Callum was staring at the ceiling. Well, really, he was staring at his hand, which was raised to the ceiling—and, more specifically, he was staring at the bandage on his hand in contrast to the white, textured ceiling. And through it all, he was wondering if maybe he let Adrian get too close, back at the coffee shop—especially since he now knew all the things that he felt, Adrian could also feel. 

It didn’t mean Adrian shared his affection, which he desperately tried to remind himself of. In fact, it sounded like Adrian generally tried to avoid developing any lingering feelings for Callum—instead preferring to find intimacy online, like through Alph-O. But still, Callum found himself wondering what they would have been like in a different life. A life where Callum was afforded the opportunity to be himself, and Adrian didn’t have to hold himself back. 

Callum let out a long, wistful sigh. It wasn’t productive to daydream. His reality was what it was, and he couldn’t change that. His eyes traveled down to his watch, which was still secreting the same awful scent—and suddenly, the only thing he wanted in the entire world was to take it off. 

It was getting late, so technically, he didn’t have to keep it on. The only reason he did was if Beck or Courtney decided to pop in on one of their late-night binges. He needed to think about other things, like the quarterly meeting, which was fast approaching, where his father was announcing him as heir. He needed to be ready for it. It was at the end of the month—not a great time for Callum, but he knew his father chose this date on purpose. He expected Callum to prove that he could handle things, even at the worst times of the month. And he was going to handle it.

He had no other options. 

Callum’s phone lit up with a notification. He typically had it on silent, since the various alert sounds got annoying over time, and was surprised to see a message from Adrian. Or, rather, Mister.A. It seemed the events of the day had not dissuaded Adrian from contacting Bently. 

Mister.A

If I ask you something, will I scare you away?

Callum looked at the bandage on his hand, and his body filled with white-hot longing. In that moment, he had been prepared to do anything for Adrian. If Winter hadn’t busted in, Callum didn’t know what would have happened. And it seemed some of that feeling had lingered, because he found himself typing a response. 

Bently

I believe if I were to scare easily, I would have by now.

Why? Is there something wrong? 

Mister.A

Is this relationship going anywhere? 

Callum blinked, his heart rate picking up a notch. Had Adrian tired of this so soon? Tired of him? He thought that they had an understanding—that they were to be friends, and that there wasn’t anything beyond that Callum could offer. Even if, with every part of Callum’s being, he wished that he could. 

Bently

What do you mean?

Mister.A

Are we friends?

Bently

I would hope so, given the amount of communication we have had. Although I must admit, I’m not exactly an expert on the friends thing. 

Mister.A

Do you ever want something different? 

Not with me specifically, but just in general

Callum tapped his fingers against the keyboard, letting random letters type and then erase. If they were not friends as Mister.A and Bently, had Callum been misreading the situation? A sludge-like feeling burst to life in Callum’s heart, and he tried desperately to squash it down. It was that loneliness again; the feeling that Callum would never truly know what it was like to love and be loved. 

His whole life was planned for him, all because he was a Bruin. But did that have to mean he was required to be so lonely? Callum sighed and rolled onto his back, continuing to tap the screen. He could imagine Adrain seeing his typing bubble appear and disappear. The frustration he probably felt, waiting for Callum’s answer. 

People often got frustrated with Callum, especially in matters of the heart. Callum’s few girlfriends hadn’t lasted long, all dumping him for being emotionally distant. He mostly dated them because they asked him to, but then they were never satisfied with what he could actually offer. He couldn’t really go after someone he was actually interested in, anyway. His father would never let that happen. 

Especially not with Adrian Wild. 

But his father didn’t know about Mister.A, or Bently, or Callum’s secret online life. So couldn’t he have more, if only there? 

Bently

Yes, I would say that I do.

In general.

But also with you. 

Callum folded his phone onto his chest, underneath his hands, and went right back to looking at that ceiling. He could imagine it in the spots of texture—him and Adrian, without any of the worries they currently had. Perhaps they could have been together. Perhaps they could have had their own family. Perhaps Callum was selfish for wanting any of that at all. 

Or, perhaps he wasn’t. 

It took a few moments for him to gather the courage to look at his phone screen again, but when he did, Adrian had responded a few times. 

Mister.A

What’s stopping you?

I can’t really explain it, I just have this feeling like you’re holding yourself back

Is it what I told you before? Honestly, I really don’t believe in fated whatevers

I just… 

I don’t want to be lonely anymore. 

The sickly, sludge-like feeling in Callum’s chest rose to his throat. He caught it there and tried his best to fight it back. But knowing that Adrian felt it too—that deep sense of something missing—it made Callum want to run down the city streets to the cafe and admit everything. He knew he couldn’t. Not as Callum, anyway. 

But as Bently…

Bently

I’m lonely, too.

Not so much with you, I suppose.

Maybe we should do something about it? 

Callum himself didn’t even know what he was proposing. How could he stay anonymous if they took their relationship to a different level? And he could never even tell Adrian the truth—if Adrian knew it was Callum the whole time, he would surely feel disgusted. But some technologies existed to help him remain anonymous online, and maybe some fooling around would do them both some good. 

Mister.A

How?

I was under the impression that you wanted to stay anonymous. 

Bently

We don’t have to meet in person, necessarily. 

But there are other ways.

Mister.A

Like what? 

Bently

What if I give you my number? We could text, or maybe… call.

If you’re alright with me using a voice changer.

Mister.A

You’re a mystery, Bently 

But honestly…

I’m not opposed to that

Callum had to bite down on his lips to hold back a smile. That was probably the strangest thing he had ever suggested to anyone, but Adrian just took it in stride. Because that was just who Adrian was. And now, Callum got to give his phone number to Adrian Wild. Something he had dreamed of doing since he became aware of his feelings and what they meant. 

He knew he would be saved as “Bently,” and he would be nothing more than a static robot voice behind a screen, but just the possibility of more… Callum’s eyes fell to his bandaged hand again. 

He sent his last message on Alph-O, and moments later, he had a text from Adrian. Adrian Wild’s actual real phone number. 

A: Is it weird if I say even your phone number is cute? 

A: It’s so… symmetrical. 

B: It’s easy to remember, I’ll give it that.

B: So that if you ever feel lonely again, you can call me.

B: Outside of normal business hours, of course!

A: You are fascinating, Bently

A: But I assume you’re not going to tell me who you are?

B: There’s magic in the mystery, my dear A.

A: You’re not wrong about that.

A: I guess for now, I’ll be happy with this.

Callum bit his lip, typing out a cheeky response before searching online for a good voice modulator app to download. There were plenty of options to choose from, so he just picked one and got it all set up. He wasn’t anticipating that Adrian would call him right away, but he wanted to be prepared, just in case. 

Because for once, his life felt like possibility.