SYNOPSIS.

Have you ever felt so lonely you were willing to do anything for a little company?
I was at the point in my life where my nights were no different from my day and I hated opening my eyes in the morning. All I wanted was a little companionship when I created a profile on a dating application online and little did, I know it was about to turn my world completely upside down as the moment I clicked match on his profile spurn the wheel of my stormy fate into motion.

CHAPTER 1.

I was jolted to consciousness by two little hands trying to pry my bra open and darkness faded as I turned the light on. Time check and it was 12:56a.m, signaling the beginning of another daunting and lonely night.
Not if I can help it.
I checked online for dating apps and found the easiest one to meet people living nearby. I download the app into my phone and set up a new profile but the next hurdle was a good profile photo to attract the kind I was hunting for. I combed my hair and held it with a loose band and I was not a fan of make-up so I made do with powder, pink gloss and a little blush to my cheekbones.
After numerous attempts at taking a self-portrait, I got one decent enough and created a profile stating I was looking for friends nearby. It was quite pretentious but it did not feel that way because it was what everyone had on his or her profiles.

I got a few matches but they just wanted casual encounters and after a few minutes on the application, I quickly learned it was a community for people seeking casual encounters only. One particular man told me to skip the drama and go straight to the sheets.

Yikes, the world is evolving too fast for you Debby.

I gave up hopes for a genuine connection and was about deleting my profile when I got a new match from one of the profiles I randomly clicked likes on but looking at the profile, it looked sketchy.

It was the photo of a handsome man named Samuel Harrison. The photo looked like a professional model Polaroid. In other words, it had all the makings of a catfish. My infuriation moved me to write the person and tell whomever it was what I think about them, you cannot blame me, I was beyond bored so I indulged.

Hello fake Samuel Harrison, how long will you steal identities to deceive innocent people? Please change your ways. I have no idea why you hide behind people's identities but love yourself more and desist from deceit. Thanks.

Yeah, that is how you change the world, one catfish at a time.

A reply came faster than a boomerang and my nose tilted as I read.

Hello hypocrite, the only one pretending to be someone else is you whilst trying your possible best to look all innocent without make-up, a retro passport looking photograph and pretending you are looking for just friends when all you really want is a good Bleep but you are probably too self righteous to admit it. You matched with me because you want me so please take your own advice, be more confident, and stop pretending.

What an ungrateful jerk and a rude one at that.

Unlike you, I do not need to hide under anyone's identity to gain attention. I am confident and I love myself. I am not looking for sex but friendship but it turns out that only sex starved retards as you exist on this app. You do know I can have your profile reported for creating a fake account right? Lower your ego.

Another notification light and I checked before the beep had the opportunity to see the light of day.

You are a fiery one baby and I do like them feisty.

I am not your baby, yes, I am fiery, my burn stings like a bitch, and you are definitely a fake person behind a fake profile. Even if you want to use a stolen identity, do not use such an unrealistic one because no dude that looks that hot will be online.

I am flattered you find me unrealistically good looking. It means you are attracted to me but if you are adamant then what should I do to prove I am real.

There is something called video Call.

Girl, you sound a bit desperate and a little too willing to video chat with a catfish.

I can swing by your place after work if you will be kind with your address.

Hell no, you could be a serial killer.

Give me your digits. We can start by hearing each other’s voices.

Here I am, biting my nails and waiting by the phone for him to get off his high horse and give me a call, yet my phone remains silent.

Yes, I know he is a catfish but he is the only external conversation I have had in a while, so it is both scary and intriguing at the same time.

I was belting out Whitney Houston's I will always love you when my phone rang and I saw an unknown number displayed on the screen.

"Hey catfish."

"Hey hypocrite, it looks like you waited for my call since you picked up on the first ring and knew who was calling."

Cocky bastard.

I had a comeback but it got lost in the sound of his voice. It was unique, raspy and airy almost like you cannot hear the words because of how much air it contains and it cracks a little bit when it gathers volume. He had a fake British accent going for him that was getting on my damn nerves.

"Cat got your tongue huh?" He chuckled and stopped abruptly. "What was that? Is that a baby’s cry?"

“Yea…That was my child. She just woke up.”

“You have a child. Why is a married woman looking for online hookups this late at night?”

“I am neither married nor looking for sex. I am a single mother. Do you have a problem with single mothers being online?”

"Wow! How is he or she?"

"She is fine, and thanks for asking." I carried her from her crib attached to my bed and put the phone on hands free function. She stopped crying and paid attention to the phone.

