Maxine McCormic didn’t realize she was in danger until it was too late. Her eyes grew wide in horror, and she bit back a scream that was perched at the top of her throat. She turned on her heels, and ran back the way she came. She pumped her legs to get greater speed, but he was much too fast for her. He tackled her to the ground with shocking force, and her head hit the pavement with a sickening thud. She crumpled to the ground, and she felt the bone in her arm break with a painfully loud snap. Stabbing pains raced down her arm, and horrified, she saw her radius bone sticking up, poking out of her skin. She felt the wind knock out of her, and she felt a thin stream of warm blood trickle down her face from her a large gash on her forehead. She thrashed and struggled against the strong grip he had on her; but he pinned her arms to the ground and he placed a steel-toed boot on her stomach, holding her down. The man pulled out a large spool of rope from his pocket, bounding her hands and knees, but that didn’t stop her from screaming. A blood curdling scream pierced the quiet night, and the man flinched at the sheer volume. He placed a hand over her mouth, his dirty fingers covering her lips. She bit down hard on his fingers, and he yelped in pain, pulling his hand back to inspect the bite marks. She took the free moment to scream everything she could think of, trying to remember all she’d learned back in high school.

FIRE!

MURDER!

RAPE!

HELP! HELP! HELP!

The man smacked her head down onto to the pavement again, and she began to lose consciousness. Her eyes fluttered, and Maxine struggled to stay awake; but the weight of sleep proved to be too great, and she went under. The man was happy she’d been knocked out cold, and he wondered if anyone had heard the screams. He looked up and down the dark street, satisfied to only find darkness staring back at him. He picked the Maxine up by her bound ankles, and drug her to his car. The concrete tore at her shirt, and scraped the back of her head, blood trickling down the back of her neck. He opened the trunk, and awkwardly stuffed the girl in. He stroked her cheek, and examined her appearance, worried he’d beat her up too hard. Her knees were bent at her ankles, and her hair was a messy knot. The vivid red hues of blood stained her face and blouse. He smiled at how peaceful she seemed, and he was excited what he had planned for them later. He closed the trunk with a bang, got in his car, turned the key in the ignition, and drove away into the night.

“Do you think it will work?” Maxine McCormic reluctantly asked.

“Of course! You are such a catch you know!” Cecily Smithye pointed out to her best friend matter-of-factly.

Maxine blew the hair out of her big brown eyes, and looked at the computer screen again. Staring back at her was a picture of herself, her eyes glossy and frozen on the screen. She was on a bicycle in the middle of Central Park. Her long brown hair was twisted into two intricate braids. Her smile was from ear to ear, and she noted that her bike helmet was crooked. Behind her, the sun was just setting over the tips of the trees pictured behind her, and it captured the reflection of the camera, a sun spot gleaming in the corner of the photo. Maxine remembered when the picture was taken. It was late March, and the trees and flowers were finally beginning to bloom from an especdially angry winter. She’d gone on a bike ride through the park early one Sunday morning, and paused at a water fountain to catch her breath, when the picture was snapped.

She marveled at how much things had changed over the past six months, and she wished she could warn the Maxine in the picture of what life changes were coming. That was six months ago, before her now ex-boyfriend, William dumped her for a loose sorority girl from the university. It was especially mortifying to know that, William, an esteemed Psychology Professor at NYU, was now living with a freshmen from New Jersey; and Maxine an Associate Professor at the university still had to work with William everyday. She shuddered in horror every time Lexie, the loose sorority girl from Kappa Delta Phi, ambled into William’s office, and within minutes, muffled laugher could be heard through the walls. William had taken everything from Maxine, and now she couldn’t even go to work in peace. William kicked Maxine out of the apartment that they shared, and she scrambled to find a place to live, before finally settling on a cozy brownstone within walking distance the same park where the first picture was taken. William had taken everything away from Maxine, even keeping their tabby cat, Oscar that they’d owned for over four years. After weeks of crying, and countless tubs of ‘Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream’, Cecily was determined to get Maxine out of her funk. They went to clubs and parties every weekend, but Maxine was still dejected. Cecily figured online dating was the final option to get her best friend out of her depression.

