"This is so stupid." Ryan groaned, watching as Luke put the finishing touches on the fake profile.
He stretched, having been at the computer for a couple hours working on this and making it believable. Luke had been doing all the work, creating the profile, finding a picture, all that sort of stuff.
Ryan watched in silence as Luke pressed the enter button, solidifying the fake account into reality.
"Done!" Luke's satisfied voice pierced through Ryan's apartment, the look of pride and joy crossing his face.
Luke stood up, patting Ryan's shoulder harshly and going to the fridge to grab something to drink.
"You are now the proud owner of 'Katie Winters'' account!"
Ryan stared at the screen of his laptop as he went over the day him and Luke had made this damned account.
He had thought it was a bad idea from the beginning, but Luke had said it would be funny, and maybe he'd make a couple friends out of the whole thing.
Yeah. Because telling someone you're not actually the person they think you are is definitely a friend making conversation.
But isn't that exactly what had just happened?
"Who's Bryce McQuaid?" Ryan asked, reading the name off of his suggestions box on the screen.
Luke turned to face him, looking down at the screen, squinting slightly so he could see the face along with the name.
Realization hit him and he rushed over, taking the mouse from Ryan and clicking "send request" instantly.
"Hey! What the fuck, Luke?!"
Luke chuckled, setting himself down next to the shorter male and clearing his throat before speaking.
"That's a friend of Jonathan's. He's always open to meeting new people."
Ryan stared at the profile picture, sighing as he did so.
For a month he had been doing this, mostly when Luke came over to chill, but other times when he was just bored.
The two had become experts on this, and had about 150 people thinking they were this Katie girl.
A message popped up on the screen, the person sending it? Bryce.
Ryan blinked, staring at the screen before him, hearing Luke's amused chuckles in the backround.
He read the message to himself silently, resting his elbows on the table and leaning into his hands.
'Hey! Do I know you?'
Make that 151.
Ryan shook his head, exhaling quietly as he looked out the window, blinking a couple times to adjust to the sunlight streaming in.
He should've stopped right then and there. He should've shut the account down and never touched it again.
But he didn't. And now he was supposed to be meeting Bryce.
Granted, he had told Bryce everything, but that still didn't make it any easier.
He was going to meet up with the person he had been lying to for over four months.
Four months.
Another flashback hit Ryan as he scrolled through his messages with the blonde male.
'So, Katie, I was thinking about meeting up sometime..' Ryan read the message from the screen, sadness going through him as he did so.
He would have to tell Bryce another lie. He hated lying. He hated this fake account.
He was tired of it, really.
Bryce was so sweet and innocent. He didn't deserve all of this.
He didn't deserve the manipulation Ryan was supplying him with.
For months, Bryce had shown "Katie" nothing but kindness. Not once asking for pictures or a phone call.
And yet here Ryan was, lying through his teeth to keep this little game going.
But he didn't want to play this game anymore.
Ryan had a thought.
He could tell Bryce the truth. End things now before they got progressively worse.
Yes, that was the best thing to do.
Ryan swallowed the lump in his throat, his fingers on the keys, thinking of what to say.
The words came to him effortlessly. It's not like he hadn't thought about it before.
'Bryce, I need to tell you something...' He typed into the chat, biting his lip, waiting for the response he knew would come.
He always responded.
'What's up?:)'
Ryan sighed, his fingers typing away, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.
'I know you're probably gonna hate me after this, but I want you to know that I really did enjoy talking to you for all this time.'
'Katie, what are you talking about?'
Ryan groaned inwardly, running a hand across his face, trying to find the words as best he could.
'I'm not Katie. I've never been Katie.'
'What??'
'Bryce, I'm a catfish. I'm not even a girl. I'm sorry...'
Ryan sighed, setting his head against the table and getting ready to close his laptop. He wasn't expecting a message back from Bryce. How could he? He was expecting to be blocked.
He stayed there for a few minutes, listening to his breathing and gaining up the courage to try to shut off the device.
A notification beep and he flinched.
A response and he nearly fell out of his chair.
'I still wanna meet you.'
That's when he knew. That's when Ryan knew he had fallen in like with Bryce McQuaid.
Fast forward to a month later, and here he was, setting up the final details with Bryce.
Bryce was in Chicago for the week, and had agreed to meet up at a coffeehouse with Ryan.