"What’s her name?"

"Sam."

"Wow, I can see why you are super protective of the identity but no worries my lady, I’m actually Samuel Harrison, my profile is real, and I'm honored to be your daughter's namesake."

"Oh shut it! I see you are still maintaining your cover. Drop the fake accent and come clean."

He chuckled. "You are a doubting Thomas Miss Debby. What will it take for you believe me?”

"Say the truth and the truth shall set you free fishy."

"Ooh she also has trust issues? Did someone steal your candy right from your mouth when you were a little girl?"

"No, I just don't believe in things that aren't real, like unicorns, Kardashian black genes, Santa Claus and perfect Sam Harrisons."

We joked around for a while and I was enjoying every bit of it too. It did not feel like I was talking to a stranger and although we said nothing serious or deep, it felt natural to just poke at each other and hear him talk.

We ended the call after an hour on the phone and I felt less lonely because I knew somewhere out there, someone else knows Sam and I exists and I found myself itching to know the person behind the profile. We do have something in common. I am hiding from the world and he is hiding behind a profile.

A message beep and I checked.

Hey hypocrite, I really want to meet you and Sam. Is 4pm tomorrow okay?

I was about to answer him when another message came in.

What are you doing now?

In bed and waiting for sleep and you?

I still have a lot to do here so keeping a late night. What part of London are you? I really want to see you today, I am curious about you. Please say yes.

Curiosity kills the catfish they say.

I am a cat with nine lives so I am confident on that level. Come on, give me the chance to meet you and I promise you will not regret it. I am sure we will be great friends.

I am up for it only if you tell me who you really are.

OK, I am a catfish and I used the profile because I have body image issues and I am going to reveal everything to you tomorrow if you let me.

Thank you for admitting the truth and I will keep to my words. We can meet by 4pm tomorrow. I will text you an address by three, keep your phone close.

Sam the catfish: Oh, I will. Thanks for the opportunity and kiss Sam goodnight for me.

The realization of what I agreed to dawn on me after I dropped my phone and I gave a good thought to what I was doing and tried to talk myself out of it but to no avail.

I awoke to the sweet melody of pink's try blasting through my phone's speaker as a call came through.

Can you imagine the nerve on this guy? Who wakes another human being up this early?

"Hello!"

"Wow, chill the Bleep up grumpy grouch, someone clearly hates morning calls. I want to inquire if we could see earlier than scheduled, let us say around ... 2pm? It's Friday so I'm leaving work early."

"Look who the eager one is now."

"Patience is not one of my impeccably strong suits so what do you say? Please let’s make it work."

“Alright.”

By 11am, I had my bath and put on one of my favorite blue jeans I had not used since I was pregnant. It fitted me perfectly so I paired it with a V-neck pink T-Shirt. My makeup was minimal and I combed my brows, powdered my face, a little bit of highlight on my cheek and pink gloss on my lips.

Yea I know I love pink, shoot me.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I gave myself thumbs up for a job well done because I looked natural, almost as if I was not wearing makeup. The key was to look like the person on my profile picture, because I hated those stories about how people look different from their profile photos when you meet them.

Sam woke up from her short nap and fed again, I changed her diaper and wore her matching pink dress and shoe. My baby was a very happy and peaceful child. As long as you keep her well fed and give her regular baths, my baby is good to go and will not cry unless she was uncomfortable. Give her music and she will pay all of her attention to it, sometimes making sounds and gestures that I assumed was an attempt at singing and dancing.

I got a text from Samuel a quarter to 2pm notifying me of his arrival at my gate and my stomach dropped.

“Ok, calm down Debby. This can go three ways. Either he shows up and it goes horribly wrong or he turns out to be a nice person and things go well. Worst case scenario, he doesn't show up at all and is just pulling pranks on you but it’s time to face the music.”

I stepped out, looked to the side, and got the wind knocked out of me as he pushed off the car he was leaning on car and walked towards me. He was wearing a grey blazer over navy blue dress shirt, black pants with white sneakers, his red curls pulled back and nerdy glasses perched on his straight nose, clearly showing he came straight from work. Standing before me with a smirk plastered on his diamond-structured face was none other than Samuel Harrison and boy was he real.

"It’s my pleasure to meet you and you can stop staring now. I know I look good but I doubt I look that unbelievably good." I knew I was gawking but I could not help it until his voice drew me out of my mind.

