Member-only story
Dispatches from Dating Apps
Attraction Turned Anaphylactic Shock
Disclaimer: These stories are complete works of fiction.
Staring down at my cracked phone screen, I wondered how long I would be waiting in this emergency room lobby. His hoodie, which I’d hurriedly put on when the Uber arrived, hung over me like a circus tent without its poles. My phone vibrated quickly in my lap. My eyes glazed over slightly as I stared at it, wondering if I had it in me to explain to my roommate what had happened. As I declined the call a microscopic shard of iPhone screen spear my skin and disappeared inside of me.
A new text popped up on the screen — “Answer your phone, wtf happened?”
I had been sitting in this waiting room for hours and felt oddly ravenous for a clove cigarette and a Diet Coke — both of which I hadn’t had in years, since I’d begun my attempt at a “healthy” lifestyle. I’d traded in my daily Coke and cigarettes for days chock full of green juices, Bikram yoga, and laxative teas. Unable to sit still any longer, I traipsed over towards the vending machines. Shocked to find that I was actually carrying cash, I straightened and slid a dollar into the slot. It rumbled and crunched and then a bottle of Diet Coke began to fall precipitously towards the bottom where my eager hand awaited.
