The AT&T store isn't far from Ricci's, maybe 5 or 6 blocks. When I arrive, there is just one customer and no one in line to be helped, thank God. The sooner I get my new phone and call Capital One, the better. The thought of someone else having my card makes me shiver. I wait in the mostly blue store for about twenty minutes, trying to decide what kind of phone I would purchase and what case I would buy with it. Obviously it would be much cheaper to buy a case on Amazon once I got home, but I'm notorious for being a klutz. Fingers crossed that I don't drop the phone the second I leave the store.

The worker and customer quickly finish their transaction, and she leaves the store. After a few moments of shuffling around some paperwork, the tall, blue-eyed gentleman behind the counter greets me. It takes me a moment to locate his name tag, which reads Kevin.

"Hi Kevin. I am in the market for a new phone, and I was wondering if you could help me with that."

"Of course I can, miss. Do you have a trade-in?"

Finally, someone that calls me miss and not ma'am. I think about his question for a moment.

"Actually, my phone was stolen and I'm here to get a replacement."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about that."

To my own surprise, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. I admitted to this man that my phone was stolen and he didn't second guess what I said. He didn't ask if I'd seen who stole it. He didn't chalk it up to me just being me. He actually looked somewhat concerned. I can feel the emotion welling inside me but I shove it down.

Kevin asks for my phone number to pull up my account. After spending the last two days feeling like something is missing, it's nice to actually be able to provide something. I rattle off my phone number, and he pulls up my account.

"Can you please confirm your first and last name and date of birth?"

"Yes, my name is Harper Torres and my date of birth is August 24th of 1995."

"Thank you so much, Ms. Torres. And, may I see your driver's license as well?"

"Of course."

I rifle through the wads of cash, searching for my license. At least I didn't lose this too. Haha. I hand it to Kevin, waiting for him to size me up and compare me to the information on the card. It always feels like people are analyzing you when they look at it. Like they're trying to figure out your whole life story through a piece of cheap plastic.

"Great. Well, I'm looking at the only phone on your line and it looks like someone is still using it. They are receiving plenty of inbound calls and texts. The good thing is that they don't seem to be making any outbound calls or answering any of the texts."

I'm absolutely dumbfounded by this information. Just hearing him speak about the thief using my phone makes my blood boil. Knowing that he could read all of my texts and even answer the phone on my behalf, it makes my skin sizzle. Hopefully there's a way to deactivate it. He notices my lack of response, and he looks like he wants to say something but doesn't know what. I force myself to snap out of it.

"Wow, okay. Thank you for letting me know. Is there a way to deactivate the phone from here?"

"Yes, we can deactivate the Sim card, but we won't be able to disable anything else on the phone. The person will no longer have access to any of the information saved on the card but will still be able to see any information saved directly to the phone. They also won't be able to make or receive calls."

I feel an overwhelming relief rush over me. I didn't have anything super important on there anyway.

"Great, let's do that."

"Also, you have the option of changing your phone number. Would you be interested? I definitely wouldn't want some creep having my phone number."

I look at him in surprise, almost as if he'd read my mind.

"That would be great. It would make me feel a lot better about some stranger still having my phone."

"Okay. I'll change it right away. In the meantime, what phone were you looking to purchase? We no longer carry the iPhone 5c, so you'll have to switch to something a little newer."

"Actually, I was looking at the Samsung Galaxy Note20."

"Awesome, that's a great phone. We only have the 128GB in stock and you get to choose between three colors: Mystic Bronze, Mystic Green, or Mystic Gray."

"Mystic Bronze, please."

"Great. I'll deactivate the Sim card and go grab your new phone."

"Thanks."

Now we wait. Behind me is a weird, round seat and I decide to take a load off. It's not until I get off my feet that I realize how bad they hurt. Going from zero exercise to running home to walking around town really makes a girl tired. My stomach grumbles from beneath my band tee. In the midst of everything, I hadn't eaten and, on top of that, I left my leftovers at Ricci's after Rowan stormed out. I make a mental note to pick up some food on my way home. Nothing too fattening. This walking thing has me feeling inspired. Maybe I don't need a car. Maybe I can just walk everywhere. Or maybe I could buy a bike!

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a shadow walk past the employee area. Hopefully that was Kevin with my new phone. I've never really been that person that is always attached to their cell, waiting for someone to call or text me. I don't really download apps or play games or surf the web. That's what I have a laptop for. Shit. My laptop. Where did I leave it?

