Finding love is no easy feat. Dating leads to disappointment and when you've reached your threshold the idea of it ever happening slips away. The feeling echoes even stronger when the entire world stops around you.

Everything is halted. We have gone from being a society with almost too much freedom to being told how to live our lives. The news never changes, it's always the same. I don't even bother to watch anymore.

I glance up at the clock in the four walls I spend almost all my time in. I can't help the flutter that rages through my chest. The minutes seem like hours and no matter how much busy work I do, time stands still.

"My sister pooped today!"

My attention snaps back to the screen in front of me. A google meet is in session with the most interesting group of first graders I've ever had the pleasure of teaching. It's sad how much I'm used to this new way of teaching, but even with all the positive steps happening towards relief there are still people who need to take assimilating back slower.

"That is great news, Timothy. Only that wasn't what I asked. I am looking for the missing number in the number bond in problem three."

Garbled answers turn into static on the computer speakers.

"One person at a time, everyone else please mute yourselves."

My eyelids flicker to the clock above again, only three more minutes left. The room grows silent and I can finally hear my thoughts.

"Melanie, what is the missing number."

I point to the young girl wearing a mixture of Halloween costumes. She's some kind of troll astronaut princess.

"Four! Five and four is nine."

"Perfect. We are done for today. Don't forget to study for your spelling test tomorrow."

The kids wave at the screen and shout bye for what seems like ten minutes before it goes silent.

Outside the window the warm afternoon sun peeks through an opening in the shade. A slight breeze sends the scent of freshly mowed grass inside. Finally, I leave the room eager to get outside and enjoy the sunlight. Living alone used to have it's benefits, but since this awful pandemic it's been rather lonely. There's only one thing keeping me sane and in just under ten minutes all of my pent up stress will vanish. It's amazing how a wrong number can turn into a beautiful thing.

Perched outside on the quiet pool deck inside the apartment complex, I wait patiently for his call. I wish life hadn't taken the luxury of in person interaction to a new level of fear, but it has. More than anything I wish that that one wrong call would have happened one month earlier.

I jump when the familiar ringtone hits the speakers of my nearly five year old dinosaur phone.

"Some kid told me his sister pooped."

A gentle laughter fills my ear. I melt into the soft cushion of the lounge chair under me.

"I almost became burnt toast today."

"Can you stop trying to fry yourself? I kind of need you to stay intact."

My face flushes with my confession.

"Oh, really?"

"Numbers are starting to dwindle."

I can almost hear his eyebrow wiggle with excitement, although I have no idea what they even look like. Does he have brown eyes or blue? Is he balding? Tall or short? The only thing I know is that his name is Reese and he's an electrician. Meeting him was a blessing in disguise and it happened by complete accident.

"Are you implying something?"

My teeth chomp down on my lower lip as I twirl my brown curls between my fingers. I'm flirting over the phone.

"I don't know, Samantha. Are you?"

His raspy tone sends shivers down my spin, leaving tingles in the tips of my fingers.

"You could be a dirty old man who lives in his mom's basement playing World of Warcraft."

His full laugh fills my ears.

"I just showered so I promise I'm clean. I feel old, in fact this morning I threw my back out, but at thirty those things are starting to be a normal occurrence. I can't confirm or deny the second part."

We have an unusual relationship of sorts. We have never met in person nor have we shared pictures. It wasn't that we couldn't, it was a mutual agreement between us.

"I thought it was just me. The other day I stretched and pulled something. Then I spent the day limping around the house."

I love making him laugh, it's the only thing that has kept me going through these hard times.

"Let's run together."

The cat has my tongue. I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. Yes! I scream inside my head. I need to interact with other humans. I haven't seen my family since the world grew sick. I've gone to the store and have interacted with co workers online, but being with someone for the company has been something I've craved.

"Sam?"

"I'd love to." I choke out my response.

It's weird I can almost see the grin on his face. An image shines in my mind just from the rasp of his voice on the other end.

"You scared me for a moment."

"I'm sorry," I say, my voice squeaking.

