So Private...

“He’s just very private.” Elaine was explaining why her new boyfriend didn’t want her to post any pictures of him or tag him in any of her posts.

Julie and Rebecca met each other’s quick glance and raised their eyebrows.

“He only has social media to keep up with some family members on the East Coast. He rarely even posts anything himself.”

“So why does he care if you do? I mean, you could post a picture of the two of you out and not tag him. It’s not like anyone but your friends would see it.”

“He just doesn’t like it. And I respect that. It’s part of being in a relationship. Respecting boundaries.”

Julie nodded, “Okay, sure. But does he respect your strong desire to show everyone you have a boyfriend? Because we know it’s making you a little crazy to not be able to show pictures.”

“But I have shown you pictures. Just not publicly.”

“Does he know that? I mean does he know you send them to us in private messages, or does he think you just keep them for yourself? How private is private to him?”

“I haven’t mentioned it.”

“So…he wouldn’t be happy about it.”

“I don’t know. I just haven’t mentioned it.”

“And he doesn’t want to hang out with us, have you met his friends?”

“He doesn’t really have any.”

“What?”

“He doesn’t really have any friends. He works all the time. I’m the first person he’s even dated in years. He doesn’t really feel the need to be social.”

Rebecca caught Julie’s eye again.

“He doesn’t have friends. He’s not social. He doesn’t like you to post pictures on your socials. What do you two have in common?”

Elaine giggled. Grown ass woman giggles. “Well…”

“Ah. I see. And how did that even come about? I mean, you had to meet him some place, right? You didn’t just order him online?”

“Well, I kind of ordered him online. I used that ‘It’s Just Lunch’ app.”

“The anti-Tinder app? The I don’t want sex with no relationships I just want a sandwich with a friend app. And you used it to find someone to have sex with who doesn’t have relationships? How is that even possible?”

“It wasn’t like that! Okay, maybe it was a little like that. We just had a really great connection over lunch, and it turned out it wasn’t just lunch.”

“And are you sure he has no friends and no other relationships?”

“I knew you would be like that!”

“Like what?”

“You’re assuming he’s seeing someone else and I’m just someone he has sex with.”

“Well? Have you checked?”

“We spend a lot of time together. Not just at my place either. We’ve been to his. And he’s definitely single.  And no there aren’t pictures of a mystery woman in his apartment. There aren’t a lot of pictures at all. Like I said, he’s very private, he’s a real loner, his family isn’t out here, they’re all back East, he doesn’t have a group of buddies he hangs out with. He’s fine being alone, most of the time, and now he has me, so he doesn’t have to be alone all of the time.”

“Okay, well, I guess as long as you are happy. But it still seems a little weird to me that you are in a relationship with someone so different from you. I mean you have so many friends you have to have a planner to schedule visits. Your family is always getting together and doing things. You have multiple social media accounts that you are constantly posting on. I mean this lunch alone you’ve posted three photos and we haven’t even ordered.”

“Maybe that’s why I like him. Because he’s so different. I sort of like having him as my little secret.”

“But how secret is he really? I mean you’ve told everyone about him.”

“Not everyone actually. I’ve only told you two. I know you both can keep a secret from anyone except each other, so I knew you’d be a safe place to share. Someday I’ll convince him to let me tell everyone and share everything. But for now, I’m okay.”

 Julie looked at Rebecca and cocked her head just a touch. Rebecca barely lifted her eyebrows in response. A whole conversation passing in those small gestures.

“So not only does he keep you a secret, but you’ve kept him a secret as well?”

“Yeah, for now.”

“So does anyone in his life know you?”

“I don’t think so. I mean he could have mentioned me, of course, but I don’t get the impression that he has.”

“Hunh, well, as interesting as this all is, I’m starving. We should order.”

Julie, Rebecca and Elaine finished their lunch date laughing and catching up on everything else in each other’s lives. Elaine had a business trip coming up in a few weeks. Fun for her, a lot of conferences and meetings. She loved seeing everyone she didn’t always get to, she was a social butterfly at heart and the weeks of being secretive, though kind of exciting in a way, had made her more than ready to hang out with a large group of equally gregarious social media posting people.

Julie and Rebecca would be traveling that same weekend as well. Totally off the grid though. Hiking in a pretty remote area. It was something they tried to do fairly often. They really enjoyed their time away.

A few weeks later as Elaine was posting picture after picture of herself and her friends at their conference Julie and Rebecca packed up their “woods car.” Not the car they drove most of the time, but the one they kept at the U-Store It facility two towns over. The one with the really good fake plates. And the false trunk which was so insulated you could barely hear the thumping coming from inside it.

“No friends. No local family. No social media posting.”

“He’s just so private.”

They smiled at each other. Another entire conversation passing between them with just a look.

They really did enjoy their time off the grid. And their shared hobbies.