83 Comments
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Lee Summers's avatar

High praise is due for taking an “are the str8s ok? (lol no)” plot and making it compelling enough for me to read through. I like how the ending ties back to the title especially. Thank you for sharing!

Ben Sims's avatar

thank you lee!

gay little th0ts's avatar

Celeste, girl, take a beta blocker!!! It’s gonna be ok!!! Loved this! Giving Sally Rooney meets UK Skins?! Great job Benny!

Ben Sims's avatar

thank youuu xx

Hambeans's avatar

but how are you really doing?

Ben Sims's avatar

hahahahaha❤️

Ben Sims's avatar

hahahahaha❤️

A. A. Kostas's avatar

thanks this was awful to read and I couldn't look away because it was a car crash on the screen

great writing as always

Ben Sims's avatar

thank you!!

The Crank's avatar

May everyone who texts in only lower case be struck down

Ben Sims's avatar

hehehehhe

emm 🕯️'s avatar

This one was painful. You did a fantastic job. Made me want to delete all dating apps.

Ben Sims's avatar

thanks sm!!!

Martin's avatar

OMG my heart aches for Celeste, she went from cool girl to girl interrupted. Esciltalopram! 🤣

Mike Napo's avatar

Excellent, my dude. Visceral.

Lillian Wang Selonick's avatar

Utterly excruciating read. Well done.

Ben Sims's avatar

thank you!!!!

Cory Bradshaw's avatar

The line about Perfection is killing meeee

Ben Sims's avatar

hahahaha thank youu

Emma Caswell's avatar

You absolutely crushed this post! 🎭📜✍️

Ben Sims's avatar

thanks emma

John Madrid's avatar

"She put huge thought into the carelessness of her clothes." That's the whole story in one line. The Instagram DMs working as dialogue is perfectly handled — no framing needed, no "she typed," just the rhythm of it. And the Fitzcarraldo joke is cruel and completely accurate. Really strong writing. Thanks for sharing earlier.

Will Boucher's avatar

damn this is a perfect distillation of clingy-obsession. Horrifying.

Ben Sims's avatar

thanks Will

John Sheehy's avatar

That ending! As a perpetually single bisexual, women like Celeste scare the shit out of me. When it's over, it's over girl. Move on! No wonder Michal wouldn't commit to something real! You were giving stage five clinger vibes.

Ben Sims's avatar

thank youu for reading John

John Sheehy's avatar

Thank you for the compelling writing…

eleanor's avatar

I really liked this story! I especially liked Celeste's characterization. I'm curious, were you writing her with BPD in mind? I felt like her behavior and thought patterns felt like an accurate and empathetic representation of what the disease is like when you don't mediate the impulses it creates. I can't wait to read your novel!

Ben Sims's avatar

weirdly you are the third person to mention BPD after reading it…! i don’t write like that, for me it’s far more unconscious, but certainly I have know people with BPD. so it must be in there. thanks so much eleanor!!

gravelfields's avatar

Holy shit this is terrifying

Ben Sims's avatar

thanks for reading and good luck with your fight!

gravelfields's avatar

Also wild that pubs being called 'Saracen's Head' survived 2020

gravelfields's avatar

Thank you!