Laughing, he says, "I'm so relieved."

"Me too." I admit.

"The boardwalk at sunset."

"Saturday?"

"Saturday."

This is actually happening!

We spend the next hour planning our social distanced date. A run on the boardwalk followed by treating ourselves for ice cream after. Maybe that defeats the purpose of the run, but with everything going on in the world we all need to learn to treat ourselves every once in a while.

"Let me guess, you're gonna get a waffle cone filled with chocolate sprinkles."

"It's like you know me," I say, in a dreamy voice.

"Sometimes it feels like I know you better than the people I've known my whole life."

For a quick moment I silently squeal.

"Are you doing one of your silent screams?"

"I think you know me best too."

***

My sister squints watching me through the computer screen. I've tried on everything in my closet and so far nothing is working.

"How is this a hard choice? You're going on a run."

"Thanks for the reminder, but I still have to look nice. Oh god, what if I smell after?"

Holly chuckles and leans forward in her chair. I don't know how many combinations of workout clothes I've tried, but they are all scattered on the bed.

"How many workout clothes do you own anyway?"

"It's my entire closet." I remind her.

"What about the bright pink see through off the shoulder shirt. You can pair it with a black sports bra under."

I contemplate the idea, but it's probably best to go with the workout tank instead. It's not quite summer yet and the evening gets chilly, especially at the beach.

"Maybe the black yoga pants, the ones that make your ass look..."

I lean down and put my face in the camera. I watch my thick unruly brows raise at her. Ugh, those are gonna have to get taken care of too. I've let myself go a bit since the pandemic hit. It's not like I had anyone to impress and the thought of meeting Reese never really occurred until about a month ago.

"What number was he trying to reach when he called you?"

"Hi ex," I cringe.

"Oh. Damn."

"He flipped one of the numbers and ended up calling me instead. It was actually supposed to be the call to meet up and end the relationship."

"That's impeccable timing."

I continue staring at myself in the mirror. My face looks like a teenager going through puberty and let's not get started on the amount of blackheads on my nose.

"Maybe I should cancel. I'm a mess."

Holly smirks, "you just need to get your butt to a salon and stop being stubborn. Things are slowly getting back to normal. You have to live your life again."

"I am living my life, Holly." Annoyance is clear in my tone. "I chose to stay home and remote teach because these kids needed someone. Everyone was ready and willing to jump back in, but I was okay with sticking it out for a little longer."

She sighs, "I know darling, but it's time to get back out there in the world."

It's not like I haven't tried and she knows that. Instead of arguing I change the subject and finish picking out my clothes. While I have her on the call I set up a hair appointment and a waxing. I'm a bit on edge about the whole thing, but I get to meet Reese and that helps me through the anxiety.

***

I don't know how I went this long without doing my hair. The red highlights glisten in the sunlight. My eyebrows don't look like a unibrow and the blackheads are no longer visible. It takes me a bit to get out of my car when I reach the beach parking lot.

I step out allowing the sun to hit my skin. The smell of suntan lotion and ocean water calms me. We're supposed to meet outside the entrance of the tunnel. Looking around I don't see anyone waiting there yet.

Even though it's been a long while since the virus has run rampant, masks are still a thing. I bought this one specifically for today, I loved the blue waves and sandcastle pattern. It fit perfectly with our date today.

I lean against a low concrete wall to wait. People walk in and out of the tunnel, their voices echoing inside.

"I'm glad you haven't raided the ice cream shoppe without me."

His voice sounds different in person, better even. It's still rough, but here in the now it gives me goosebumps.

I lift my gaze to meet his. The nerdy girl inside of me screams. Even with his mouth covered in a black face mask his smile is hard to miss. The top of his round cheeks bear a hint of pink and I'm not sure if it's the heat or something else.

"I was tempted. I've been eating ice cream by myself for just over two years, so I thought it might be nice to share with some company."

