee for head the
07:19third time, I was losing it. Then the door opened. Sylvia walked in, saw me on the couch. Her face
07:24softened just a little. I stood up fast, nervous. Something flickered in her eyes, gone before I
07:28could catch it. Mrs. Kingsley? Sit down. You're not my employee. Don't call me that. So why did you
07:33want me to stay? Do you have your phone? Let's follow each other. I'll mobile page you for the ride.
07:38No, really. It's fine. It was nothing. Plus, I've been staying at your house for free.
07:41That's different. I don't like owing people.
07:43I was about to say no again. Then a thought hit me. Why was she pushing this so hard? As
07:48her
07:48brother's friend, she didn't need my socials. Unless she suspected something. Panic almost showed on my
07:52face. This woman was unreal. There was zero clues. How was she already suspicious? When I pulled up my
07:56profile, I caught something. Her hand was shaking. Just a little. Like she was waiting for something.
08:01She stared at my screen for a long time. Then something in her deflated. Like the air got knocked out
08:06of her.
08:06Reason I could add her so calmly was simple. I stopped using my old account after freshman year.
08:11My current profile looked nothing like the old one. I breathed out quiet. Sylvia had no way to
08:15connect the two. But I noticed something. Her profile picture. Still the one I picked for her
08:19back then. After she stared at my screen for a long time. She never changed it. Didn't know what to
08:23feel. The car pulled up to the house. Sylvia hadn't been home in two days. She had other places.
08:28Normal for her. Not having to face her at home. Relief. Mark recovered. Full of energy. Impossible to keep
08:33indoors. Jay. It's Tyler's birthday tonight. Whole crew's going. Teela. A girl from high school.
08:39Same college now. Figured going out might clear my head. Said yes. Mark was already texting on the
08:44way out. My sister wants to know what I'm doing tonight. Nosey. He typed back. Didn't think twice.
08:51Should have thought twice. By the time we got downtowned, it was dark. Tyler's group was outside
08:55the restaurant. Talking. Laughing. When Tyler saw me, she waved. Jay, I told you guys not to bring gifts.
09:01I smiled. Handed her the watch I picked out. She took it. Grinned.
09:07Always keeping things even, huh? Halfway through dinner, the table got loud. Someone brought up
09:12dating apps. Everyone had a story. Drew was across the table, on his second glass of wine.
09:17Then he turned to me, smiling. Jay, you've been so quiet. Are you seeing anyone?
09:22The table quieted a little. I set my glass down. Not really. Oh, honey. Still. He glanced around
09:29the table, making sure everyone was listening. You know, I keep telling my little brother,
09:33girls don't care about personality. They see you first. And if the packaging isn't right,
09:37they don't even open the box. The table went dead quiet. Drew put a hand on my arm,
09:43squeezed. Fake concern. I'm just saying. Don't wait around, honey. Nobody's coming to save you.
09:51Silence. Then the restaurant door opened.
09:54Sorry I'm late, baby. Baby. She'd never called me that in real life, only online. The whole table
09:59froze. Something in me unclinched. Drew's hand was still on my arm. Sylvie looked down at it,
10:04just once. He yanked it back like he'd been burned. Mark was silently losing it in his seat.
10:08She leaned in, voice low, loud enough for the table to catch.
10:12You should have told me you had plans. I would have come sooner.
10:14She straightened, looked at Tyler. Happy birthday. Her hand slipped to my arm. Mark
10:19finally cracked. Cool. Cool, cool, cool. Don't mind me, just your brother.
10:25Sylvia didn't turn around. Stay. Have fun. Fine. Free cake. I'll live.
10:31She was already walking me toward the door, right past Drew. I didn't look at him. Didn't need to.
10:36Her hand on my arm said everything. The SUV pulled away from the restaurant. I sat in the
10:42passenger seat, hands in my lap, not moving. Sylvia didn't say anything at first, just drove.
10:46City lights on her face. Buckle up, baby. My hands wouldn't cooperate. She watched me fumble for a
10:52second, then leaned over, reached across me, buckled it herself. Slowly, I stopped breathing.