This was supposed to be happening today, in an hour or so. Ryan was just giving Bryce the address of the place.
"Okay, so it's 1462 North Milwaukee Ave."
The two had resorted to calling each other after Ryan had told the truth. Bryce said he wanted to hear his voice. Ryan thought it was because he didn't trust him.
Either way, it had worked out, and they called each other often. Well, more like Bryce called Ryan often.
Ryan liked to think Bryce was falling for him as much as he was falling for Bryce. There had been little indications here and there.
Like the time when Ryan asked why Bryce was still talking to him when he lied.
Bryce's response?
"You're still you. Just a different face."
It had surprised Ryan, to say the least.
He waited for a response from the male on the other end of the phone, guessing he was writing the address down.
Ryan got up, holding the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he grabbed a glass and opened the fridge, pouring himself some lemonade.
"Okay, got it. 1462 North Milwaukee Ave?"
"Yeah, that's it."
"Alright. That's about 20 minutes away from where I'm staying, so I'm gonna go get ready. I'll text you when I leave?"
Ryan smiled nervously, glad Bryce couldn't see him at the moment.
"Sounds good, I'll see you then, Bryce."
"Bye, Ryan."
Ryan set down his cup, taking the phone from his ear and ending the call.
He was so nervous. And scared, and excited.
But mostly nervous.
What if Bryce didn't like how he looked? Sure, he'd seen pictures, but what if seeing him in person changed something?
What if Bryce decided this was all a mistake and didn't show up because he realized it wasn't worth it?
Ryan shook his head, exhaling slowly and taking a couple sips of lemonade to try to calm his nerves.
He glanced over at the laptop before walking towards it and closing it. He still needed to get dressed and take Buddy out before he had to leave.
Ryan made his way to the bedroom, noticing the fur ball whom he was just thinking about in his little doggy bed.
He crouched down, giving the dog some love before turning towards his closet and trying to pick what to wear.
He went through the clothing for roughly ten minutes before deciding on a gray sweatshirt and some black jeans.
He stared at the combination, cocking his head to the side as he thought about the outfit.
Was it alright?
He nodded to himself, shrugging. It was just a trip to a coffeehouse. Nothing formal.
Ryan found himself in the bathroom, deciding on a short shower to help ease his nerves.
He thought about walking Buddy, showering quickly, humming along to a random tune that had popped into his head.
He thought about today, and the nervous feeling came back. As he washed his hair, he replaced nervous thoughts with excited ones.
He was going to meet Bryce. After four months of back and forth messages, calls, and texts, he was going to meet Bryce.
And the best part?
He didn't have to lie about who he was anymore. He could be Ryan, not Katie.
A huge part of Ryan thought the whole catfish thing was stupid, and a big mistake. But at the same time, there was a small part of him that believed it was perfect. Because if Luke hadn't have pressed "send request", then Ryan wouldn't be meeting Bryce right now.
It was a blessing and a curse.
Soon he was out of the shower, using a spare towel to clear up the mirror so he could see himself properly.
He changed quickly, brushing his teeth and fixing his hair while he did so. He found himself biting his lip, a nervous habit he had picked up since the beginning of the catfish fiasco.
He gave himself one last look over and smiled at his appearance.
"Not too bad, Ryan. Not too bad at all."
Ryan walked out of the bathroom, closing the door and going towards the coat hangers in the hallway, reaching for Buddy's leash and putting on his shoes.
At the sound of his leash hitting the door, Buddy came barreling into the hallway, tongue out, tail wagging.
Ryan chuckled, patting the dog's back while he attached the leash to his collar.
He stood up, looking at Buddy and smiling before opening the door, the small dog dragging him out of the apartment, wasting no time.
__________________________
Ryan unlocked his door, letting Buddy in first before walking in himself. It was a relatively short walk, but Ryan didn't want to be late meeting Bryce.
He was sure Buddy didn't mind too much. The little furball was walked often, so it's not like he was missing out on much.
He removed the dog's leash, watching as Buddy made his way to the water dish that was empty.
Ryan sighed, not bothering with taking his shoes off. He had to leave in a couple minutes, anyways.
He walked into the kitchen, picking up the water dish and taking it over to the sink.
Buddy waited beneath him as he filled it, jumping up a couple times, obviously impatient.