"Okay, Ms. Torres. I have successfully deactivated the Sim card on your stolen phone. I also have your new phone here, for you to look at. Now, did you want to buy the extra insurance for the phone, in case something happens to it? It's an extra $10 a month and it covers up to $500 worth of damages."

"Wow, this is awesome. Thanks. And I'd better get the insurance. I'm a total klutz. Haha."

He laughs with me and his eyes linger on mine for just a millisecond too long. I think he's into me. Then again, that's what I thought about Josh, and he couldn't even remember my first name.

"Alright. You're all set up with the insurance. Did you want to buy a case today? Since you're buying a new phone, you get 20% off of all our cases. I personally recommend an OtterBox. They are bulky, but they'll offer the most protection."

I grab the phone case that I had been eyeing earlier and hand it to Kevin. He scans the barcode, as well as the one on the back of the phone's box.

"With the phone, the insurance, the case and all fees and taxes, your total comes to $1,349.99. Did you want to pay that up front or make monthly payments?"

My jaw drops to the floor and I think Kevin notices. I mean, it's not like I don't have the money but I wasn't aware of how much phones cost these days. It takes me a moment to pick my jaw up off the floor and pull the rest of the cash out of my bag.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Here is $900 as a down payment and you can just put the rest on my account."

"Making a down payment actually brings down some of the fees and taxes. Give me just a moment while I calculate the new total. It is $1,249.99."

I don't quite know what to say at that point, so I just nod my head, hoping he'll make it all go away. I didn't want to think about it anymore. With the whirlwind of events that happened today, the last thing I wanted to do was to be standing here, talking to a lanky AT&T associate. Feeling bad about my comment, I look him over once more. He's actually kinda cute and I can tell from earlier that he has a sense of humor. I guess I'm secretly hoping that he asks me out.

"So the remaining balance on your account will be $349.99 and you'll be billed monthly at a rate of $25 a month. If everything sounds good, I'll just need your signature on the pad here."

As I sign, hoping that this is the last thing I need to do, I can feel him staring at me. My face flushes but I pray that he can't tell. I look back up at him, waiting for more direction. It's funny how obedient we can be when we want something.

"There. All done. Do you want me to put the case on?"

"Sure, that would be great. Thank you."

We stand there in silence for a moment and you can feel the tension. Both of us are wondering when the other is going to speak. Well, you guessed it, Kevin speaks first.

"Hey, I know this is a long shot, but I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime."

I knew he liked me! My head is all jumbled and my brain is trying to decipher my thoughts. I should probably give him an answer before he thinks I'm not interested. But it's been so long since someone has asked me out, especially since I put on some extra weight. I know it shouldn't matter but in my mind, it does. And now this tall, cute guy is asking me out and I'm just badgering myself in my head.

"If you can't, it's no big deal. It definitely seems like you have a lot going on, with your phone getting stolen and stuff. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable or -"

"I would love to."

We exchange smiles and I'm immediately thinking about where we're going to go and what our date is going to be like. It's been so long since I've been out of the house with anyone except Rowan, let alone a date. Rowan. I need to call her the second I leave.

"When I'm done with this, I'll put my number in your phone, okay?"

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face, even if I tried. I give him a shy nod, to let him know that I agree. But I have absolutely no idea what to say to him. I hope he calls tonight. I hope we can go out this weekend. I hope that I make an actual connection with him. I hope that his personality is remotely similar to hers. And if it is, I'll definitely feel the connection.

He programs his number into my contacts, texts himself so that he has my number as well and hands my phone back to me. We exchange a slightly awkward goodbye and I thank him before I head out of the store. It's only a minute or two before the cab I ordered comes to pick me up. As the car pulls away from the curb, I feel a weight on my chest that wasn't there before. Or at least I didn't notice it. I pull my phone from my pocket and dial Rowan's number. She doesn't pick up but I wonder if it's because she can sense that it's me or that she just doesn't answer numbers that she doesn't recognize. I wait for her lilt voice to finish the voicemail speech before the beep sounds.

"Hey, Rowan, it's me, Harper. I just got a new phone and of course you're the first person that I called. I know we are supposed to be mad at each other but I can't do it. I don't want to fight. I'm sorry. Please call me when you get this. I have something I want to tell you. Okay, bye."

