Chapter 3

I wondered if Troy had hidden his posts because his Instagram was empty. Even his profile picture felt weirdly generic, like something from a brand-new burner account.

Logan wasn't messing with me, was he?

I was still second-guessing him when my phone lit up with a bunch of new messages.

"Hello, Zoey Collins. I'm Troy Levine. Logan said he wanted to introduce us so you could be my girlfriend.

"I've been thinking about dating someone lately, and I think we could give it a try.

"But I'm worried that I might not be your type. I'll send you some photos first, and you can decide if you want to be with me after you see them."

I bit my lip and slowly slid my finger up the screen, squinting as I opened the photo. A second later, my eyes flew wide.

A cute guy could make me blush and set my heart racing, but Troy's photo had me so dizzy I felt like I might get a nosebleed.

I kicked my legs against the mattress, too excited to keep still.

Right then, Logan texted me, "Troy isn't the easiest person to get along with. He barely replies to anyone and comes off pretty cold. Don't get discouraged. Try putting yourself out there a little."

Huh?

I scrolled through the new photos Troy had sent, all showing off his abs.

Cold? If he were a peacock, his tail would already be fanned out as far as it could go.

I held my phone, saving Troy's photos to my gallery one by one, completely forgetting to text him back.

Troy got impatient. "Am I not your type? Maybe I just picked bad angles. People always say I look better in person. How about we meet up? I can come meet you."

I raised my eyebrow.

Was he really this eager?

From everything I'd seen on the Internet, once people who dated online met in real life, things moved fast. Some even went that far on the first day. But I wasn't ready for that yet.

I spaced out for a second and accidentally tapped my hidden album. There was only one photo in it.

I let out a couple of awkward little coughs. Heat rushed to my face, and my mouth went dry.

I poured myself a glass of ice water to cool down and typed, "It's not like that. You're really handsome, but we don't have to rush to meet. We go to the same college anyway.

"I just got into your school, and in a few days, when the semester starts, we'll finally see each other."

After I sent the message, the chat stayed quiet for a moment. Then, my phone started to vibrate.

I cleared my throat before hitting the answer button.

I made my voice a little higher and said, "Hi."

A low, unhurried voice came through on the other end of the line, "Hey, this is Troy."

My heart jumped. I touched the warm edge of my ear and said softly, "I know."

"So, does this mean we are a thing now?"

"But you don't even know what I look like. What if I'm ugly? Would that bother you?"

"No," Troy said without hesitation.

My cheeks puffed out in annoyance.

Logan had said the same thing, and he still ended up badmouthing me behind my back.

When I stayed quiet, Troy finally spoke in an unhurried voice, "Zoey, I don't want to lie to you. I've actually seen you before."

He'd seen me before? Where?

There was no way someone as striking as Troy wouldn't have stayed in my memory.

My mind scrambled for answers as he continued, "The reason I was in such a hurry to make things official is because I know you went to Vayport recently. I figured you probably went to see Logan."

I felt even more thrown. "He doesn't even know I went to see him. How did you find out?"

Troy fell silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Because he's been looking for you everywhere online."

He sent me a link.

I frowned and opened it, finding a slightly blurry photo.

I was in the back of a cab with my forehead pressed to the cold window, neon colors spilling across my face. It looked quietly beautiful and a little lonely.

The caption on the post said, "Okay, I need everyone's help with this. Vayport, night of the 7th, Sizzlebone BBQ. I met this woman who knocked the wind out of me, and now I'm stupidly into her.

"I even ran after her cab and still couldn't catch up. Please, I'm begging you. If anyone can help me find her, I will do anything for you!"

When I reached the last line, I ended up laughing.

I glanced at the calendar. There was still a week left before school started, and I was honestly looking forward to it.