Fetish

Episode: 4 The Man Behind The Screen.

"It's easy to fall for someone's words. The difficult part is believing the person behind them."

After that night, talking to Dominic became part of my routine.

Morning.

Afternoon.

Late at night when sleep refused to find either of us.

Some conversations lasted five minutes.

Others stretched well past midnight.

The strange part wasn't how often we spoke.

It was how... effortless it felt.

There was never any pressure.

No awkward silences.

No pretending to be someone I wasn't.

For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like I had to carefully measure every word before sending it.

I could simply...

Be.

A week later, my phone buzzed while I was waiting outside a lecture hall.

Dominic: How did your presentation go?

I stopped walking.

I smiled before I even realized it.

I'd completely forgotten I'd told him about it three days earlier.

Me: It wasn't a presentation.

Almost immediately...

Dominic: You're right.

Another message followed.

It was a mock trial.

I laughed quietly.

Me: You remembered?

Dominic: You sounded nervous when you mentioned it.

A warmth spread through my chest.

It wasn't the fact that he'd remembered.

It was what he'd remembered.

Not the event.

The way I'd felt about it.

Days became weeks.

Without noticing, I found myself reaching for my phone whenever something happened.

When I passed an exam.

When I had a terrible day.

When I discovered a café with the best cappuccino I'd ever tasted.

Dominic somehow became the first person I wanted to tell.

It should have scared me.

Instead...

It felt natural.

"You've been smiling at your phone a lot lately."

I looked up to find my best friend, Lindiwe, lowering herself into the chair across from me in the university cafeteria.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Who's making you smile like that?"

"No one."

She laughed.

"That's the worst lie you've ever told."

I rolled my eyes.

"It's just someone I've been talking to."

"Just someone?"

She leaned forward dramatically.

"What's his name?"

"...Dominic."

"Ooooh."

I laughed.

"Don't start."

"Where did you meet him?"

"...Online."

Her eyebrows shot up.

"Online online?"

"As opposed to...?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

I sighed.

"A dating app."

She blinked.

"You? On a dating app?"

"I was bored."

"You were lonely."

I opened my mouth to argue.

Then closed it again.

Because she wasn't wrong.

Lindiwe watched me carefully.

"So..."

She stirred her iced coffee with unnecessary enthusiasm.

"Is he nice?"

I smiled without meaning to.

"Yeah."

"Funny?"

"A little."

"Good-looking?"

I hesitated.

"I think so."

"You think so?"

"I mean..."

I shrugged.

"I've only seen pictures."

Lindiwe nearly choked on her drink.

"You've never video-called?"

I looked down at the table.

"No."

Her expression changed.

Not judgment.

Concern.

"Iddie..."

"I know."

"No, listen."

She reached across the table.

"I'm happy you're happy."

She smiled gently.

"But please be careful."

I nodded.

"I will."

She squeezed my hand.

"Promise me."

"I promise."

That evening, I told Dominic about the conversation.

His reply came after a few minutes.

Dominic: Your friend is right.

I blinked.

Me: She is?

Dominic: You should be careful.

I frowned at the screen.

Me: Even with you?

There was a longer pause than usual.

Then...

Dominic: Especially with me.

My heartbeat slowed.

I wasn't sure what I'd expected him to say.

But it wasn't that.

Before I could ask what he meant, another message appeared.

Dominic: Trust isn't given because someone asks for it.

It's earned.

I read the sentence twice.

Then three times.

For reasons I couldn't explain...

I believed him.

And somehow...

That frightened me even more.