After I hang up, I save her contact info into my phone. I catch a glimpse at the time. 4:13. It's a lot later than I thought it was. My next call is to another number that I know by heart. The Bellevue Bugle. Josh picks up on the first ring and he quickly jots down my new phone number. When I hang up, I breathe a sigh of relief, feeling like I've accomplished something.

The rest of the ride from the AT&T store is fairly short. The cabbie has a habit of looking at me in the mirror every few minutes. Creepy. We pull up to my apartment and I open my clutch, under the impression that there would be money in there. Shit. I spent all my cash at the phone store and I don't have my debit card.

"Give me just a sec. I'm gonna run inside and get some cash. I promise I'll be right back."

The cab driver rolls his eyes and throws the car into park. It's not like he has much choice anyway. I sprint up the steps and bust into my apartment, determined to grab the money as quickly as possible. The only thing that I hate more than people wasting my time is the thought of me wasting theirs. The cash is still sitting on the coffee table. I look around and notice that I've left all the windows open. I don't necessarily live in a bad part of town but if I walked by someone's apartment and saw this I would consider becoming a felon.

I fold a hundred dollar bill into my hand and make my way back outside. The cab driver is impatiently waiting for his money, plumes of smoke puffing out of the car's tailpipe.

"Can you break a hundred?"

He nods and hands me my change. I tip him $5 and hope that the next time I call a cab, he's not my driver.

Finally, I'm home and I can relax for a moment. I sit down on the couch and turn on the TV, hoping that something good will be on without me having to search for it. I pull the plush blanket from behind me and snuggle up, trying to imitate a feeling of security. A few minutes into a rerun of Criminal Minds, my stomach starts to rumble again. Dammit. I forgot to pick up food on my way home. It's just one thing after another.

I let out an audible sigh, for no one to hear, and come to the conclusion that there's no way I'm going out to get food. That leaves one option. Delivery. I thought about downloading a food delivery app like DoorDash or GrubHub but that would mean creating an account and then looking for a place to eat and then putting everything into my cart just to realize that it's way too expensive and then finally deciding on a place but then realizing that DoorDash only takes cards and not cash. So I head to the kitchen, where I open the junk drawer full of various sauce packets and takeout menus. There's also a few thumb tacks, a pen, some junk mail and three keys that have no home.

Everyone knows that when you order takeout, there are only two options. Pizza and Chinese. Pizza is definitely easier to eat but, depending on the place, Chinese food usually tastes better. After the day I've had, I think I need Chinese food. Luckily, I've eaten at King's like twenty times, so I know exactly what to order. I dial the number that I almost have memorized and read off my order. Two egg rolls, an order of pork fried rice, and General Tso's chicken, extra spicy. I give them my address and let them know that I'll be using cash.

It's Friday around dinner time and I'm expecting a pretty long wait. The voice on the phone tells me it'll be about 45 minutes. That's not terrible. After all, if you fast-forward through the commercials, an episode of Criminal Minds is about that long. I get comfy on the couch for the second time, and scroll through my new phone while I watch. I'm not exactly sure what made me pick the Note20. I mean, it's gorgeous, but it's so expensive. Money always did burn a hole in my pocket. But I take a long look at the phone, admiring its craftsmanship. I ponder how much it costs to make it, thinking of the wide profit margin that Samsung must be raking in.

Who knew there were so many apps? There must be millions! I download a few to start. Candy Crush. Facebook. Snapchat. The Bellevue Bugle even has an app! I quickly download it, wondering what it might entail. I scroll through past issues and look at my own articles in an entirely different format. I find myself lost down a rabbit hole of apps when there's a knock at the door.

Thank God my food is here because I'm absolutely starving. I yell toward the door that I'll be there in just a moment. I stand, tucking my phone into the back pocket of my jeans. I grab another $100 bill off the table and answer the door. A strange man stands there, staring at me, no Chinese food in hand. I'm not sure if I should slam the door in his face or tell him I'm not interested in whatever he's selling. I don't get very many visitors at my apartment. I take a step back, just shy of the doorway and analyze him once more. He has dark hazel eyes and light brown hair. He is of medium stature and looks to be pretty fit. He stays perched on my stoop, clasping his hands together and smiling.

"Hi. How can I help you?"

"Hello, miss. My name is Nick. Are you Harper Torres?"

How the fuck does this dude know my name?! I'm absolutely baffled. I can't speak. I don't want to. I just want him to go away. To never come back.