She leaned in inches from the screen, and crinkled her nose. Maxine was ready to begin dating again, but she didn’t have online dating in mind. When Cecily proposed the idea one day after Maxine’s afternoon lecture, she was notably hesistant. Something about online dating made Maxine nervous. The veil of anonymity seemed somewhat thin, despite living in a massively large city like New York. The shroud of anonymity could flow in both directions, a person can appear to be one thing online and turn out to be something completely different in real life. The Internet seemed like a prime hot spot for the very worst kind of predators – hiding behind false photographs and made-up profiles that would turn the head and heart of most naive.

When she’d pointed this out to Cecily, she laughed it off and wondered what Maxine’s next excuse was. Maxine frowned, and suggested that she take things slow. “Like ice cream. Or bowling!” She exclaimed. Cecily sighed, and gently tapped Maxine’s forehead.

“This isn’t the 1920’s. People meet online all the time. Dating is no longer constrained to those days where our parents relied on letters and shared phones, black and white movies, and marking landmarks at long stretches of buys stops to sneak secret meetings under shady trees. Things are different now. If you want results, and if you want to meet someone fast, then this is the way to go. Online dating can be exciting, romantic and a real ego-boost! Trust me.”

“What happened to meeting people organically? You know! Those crazy stories where people meet in line at the grocery store. What about that?” Maxine asked.

“Maxine, I don’t know where you shop, but at my grocery store it’s all old people in sensible sneakers. Not exactly a whole lot to choose from.”

“But what about-” Maxine pressed.

“Trust me!” Cecily confidently reassured her friend.

Later that afternoon, with Cecily’s encouragement, Maxine signed up for LoveHarmony.com for a mere $60 a month for membership. The website promised love within six months, or all money was refunded. The cheery couples shown on the website looked ecstatically happy to be with each other. The website also boasted testimonials of couples who’d been paired, dated, and subsequently married because of LoveHarmony.com. The website promised matchings based on scientific methods, and each pairing was based on years of research from Love Harmony’s skilled love experts. Maxine paid for the subscription, and began filling out the profile analyzer.

“You know Cecily, some of these questions are kind of silly! ‘If you were a fruit what would you be?’ What does this have to do with finding love?” She asked.

“Fill the analyzer out truthfully! Don’t question it! Just do it!” Cecily playfully chided Maxine.

“I know!” Maxine exclaimed, “I’ll be a banana, because I’m bananas for letting you talk me into this!”

Cecily made a face and sighed, “I told you about my cousin Amanda! She met David online, and look at them now! Happily married with a kid, and another on the way!”

“I know, but,” she paused looking into her best friend’s intent eyes, “But I’ll finish the analyzer, and then how about dinner? Chinese food?” She asked, eager to change the subject.

Thirty minutes later, her profile was finished, and she uploaded her profile picture. After the analyzer was filled out, Love Harmony promised to generate six love matches within the next twenty-four hours. After that, it would be up to Maxine to initiate communication with the eligible matches.

Like advertised, Love Harmony had generated a list for Maxine within twenty-four hours. Maxine and Cecily inspected the first profile.

“Wow,” Cecily marveled, “He’s cute! Oh and look, successful too!”

“There has to be something off with him. I mean he is using online dating. He could be married, or he could be a stalker.” Maxine deadpanned.

Cecily harrumphed and continued, “If you don’t want to date him I’ll be more than happy to be Maxine McCormic for the evening! How often do you meet dashingly cute lawyers, who also list volunteering as a hobby?”

