Evelyn awkwardly put her phone away. Her two co-workers had left, attending to the needs of their boyfriends, leaving her with Adam at the restaurant. Her friends had invited Adam, from public relations, for tapas, Evelyn unaware of the arrangements.
She hesitantly opened her mouth to speak when Adam's phone beeped. He quickly read a message, then sighed. "The boss is calling." He stood up, and interpreted her bored expression as disappointment. "I feel bad leaving. Do you want to go to the Winter Solstice with me tomorrow?"
Before she had realized it, Evelyn had said yes. Adam smiled as he left, Evelyn fuming at herself for saying yes.
The next day, Evelyn had expected the date to be short and sweet, but the hours slipped by as she unexpectedly enjoyed herself. Evelyn had previously nicknamed Adam "Mr.Polite" because of his manners, but he was very funny outside of work. They had dinner together before separating, and her phone started buzzing,
"Sometimes, I wish I could lose this thing."
Adam took the phone from her hand and put it in his breast pocket. "Consider it lost."
Now, in her apartment, Evelyn itched for her phone. She searched for a few minutes before realizing she accidentally left it with Adam. She sighed in frustration, and went to use her neighbor's phone.
Her neighbor, Melissa, answered the door in pajamas and fuzzy pink slippers. "He's Just Not That Into You," played on the television. Evelyn watched Melissa mouth the lines of the movie and rolled her eyes as she dialed her number. Straight to voicemail. Evelyn realized she didn't know Adam's number, and sighed. Irritated, she thanked Melissa, who barely noticed her departure.
Evelyn hardly slept that night, and in the morning, she awoke to the news reporter's voice.
"Victim's life saved by cell phone."
She turned over on the couch and found the remote, turning the volume up.
"Adam Mckee was shot..."
Evelyn drove to the hospital, which was swarming with reporters. A nurse led her to Adam's room. The police were questioning Adam. "So your cell phone saved your life."
"Actually.." Adam pointed to Evelyn. "Her cell phone saved my life. She saved my life."
Time seemed to slow down. Many believe timing in everything, but Evelyn knew that couldn't be true. There was something beyond the earth, beyond the entire universe, that somehow lorded time. And that was fate.