"Hold on, Buddy." Ryan spoke to his pet, rolling his eyes but smiling as Buddy's tail wagged happily.
When the bowl was full, Ryan placed it down for the dog, who lapped up the water quickly, tail still going.
Ryan watched, his hands in his hoodie, his back against the wall.
He sighed at the mess Buddy was making, the dog was a bit too excited, getting water on the floor.
He was about to clean it up when his phone dinged with a new message.
Ryan jumped, the notification catching him off guard. He set the dish towel down on the table as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his smartphone and smiling at the name on the screen.
Bryce.
'Hey! I left a little bit ago. See you in like, 10 min?'
Ryan responded quickly, his hands shaking slightly as he did so.
'Yeah, I'm only a few min. away from the area.'
He sent it with no hesitation, looking down at Buddy and chuckling as the dog stared back up at him.
"I'm really doing this, Buddy."
He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to calm himself and stop the many emotions currently flooding him.
He cleaned up Buddy's water spillage, throwing the rag in the sink, deciding to once again go over his appearance.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror in his hallway, running a hand through his brown hair and swallowing harshly.
This was it. He was going to meet Bryce.
There was no backing out now.
He grabbed his keys from their spot in his jacket on the cot hanger, biting his lip before exiting the apartment, but not before calling out to Buddy.
"I gotta go now, Buddy. I'll be back in a little bit, please behave!"
With that, Ryan walked out the door, making his way out of the apartment complex and to his car, ready to meet the man he had catfished. Ready to meet Bryce.
__________________________
Ryan pulled up into the parking lot, parking his car in a space towards the left, turning the keys and pulling them from their slot.
He leaned back against the car seat, looking in his rear view mirror towards the coffeehouse, eyes searching for the blonde male.
When he didn't see him, Ryan exhaled. He had wanted to be the first one there, it was something he did often. He liked being first. It made him feel more prepared.
"I'm not sure anything could prepare me much for this." He mumbled to himself, playing with the keys in his hand for a moment.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket, getting ready to text Bryce when the male in question's name popped up, along with a new message.
'I'm here!:)'
Ryan's eyes widened, a part of him surprised that Bryce had actually showed up. There was a small part inside of him that was doubting this whole thing.
But the text had made him feel a lot better about it.
Ryan removed himself from his vehicle, locking the car up before shoving his keys in his pocket, deciding to text back while he was making his way towards the shop's doors.
He was getting ready to type back when someone calling his name caught him off guard.
"Ryan?!"
Ryan jumped a bit, his phone flying out of his hands as he did so, the voice surprising him enough to make him drop his device.
His hand flew out to catch his airborne communication device, and luckily, his fingers wrapped around the smartphone before it hit the ground.
He stood there, in the middle of the parking lot, clutching his phone to his chest, looking like a complete idiot, eyes searching the area for the body that belonged to the voice.
When a hand touched his shoulder, Ryan nearly jumped out of his skin. He whirled around, hand still clutching his phone, eyes wide.
When he realized who it was, he calmed down a little bit, but his emotions were now running rampant as he looked up at the person before him.
The blonde rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, smiling sheepishly and blushing a little bit.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. I just got a little excited."
Ryan nodded, unable to find his voice at the moment. Bryce was standing before him-above him, really-looking as amazing as he did in his pictures.
His blonde hair was slightly askew from the autumn wind that was blowing around them, but it only made him look even better.
He was tall, that was for sure. A lot taller than Ryan, at least. Of course, Ryan wasn't really that talk to begin with, but either way, the guy was no small 21 year old.
His eyes were bluer in person, and Ryan found himself staring into them for a bit longer than he should've, but Bryce didn't seem to mind. He stared right back, his smile and warm gaze sending a blush to Ryan's cheeks.
Ryan shook his head, regaining his composure and clearing his throat, finding his voice.
"Not freaked out, just uh, surprised is all." It didn't come out as smooth as he had hoped, but Bryce just laughed it off, shrugging and pointing to the doors in front of them.
"So, should we head in?"
Ryan nodded slowly, willing his legs to move, his steps a bit clumsy, but he brushed it off, letting Bryce follow him into the coffee shop, holding the door open for him.
He could hear Bryce's sharp intake of air as they entered, and Ryan guessed it was because of how the place looked.