10:57She didn't sit back right away. Face close to mine, voice quiet. You've been jumpy all night.
11:01Have I? Hmm. She sat back, eyes on the road again, silent. I stared out the window, tried to look
11:06normal,
11:07tried not to think about it. The way she'd called me baby in front of everyone. The way she only
11:12ever
11:12called me that online. Then she spoke, casually. You know what's weird? What? I keep thinking about
11:19a guy I used to talk to. He could never sleep before 2am, every night. Sounds annoying.
11:25Sounds familiar. Not really. I sleep early. Right. Must be someone else I'm thinking of.
11:30She didn't look at me, but I felt her watching. The way you feel someone watching in the dark. The
11:34rest of
11:34the drive was quiet. When we pulled into the driveway, she cut the engine. Didn't get out.
11:38Just sat there, hands on the wheel. Then she turned to me. Get some sleep, Jay. Try to, if you
11:44can.
11:44She got out, walked around to open my door. I sat there, frozen. Because try to wasn't a suggestion,
11:50it was a challenge. I didn't sleep. 2am, 3am, 4am. Sylvia knew. Of course she knew. By morning,
11:58Mark was banging on my door. Get up, a vent tonight. We need suits. Downstairs, Sylvia was already
12:03dressed, keys in hand. I'm driving. Mark blinked. You shopping? I have somewhere to be after.
12:09Sure she did. Sylvia dropped us at some boutique downtown. Meeting. Back in an hour. Mark pulled
12:15me inside. The salesman was already walking over. Blonde. Perfect blowout. Perfect smile.
12:20He eyes went to Mark first. Warm. Mr Kingsley. Always lovely to see you. Then his eyes found me.
12:27The smile didn't change, but something behind it did. And your friend? Yeah, he's shopping too.
12:32Of course. The salesman's eyes did that thing. The up and down. The math. Well, let me know if you
12:39need help. He turned back to Mark. The new collection is over here. Though, very selective sizing though,
12:45just so you know. It's fine. I'll just look around. I wandered to the back. Every rack, same story.
12:52Size 0, size 2, size 4. Nothing past a 6. I always know before I walk in. But I kept
12:57walking,
12:57kept pretending to browse, because leaving looked worse than staying. The salesman was watching me.
13:03Not helping, just watching. Then he drifted over, his voice dripping with false sweetness.
13:08Buddy, I don't want you to waste your time. These really aren't designed with everybody in mind.
13:14There's a lovely store two blocks down. Torrid. Very cute. Really flattering for guys like you.
13:19Guys like me. You know what I mean. Right. Thanks. Turned to leave. I made it three steps.
13:23Then the door chimed. Sylvia. She walked in, scanning the room. Dot saw me heading for the
13:28door. Saw the salesman. Still smiling. Dot saw Mark two racks away. Jaw clenched. Read the room
13:34in one second. She walked straight to me, hand on my arm. Where are you going? I was just...
13:39Did you find something you liked? No, I... Why not? Oh, Mrs. Kingsley. We were just discussing
13:44that our collection isn't quite the right fit for your... For my what?
13:48Not a question. She faltered. For your companion, the sizing is a bit... Get me the manager. I...
13:57Excuse me? The manager. Now. His smile disappeared. He walked to the back, fast. Sylvia turned to me,
14:04different voice, soft. Pick something. Sylvia, I don't... Anything you want. Or everything.
14:11I don't care. Miss Kingsley, is there a problem? Yeah. Your staff just told my boyfriend to shop
14:17somewhere else. Mark made a noise. Something between a gasp and a laugh. I opened my mouth
14:22to correct her, then closed it. Because looking at her face, she wasn't asking permission. The
14:26manager went white. Mrs. I'm so sorry. I don't care. She pulled out her card, slid it across the counter.
14:33I'll take the store. Miss? Get him whatever fits, whatever he wants. Alternations, custom,
14:41new patterns. Miss Kingsley, that's... Every piece in this store, remade in his size, starting today.
14:47Holy shit. And his. Sylvia finally looked at the salesman, just once. Grab your things. Now.