"The pleasure is mine." I extended my hand but in a swift move, he hugged me and took Sam from me. "Believe me, the pleasure is all mine."

Boy you are smooth as jazz.

He stared directly at my lips with such intensity that I could feel shock waves rolling through my spine as he bit his lower lip and smiled. He was clearly enjoying me squirm under his gaze and for the second time, my jaw dropped when his dimples made an apparition and at this point, I was invisibly drooling.

I am in trouble.

I felt things that I had not felt in a long time, the prominent one being the feeling of want and the desire to be wanted. Sam seemed to warm up to him too and she was who starring at him like a puzzle she was trying to solve as I led the way into my compound.

We sat at the front porch and continued starring at each other as he looked around and cleared his voice for the third time. Sam stretched her arms towards me and I took her from him.

Awkward!

"You have a very beautiful house I must say."

Say something Debby, you are making this way awkward than it should be.

"Thanks, it’s a rental…”

Ahrrrrrr! Debby you fool. He did not ask if it was a rental, he only complimented it. Of all things to reply with and you only came up with that?

“I mean it is not mine. It does not look like a rental...so...um... I am just trying to say I do not own the house and it belongs to someone else, not that you asked. I'll stop talking now."

Jeez! I feel like digging a hole and burying myself inside. Why do I sound like a retard?

"You don't seem to be comfortable around me."

"No, of course I'm comfortable. It is just I was not expecting you. I mean I was expecting you but not as you, I was expecting someone else pretending to be you... I was expecting someone else pretending to be you. A catfish, someone that looks a whole lot different, and not the way you look."

Where is my brain hiding when I need it the most? I am so frustrated with the limit of my vocabulary right now.

"I think the words you are trying to find are that I'm real and unrealistically good looking, you where wrong about me and I was right."

"Yes, you were right and I was wrong and I'm just a little bit shocked is all."

"I sense an apology coming anytime now but I could be wrong."

You are an arrogant and good-looking bastard.

"I'm sorry I called you fake and deceitful."

"Don't forget catfish."

"Yes and for insisting you were a catfish."

"Also, you have to apologize for insinuating I couldn't be as good looking as my profile picture."

Great job Debby, You dug your own grave and he is having a nice time burying you in it.

"Say it."

"Oh come on, lay off. You are not so innocent yourself. You called me a hypocrite pretending to look for sex online. What would someone like you be doing online by the way? You do not look like you have trouble meeting people or picking up women. I bet you have women falling onto your dick at your command. Moreover, I am not attracted to you."

Wowza! Cinnamon is back and she is blazing hot.

"Oh you are definitely attracted to me."

"No, I...am...not."

"Oh yes you are. I can see you ogling me, and why can I not be online? What if I have trouble picking women?"

"I highly doubt you have any trouble picking women and I bet you walk around with pride screaming I'm Sam Harrison, I'm super attractive, and the whole world wants have sex with me."

"So you do find me attractive. I can tell you want me Debby." He inched closer and placed his hand softly on my arms. "I can tell by the way you react when I touch you and I can tell by your uneven breath. You rile me up knowing how much I like it and those sexy lips of yours quiver when I look into your eyes."

Oh, I am putty in his hands. Sam, do something to save your mommy because your mommy is weak.

I stayed put like a hypnotized doll and I could feel my throat drying up as he drew circles with the tip of his fingers from my palm to my elbows and my toes curled. "The way your pulse quickened at my touch shows me you want me Debs."

"Uhm...I have to go …ge...t... Sam her food. She is hun...y...yes hungry. Gimmeaminute."

Way to go Debby, you have developed a stutter too.

I jumped out of his touch as if it was a burning flame and bolted from his presence. I got in and picked little Sam's outdoor crib and then I sat down for a few seconds to calm my raging heart.

Get a grip Debby, you cannot show him how affected you are by him, he is just toying with you and you are falling right into his hands. You are stronger than this. Go and show him that two can play this game.

I quickly made her food and stepped out only to stop in my tracks and stare…I mean gawk.

Do you remember when I said two could play this game? I was wrong. I had no chance. He is a grand master at a game that I just started learning.

Samuel was standing in front of the porch stretching from side to side and wearing nothing more than his white inner shirt as his blazer, dress shirt were lounging on an armrest, and I could see the outline of his toned body underneath his thin shirt.

Lucifer has resurrected and he is here for my soul.

He walked towards me until he was too close for comfort and I took a useless step back but it made no difference because he was clearly towering over me and flashed a deadly smile.

You smug devil.


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