He turned to see Bryce staring at the tables and walls, eyes wide and sparkling as he did so.
Ryan chuckled, waiting for the younger male to speak.
When he did, his voice was quiet yet amazed.
"It's so cozy looking in here, like home."
He motioned towards the walls, covered in posters that one might find in a teenage boy's room.
"Is-is that a car?" His head turned towards the retro-looking silver car sitting atop a ledge in the shop, his mouth open with awe.
Ryan nodded, looking to where he was, smiling at the reaction.
"Yeah, it's been there forever. Do you like it?"
Bryce rolled his eyes at Ryan, and the older male raised a brow, but his confusion faded as the blonde spoke up.
"Do I like it? It's amazing, Ryan! How did they even get it up there? Where did they get it? Who's was it?"
He babbled on and on, and Ryan shrugged, not able to answer any of his questions.
"I'm uh, not really sure. You'd have to ask one of the employees or something."
Bryce nodded, gripping Ryan's hand and dragging him towards a table by the car.
The sudden contact made Ryan shiver, the blush once again tinting his cheeks a pinkish color. He let himself be dragged towards the table for two, not at all mad.
Bryce sat down, his eyes scanning the area and Ryan watched patiently, waiting for the blue eyes man to take in his surroundings.
A waitress came over to their table, all smiles with a notepad in her hand, ready to serve the two.
Ryan smiled up at her, letting her take his order. She turned to Bryce, who froze, not sure of what to get.
"Um, I don't know. Ryan, what did you get?"
"A small caramel latte." He answered, smiling down at his hands as he did so, listening to Bryce repeat his order to the kind lady.
The woman disappeared behind the counter, leaving the two alone to talk.
Ryan swallowed the lump in his throat, looking out the window, not sure how to approach the conversation.
Luckily, he didn't have to. Bryce was the first one to speak, his voice cutting through the silence.
"So, Ryan, how'd the whole catfish thing happen?"
Ryan stiffened, but exhaled slowly. He should've known the question would come up. It was probably the one big reason Bryce met him today. Or so he thought.
Ryan played with his fingers beneath the table, his eyes finding interest in the patterns on the wooden table before them.
"It was a joke at first. Something a friend and I decided to do to pass the time. Luke said it would be fun, I wasn't so sure."
"Luke? As in Jonathan's Luke?"
Ryan nodded awkwardly, his eyes trailing towards the window. He really didn't want to see the look on Bryce's face at the moment.
"Yeah....that one. He's the one that sent the friend request."
He glanced up to see Bryce nodding, but he looked back down quickly, not entirely liking the attention.
"Are you a friend of Jonathan's?"
Ryan nodded, running a hand through his hair nervously, clearing his throat for the second time, his mouth set in a slim line.
"Yeah, I met him through Luke."
"And I met Luke through him."
He heard Bryce laugh his own nervous laugh, and Ryan thought it was cute. He didn't seem mad at all, which was a relief, to say the least.
Ryan flinched inwardly as the cup was set down before him, having been completely unaware that the waitress had come back.
He looked up at her, thanking her while she set Bryce's cup down. She smiled and asked if they needed anything else, to which Bryce shook his head and Ryan did the same.
Once again she left the two to drink their coffee and talk in peace.
For a few minutes it was quiet, the only sounds being the soft clink of a mug as it touched the small plate it was settled on, and the two sipping at the liquid in the mugs.
It was a calm, peaceful silence, though. Not at all awkward, and Ryan liked that.
He looked over to Bryce, who was staring out the window, his reflection showing on the surface. He looked lost in thought, and Ryan didn't want to bother him, so he kept quiet.
Ryan himself was thinking again.
Mostly about how he was glad he had made this trip today, and how it had worked out pretty well.
Bryce seemed happy, he was happy. Things were looking up. Maybe he and Bryce could make an effort to see each other more after this meet up. Who knew, maybe they could even start something because of this.
"I'm hardly mad."
Ryan's head shot up at the words, and he blinked a couple of times, Bryce's voice taking him out of his thoughts.
He cocked his head to the side, brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what Bryce was talking about.
"What?" He asked, unsure if he wanted to even know. But it was too late. He was going to get an answer whether he liked it or not.