14:56Outside on the sidewalk, Mark was staring at his sister like he'd never seen her before. Did you just buy
15:00out the entire store for Jay? Yes. And made them remake everything in his size? Yes. And called
15:07him your boyfriend? Yes. Jay, what is happening? I didn't answer. Couldn't. Sylvia was opening the
15:14car door. She looked at me over the roof. Get in, baby. Baby? Not for the table this time. Not
15:21for
15:21anyone. Just for me. Got home. Went straight to my room. Didn't come down for dinner. Mark knocked.
15:27Jay, you good? Tired. Your fake girlfriend just bought a store for you.
15:30Not now. He left. I sat on the bed. Lights off. Phone buzzed. Sylvia. Are you eating?
15:38Answer me, Jay. I turned it face down. Downstairs. Front door. She was home. I locked my door.
15:46Waited. An hour. Two. Nothing. Then knock. Not loud. Steady. Open the door. I didn't move.
15:54I know you're awake. Open it. Or I will. I got up. Opened it.
16:01Sylvia. Suit. Tie loosened. Collar undone. She walked past me into the room. Sylvia, what are you-
16:06She shut the door. Locked it. Sit. What? Sit down, Jay. I don't want to meet up. I'm kind of
16:14over this.
16:15Let's end it. Hi, Ethan. I couldn't move. She stood there, waiting.
16:21Sylvia. Don't. She put the phone away. Six months. I looked for you. Six months.
16:28I know. You know? She laughed. Not funny. You know? She walked closer. Private investigators.
16:35Three of them. Nothing. Sylvia. Because every single thing you told me was a lie. The name,
16:42the age, the photo. Sylvia, I can explain. Try me. I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.
16:49Because what was I going to say? That I was scared? That I lied? Because I didn't think a
16:55girl like her would want a guy like me? That the photo was some Instagram model,
16:59and the real me was this? She was still waiting. I didn't think you'd want the real me.
17:03That's it. Jay, look at me. You fell for a voice in a photo. That's not me. That was never
17:09me.
17:10I know what I fell for. Sylvia. Jay, I fell for the guy who cried at 2am because his parents
17:16were
17:16splitting. I fell for the guy who wouldn't take my money. No, no. I fell for the guy who called
17:21me at
17:21midnight just to hear me breathe. That guy? Not a photo. But you never saw me? I'm seeing you now.
17:29Jay, look at me. I looked for you for six months. Not for the guy in that photo. For the
17:34guy on the
17:34phone. That's you, Jay. Sylvia. That's always been you. So now you know what are you going to do?
17:42Don't run this time. I didn't sleep. She didn't leave. Just sat on the floor by my bed, back against
17:50the wall. Suit jacket off. Not looking at me. Not talking. Just there. Sylvia. Why are you on the
17:56floor? Because if I get in that bed, I won't leave. You should sleep. I'm good, Sylvia. Sleep, Jay.
18:05I did. Eventually. Woke up at eight. She was gone, but there was coffee on the nightstand,
18:11still warm, and a note. Downstairs when you're ready. I got dressed. Slowly. Baggy hoodie.
18:15Jeans. Fixed my hair. Went down. Sylvia was at the kitchen eyeless. Laptop open. Coffee in hand.
18:20She looked up. Smiled. Morning. Morning. Morning. Mark walked in behind me. Saw us.
18:24Oh my god. You're smiling. Mark. You never smile. At breakfast before ten? What have you done to my
18:30sister? Get out. Rude. Out. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Just gonna go be the invisible brother again. Come here.
18:36I walked over. She pulled out the stool next to me. I sat. She didn't say anything for a second.
18:42Then her
18:42hand slid to my thigh, rested there. Sylvia? Just for a minute. You okay? I don't know.
18:49Take your time. Sylvia, you really don't care? About what? About... I care about every part of you,
18:55Jay. I know what you meant. I don't care that you're not the guy in the photo. I care that
19:00you spent two
19:01years thinking you had to be. We're doing this right this time. Doing what? All of it.