In my eyes this man standing before me is the exact one I conjured up in my mind. The wrinkles beside his chocolate eyes when he cracks a smile, a head of dark black hair and I'm pretty sure he's got some scruff hiding under that mask somewhere. In the center of his face he wears a pair of square-ish looking glasses that sit right on the bridge of his sharp nose pointed nose.

"So am I the creepy old man you thought I'd be?" He asks.

I shake my head, "your much creepier," I tease.

He senses the smile under my mask and takes a brave step forward.

"I would hug you, but I'm not sure..."

I don't let him finish before I wrap my arms around him. I lay my head against his gray Dalek shirt and take in the smell of the banana boat sunscreen radiating off his skin. He doesn't even hesitate to put his arm around me.

"So, are we really gonna run?" He asks, holding me at a distance.

"We could just walk and chat."

"It's the perfect night for it too."

It really is. The sky is cloudless with an orange glow hanging over the ocean. The heat of the sun is still enough to keep us warm enough to enjoy a nice long walk.

As we move forward Reese holds out his hand asking for permission to take mine. I slip my hand into his and they connect like two missing pieces of a puzzle.

Our bodies move in sync as we climb a small set of steps to the boardwalk. This feels natural like peanut butter and jelly.

"I got a bloody nose once over at the amphitheater."

The amphitheater sits behind us and I can't deny my love for that place, it's a staple here on Long Island.

"How did you manage that?"

"Avenged Sevenfold tour years ago. Thought I could handle the pit."

A giddy chuckle escapes my lips. "After playing WOW in your mom's basement you thought you could handle the pit?"

Laughter fills the air around us as we continue walking.

It's so easy to talk to him, this isn't at all what I expected. For someone like myself who has basically been a hermit for two years I'm shocked by the level of comfort I feel around him.

After our walk we head to the Ice cream shoppe where we first came in. He gets his pistachio in a cup with a cherry on top. I attempt to eat my waffle cone with vanilla ice cream covered from top to bottom with chocolate sprinkles. The air is growing chillier, but my Ice cream still can't handle it. I stand with my legs parted and lean forward while we talk so it doesn't drip on me.

I'm not ready for the night to end. With our sticky hands washed from the melting extravaganza we find a place to watch the sunset.He continues to hold my hand tight in his. I don't want to let go either, I think to myself.

"How are you doing over there?" He asks.

For a second I glance away from the setting sun and concentrate on him.

"Amazing. I can't tell you how good it feels to be doing something other than talking to my cat Mildred and the lady behind the cash wrap at the grocery store. Oh and praying that one of my students doesn't decide to do something crazy on camera."

I'm drawn in by his incredible laughter and brooding smile.

"Would you want to do this again?"

"If there's one thing I want right now, it's to do this all over again a million times over with you."

He sucks in a breath and when he releases it shakes ever so slightly. I only catch it because I'm so aware of him close to me. I've wanted to feel somebody next to me for so long and not having it has been so hard. Now he's here and all I can think about is the heat of his body and his skin touching mine.

He rotates to face me.

"Would you be opposed to removing your mask again?"

"Sure, but..."

"I just want to see you again. I've been imagining it for so long, but my brain is having a hard time believing it."

Trusting him has been the easiest thing to do. I unwrap the string from my ear and let the mask hang on my side. His hand twitches wanting to touch me. I close my eyes and reach down taking his hand in mine. I pull it towards my cheek and he swallows hard.

With his free hand he removes the mask and I'm still in awe that I can put a face to the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Would it be bad if I wanted to kiss you right now?" I ask.

His eyes grow wide, not with terror, but with a need that I feel myself. He leans his head in to the side and I mimic his movements. His eyes are watching my lips grow closer. The minute they touch my whole body explodes with an energy I've been holding back. All of it pours into him and into our kiss.

"I'm so glad that wrong number led to you."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that." I reply.

We both lean back a bit, but leave our foreheads pushed together.

It's been two years since all of our lives changed. I cancelled so many plans, including a date with someone a week following lock down orders. My life has been so lonely and now sitting here with Reese, a man I met only by mistake, I feel life pouring back in again and I couldn't be happier.