Bryce turned to look at him, his eyes soft and voice light as he spoke again, a small smile gracing his features.
"I said I'm hardly mad. I mean about the whole Katie thing. One might say I'm actually happy about it."
Ryan raised his brows. He expected Bryce to be somewhat upset over it. But here he was, saying he was happy about it?
"You're not angry? Upset? Anything like that?"
Bryce chuckled, looking down at his latte, his hands wrapped around the mug, his smile never wavering.
"I mean, I was a little disappointed. But I got over that quickly. The fact that you even told me about it showed you weren't a bad person. Caring, even."
Ryan felt his face heat up with yet another blush and Bryce just laughed, which made the blush grow.
"I didn't know a person could be so flustered over a few words."
Ryan rolled his eyes at that, rubbing his hand over his face before looking Bryce in the eyes and responding.
"'Just a few words' can send a person over the edge, Bryce."
Now it was Bryce's turn to raise a brow, as if challenging Ryan. He smiled slightly as he looked at the shorter male.
Ryan exhaled, accepting the silent challenge.
He leaned forward, motioning for Bryce to come closer, and Bryce hesitated for a moment, but complied, finding his ear next to Ryan's mouth as the older male broke through the silence.
"You'd be surprised at what words can do to a person."
"Yeah?"
"Mhm." Ryan's voice was smooth, and he thought it made up for all of his clumsy moments from before, at least he hoped so.
"I'm sure you've heard something someone has said, and have it affect you."
"I don't know. You know that saying? 'Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you'? I think that applies to me." Bryce's voice was slightly above a whisper, like he was telling a secret.
Ryan smirked. Bryce was really setting himself up here, and it was working in Ryan's favor.
"Maybe not hurt you...."
He continued with the conversation, growing a bit impatient with his words, moving things along.
"You see, Bryce, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while now," He paused, adjusting his elbow on the table before continuing, "something I wanted to tell you in person."
Bryce nodded, swallowing harshly, his voice a bit off as he responded, his face beginning to take on its own pinkish hue.
"And that something is?"
Ryan took this as an invitation to go further, and that he did.
He turned his head slightly so that his mouth was barely an inch away from Bryce's, and with one swift motion, his lips caught the younger male's in a small kiss.
Bryce's eyes widened, but he couldn't bring himself to pull away from the sudden contact.
He felt his heart flutter and warmth spread through his body, his eyes closing as the kiss continued.
Ryan was trying his best not to push things, so he settled with brushing a hand against Bryce's cheek, pulling away gently and taking in a couple of deep breaths.
He could clearly see the growing blush on Bryce's face, and as he spoke, it traveled to the younger's nose and ears.
"I like you, Bryce." He whispered against the blonde's lips, his breath tickling Bryce's cheek.
Bryce's eyes popped open at this, and he licked his lips subconsciously, leaning back a bit to look into Ryan's hazel eyes.
He stared at him for a minute, watching Ryan go from confident to nervous he held his gaze.
Bryce thought it was cute, how he could go from flustered to confident, back down to nervous within moments. It showed his flaws, and Bryce liked that.
After a few minutes of Ryan becoming more and more nervous, Bryce opened his mouth, his words short but sweet.
"I like you too, Ryan."
Bryce closed the distance between the two, his lips soft against Ryan's, the way Ryan responded with equal force sending a shiver down Bryce's spine.
Bryce found his hand in Ryan's hair, playing with the brown locks and smiling against his lips when he felt Ryan's hand on his neck.
He pulled back hesitantly, deciding a full force make out was not ideal for a coffee shop filled with people. He sighed, setting himself back down in his seat, catching his breath and staring down at Ryan, who was doing the same.
Ryan closed his eyes for a moment, reveling in the feeling that was coursing through his body. His moth was slightly open as he took in air, and Bryce found it incredibly attractive.
When Ryan opened his eyes, the blue eyes male was staring down at him with half lidded eyes that filled Ryan with some dangerously lustful thoughts.
Ryan shook them off, smiling at Bryce for a second before looking out the window, his voice a bit husky from the heated moment.
"You know, I really thought the whole catfish thing was a bad idea," he paused, turning to look at Bryce, his smile contagious, "but I'm starting to see its perks."
Bryce chuckled, clearing his throat before he responded, the happiness apparent in his voice.
"Me too, Ryan. Me too."