19:05She glanced down. Her whole face changed. Sylvia. Sylvia, what? Victor's back in town. Who? My
19:14mother's pick. The guy she wants me to marry. Sylvia left. Didn't say when she'd be back. Didn't
19:20kiss me goodbye. Just gone. I sat at the kitchen island, coffee going cold. Mark walked back in.
19:27She gone? Yeah. Where? Victor? Oh no. Who is he, Mark? Mark pulled up a stool, sat down slowly.
19:36Okay, so Jay. Victor Ashberth. Mom's friend's son. Grew up in the same circles. And? And he's been
19:43in love with Sylvia since we were 14. Mom's been trying to set them up for two years. Sylvia keeps
19:47saying no. So what's the problem? He just came back from Paris. Business school. And he's perfect.
19:53Perfect. Model perfect. Six pack. Wears designer suits. Speaks four languages. Dad's worth 500
19:57million. Cool. Jay. No, it's fine. It's fine, Mark. Jay, she said no for two years. She'll say no again.
20:06Yeah. Jay, look at me. My sister bought a store for you yesterday. I know. She called you her boyfriend
20:12in front of a stranger. I know. She slept on your floor. Mark. She is gone for you, Jay. I
20:19nodded.
20:19Didn't smile. He sighed. Squeezed my hand. But, but he's Victor. And I'm, I didn't finish.
20:28Mark was quiet. Then he stood up. You know what? Get up. What? Get up. We're going out.
20:35Mark, I don't. Jay, get. We drove to the boutique, the one Sylvia bought yesterday. The manager saw me
20:42walk in, actually gasped. Mr. Whitfield, we've been expecting you. The team's been working since 6am.
20:49We have first samples ready. First samples of what? Your collection. Miss Kingsley called last
20:54night. Very specific instructions. Ooh, this is going to be good. The manager led us to a private
20:58room. Racks and racks of suits, all new, all different, all in my size. I stopped in the
21:04doorway. She said, and I quote, he's never had a store built for him. Fix that. Try something on.
21:10Mark. Jay, try. Black velvet dinner jacket, tailored fit. I put it on. Looked in the mirror. Mark was
21:19behind me, watching my face. Jay, that's what you look like when clothes are made for you. The bell
21:23over the door chimed. Two people walked in. The manager's face went pale. Mark went still. I turned
21:28around. A tall blackhead man, long coat, and an older woman, Sylvia's mother. The blackhead man's eyes
21:33swept over me, slow, amused. Then he smiled. Oh, you must be Jay. I didn't answer. Victor,
21:41I told you not to. I saw the car outside. Thought I'd say hi. I'm Victor. Victor held out a
21:46hand.
21:47Sylvia and I grew up together. I didn't take it. He smiled wider. That's fine. I get it. This is
21:51Kingsley. Two minutes. Man to man. I'm not going to be rude. I just want to be honest. Okay. Sylvia
21:57is a
21:57Kingsley. She'll run this family. Marry into it. Raise children who will inherit it. He looked me up and
22:02down. Slow. You are not built for this life. Sir, that is enough. Mrs. Kingsley, you know I mean no
22:07disrespect, but you know I'm right. That is enough. I'm not saying you're not sweet. You are.
22:13I'm saying she's going to wake up one day and see it too. See what? That you're a chapter,
22:21not the book. The manager gasped. Dr. Mark was shaking. I stood there, held Victor's eyes. Didn't
22:26blink. Thanks for the honesty. Then I turned to Mrs. Kingsley. Thank you for breakfast yesterday.
22:32I think I'll head back to the dorms tonight. Mrs. Kingsley's mouth opened. Nothing came out.
22:36I walked to the fitting room. Dot Mark followed. Jay, I know. I took off that black velvet dinner
22:42jacket. Put my hoodie back on. Let's go home. The next morning, Sylvia set a garment bag on my bed.
22:48What's this? Charity gala. Tonight. Sylvia. You're my boyfriend. You're coming. I don't do galas.
22:55You don't have to do anything. Just be there. She kissed my forehead. Left. I opened the bag. Deep
23:01navy velvet. Custom. My size. Of course. Victor's voice in my head. Not built for this life. I got
23:08ready anyway. The car came at seven. Sylvia met me at the bottom of the stairs. Jay. What?