“Not very often.” She slowly muttered, biting her bottom lip in apprehension. She examined his profile, and frowned. He sounded too good to be true. Gavin Taylor was a fan of jazz, and was fluent in Spanish and French. He loved painting, and watching old movies. He was definitely too good to be true. She continued, “Who knows? That handsome photo could have been cut out of a magazine. His profile could have been copied from another dating site. The person behind the profile may bear little resemblance to it.” Maxine pointed out matter-of-factly. “Or, it could be that he’s an alright guy! Look, he’s already sent you a message! Click on the envelope!” She pointed at the screen in excitement, smudging the screen with her finger. Maxine clicked on the virtual envelope, and they waited for the page to load. They quickly read Gavin’s message, and Cecily sighed, practically swooning.

“Oh Maxine, how romantic! He seems sweet!”

She read the message again, and shook her head. It’s impossible Gavin is real.

Hey there! I’m Gavin, and welcome to LoveHarmony.com! Do you want to chat? You’re super cute, and I hope to hear from you soon!

“You have to reply! Do it! Do it! Do it now!” Ceciy shook her shoulders, and plopped down in the seat next to Maxine.

“Okay I will! But you have to stop shaking the desk!” Maxine laughed, and clicked the reply box.

She breathed evenly though her nose, and struggled to come up with a witty reply. But wait. Should she be witty? Should she be mysterious? Her fingers hovered over the keys. She looked down at the computer keys, shiny and seeming to wait for her response too. She felt Cecily staring at her, but she pushed the feeling away and concentrated. She slowly blinked, and began typing.

Maxine McCormic was fifteen minutes early when she debated on abandoning the date. The restaurant was within walking distance to her apartment, but it was an inherited family trait to arrive fifteen minutes early. She cursed herself for being so early, when she could have been using the fifteen minutes for other things, like canceling her LoveHarmony.com account. She anxiously bit the bottom of her lipstick slicked lip, unsuccessfully trying to keep a cool, collected visage. She had on a flattering black dress that Cecily had helped pick out. Her hair was woven in an intricate updo, with strands of hair wisping down to her bare shoulders. Cecily had convinced her to wear massively tall stiletto heels. She never wore those kind of shoes on a day to day basis, and she struggled to walk in them. Maxine kicked herself for letting Cecily talk her into online dating in the first place. She thought of all the things she could be doing instead of meeting a total stranger she’d met online for dinner. Maxine made a mental list and committed it to memory.

She tugged at the hem of her dress, and she sat facing the door, looking out for anyone who closely resembled Gavin Taylor. She’d committed his profile picture to memory, and after talking online for several hours, she had reluctantly agreed to a date. He was charming, and he seemed normal enough. Sitting there in the restaurant, her mind rushed through the myriad of possibilities of how the date would end. He could not even show up. He could end up being a jerk. He could be impossibly charming, and they fall madly in love…

She pulled herself out of her reverie and chuckled. Does anything ever happen like that? Daydreams never happen the way they are seen in imaginations. Daydreams are just that. She sighed. If only…

Maxine was still incredibly worried. She was worried that she’d rushed into dating again too quickly. She worried that he wouldn’t like her. She worried that he’d made up his entire profile, and he was some kind of psychotic deviant. She wondered what to talk about. Music? Movies? The economy? Should she be witty or mysterious? She worried that he wouldn’t ask her out on a second date.

It was Saturday night, and at Sabatiello’s Italian Restaurant couples were just arriving for dinner. Since Maxine was so early, the Maître d’ sat her down at an empty table in the back of the restaurant. She was pleasantly surprised to get a view of the entire restaurant, and from the back table, she noted, she couldn’t be snuck up upon.

Now that the evening dinner crowd was arriving, snippets of dinner conversation floated above her head, intricately weaving in and out. She placed her head in her hands, and she closed her eyes, listening in on the private conversations.

“…you believe Marvin? He’s such a jerk sometimes! Man, I hate that guy.”

“…yesterday the stock dropped by another hundred fifty points. I’m losing my well-being here!”

“…told him to forget it! He’ll get the Miller expense report when it’s ready…”

“…Oh honey look! They have eggplant parmigiana!”

“….the Merlot is a good year?”

“Maxine?” A strong voice asked. Her head popped up, startled out of her reverie.