23:14You look. She didn't finish. Just took my hand. The gala was in a hotel ballroom. Chandeliers.
23:20Champagne. Money. Sylvia kept her hand on my back. Introduced me to everyone. Jay. My boyfriend.
23:26Some people smiled. Some just looked. Then someone tapped Sylvia on the shoulder. Just business,
23:31baby. Two minutes. She kissed my temple. Went. I stood alone in the crowd. Waiter offered me champagne.
23:38I took it. Just to have something to hold. I looked around. Every man in the room was lean. Every
23:44man.
23:45Not one exception. Then I found Sylvia. Across the room. Talking to Victor. Of course he was here.
23:52Same crowd. Victor was laughing. Sylvia wasn't. But he was standing close. He wore a white tuxedo.
23:58They looked like a magazine cover. Victor saw me across the crowd. Smiled. Waved. Small. Just for me.
24:04Then he leaned into Sylvia. Whispered something. Sylvia stopped smiling for a second. Then laughed.
24:10Loud. Wrong laugh. I put my champagne down. Walked to the exit. Fast. Didn't say goodbye. Didn't text her.
24:17Just got in a cab. Told a driver. Sylvia's address. Then changed my mind. Sorry. Different address.
24:22I gave him my dorm. I got there at 10. Turned off my phone. Sat on my bed. Stared at
24:27the wall. Around midnight.
24:28Someone banged on my door. I didn't move. Jay, I know you're in there. Open the door, Jay. Your phone
24:34is off.
24:34Your Caxi history has this address. Open the door. I got up. Walked to the door. Didn't open it.
24:40Sylvia, go home. Jay, open the door. I said go home. Her voice was different. Not angry. Scared.
24:45What did I do? Nothing. Jay. Sylvia, go home. Tell me what I did. Nothing. Then open the door.
24:52Not tonight, Jay. Please. I stood there for a long time. Then I heard footsteps walking away.
24:58I slipped down against the door. Sat on the floor and cried. I woke up on the floor. Neck stiff.
25:06Face swollen. Phone still off. I turned it on. 47 missed calls. 23 texts. All Sylvia.
25:14Jay, please. Are you home? You're not at your old apartment. Where are you? Jay, please answer. Please.
25:21I put the phone face down. Sat by the window. Watched the street. Waited for something to feel different.
25:27It didn't. Around noon. A food delivery notification. Delivery at the front desk. I went down.
25:33The RA handed me a bag. Chicken soup. Note attached. You always got sick when you didn't sleep.
25:38Eat. Please. Sylvia. The same soup from when I was just a voice. I brought it upstairs. Sat on the
25:46floor.
25:46Ate it slowly. Cried the whole time. A car pulled up outside. I didn't look.
25:54Come to the window. Come to the window. I know you're up there, Jay. Come to the window.
25:59I got up. Walked over. She was standing on the street. Just standing there. Looking up. Our eyes met.
26:05She didn't smile. She didn't wave. She just held up her phone. A message came through.
26:09I know what he said to me. I know why you left. I'm going to tell you what I heard
26:13and why I laughed.
26:14But not through a door. Come down. Or let me up. Please, Jay.
26:20I stood at the window. She was still there, dot no coke waiting. I grabbed my jacket. Went downstairs.
26:27She saw me through the glass. Didn't move. Didn't come to meet me. Just waited. I walked out, stopped three
26:33feet away.
26:35Talk. He said something cruel about you. How cruel?
26:40You don't want the words. I laughed at him. Not with him. Because he thought it would work.
26:45You've never laughed like that with me. Because I can't be casual with you.
26:48You are the only real thing in that room. You want to know what I said back to him?
26:51What? I said none of it matters. I'm going to marry him.
26:57Sylvia. I mean it. You barely know me. I know you better than he ever will.
27:02Tomorrow, pack your dorm. Sylvia. Move in with me. Sylvia.
27:05If you say no, I'll sleep in your hallway every night until you say yes.
27:09I looked at her. She wasn't bluffing. You won't have to.