“Uh yes! Gavin? Pl, Please sit.” She awkwardly stammered. She felt the heat of blush creep into her cheeks, and she put her hands on her face in an attempt to mask her embarrassment. After Gavin Taylor sat down, she took a second to assess the degree of resemblance between the online Gavin, and the living, breathing, Gavin in front of her. He looked similar to his profile picture. He had round warm brown eyes, and wavy brown hair, professionally combed back. He had a strong jawline, and a dashing smile. Wisps of stubble peppered his face, and his high cheek bones were stunning. A smattering of freckles danced across his nose. His suit was freshly pressed, and he seemed exactly as she’d hoped; but there was something off about him that she couldn’t place. There had to be a reason he was a member of LoveHarmony, there was a reason he couldn’t get dates on his own. She pushed her paranoid apprehensions aside, and focused on being a good dinner date.

“So, you’re from Texas?” Gavin asked in the middle of the entrees. Maxine took a sip of the wine and nodded.

“Yes,” she paused to clear her throat, “I moved here about six years ago for college.” He smiled, “So is it true all Texans ride horses, and wear cowboy hats?” She laughed. “No! I’ve never ridden a horse in my life, and my parents don’t live on a farm! I don’t even say ‘ya’ll’ in daily conversations!”

He laughed and continued, “Really? I’m surprised! You’re one of the only Texans I know, so this is fascinating.”

“So you’re from New York? Do you have family in the city?” She asked, taking a bite of her salad. He slowly blinked, and shook his head, as if startled by Maxine’s question.

“Um no. I don’t talk to my family.” He emotionlessly deadpanned.

“Not at all? Don’t you miss your family?” Maxine pressed. She was so close to her parents, it seemed strange that someone didn’t want anything to do with their relatives.

“No Maxine. My relatives aren’t good people, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t intrude!” Gavin snapped. His once warm brown eyes were now harsh and angry. His face contorted in rage, and his mouth twisted into a sneer. Maxine stared down at her Caprese Salad and frowned, knowing she was right about Gavin. There was something off with him. After several slow minutes of silence at the table, he cleared his throat and Maxine looked up. “I don’t think this will work out, and I don’t want to continue communication. I hope you understand.” He whispered. His eyes were still angry and harsh, but his mouth was turned down into a frown. He struggled to calm his shaking hands, and his knuckles were white, gripping the edge of the table. Maxine nodded, and she wished she’d gone home when she had the chance.

After awkwardly sitting through the conclusions of the entrees, Gavin and Maxine cut the check in half, and he didn’t even bid her goodbye at the end of the evening.

Walking back to her apartment, Maxine tried to figure out where the date had gone wrong. Asking about Gavin’s family life seemed like such a harmless question; but she realized that she’d done nothing wrong, and she was going to cancel her LoveHarmony account. She walked the four blocks to her brownstone apartment, and opened the door with a click. She kicked off her stiletto heels, and went to the bedroom to change out of the dress. Maxine slipped out of her dress, and it soundlessly fluttered to the floor. She changed into an old pair of sweatpants and a old college sweatshirt. She turned the light on and went into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. She emptied the last of the wine into a glass much larger that standard, and threw away, and bagged the trash to take to the dumpster. The entire way to the dumpster she couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling she was being watched. She felt the heat of stares bearing down on her neck, but she pushed the feeling aside, and continued walking. She walked to the dumpster which was about a block away from her apartment. Maxine walked back to her brownstone apartment, when she saw Gavin slinked out from behind a nearby corner and started walking towards. Her jaw dropped in horror, and she took several steps back. He took several large steps toward her, and she turned on her heels to run. He was much too fast for her, and he tackled her to the ground.

 

About the Author

Rachel Willis

Rachel Willis has been writing for about eleven years. She always had a passion for writing, starting on a rickety old typewriter, and working her way up ever since. Rachel is a Junior at the University of North Texas, pursing her M.F.A. in English, and Creative Writing.