Autumn and Summer

by Danielle Allen

  Tatiana interrupted, “Olivia, calm down! Jason would not hook you up with someone who is lame. You are gorgeous and smart and sweet. Blind dates aren’t that bad. I met Jason on a blind date.”

  “Easy for you to say! You look like Rihanna,” Olivia countered.

  “And you look like a sexed-up Disney Princess! You are hot, Liv!” Tatiana yelled causing the next table to look over at us. With her large grey eyes, porcelain skin, and long, dark hair, Olivia did look like Snow White.

  “You are beautiful, Livie. You have nothing to be nervous about,” I assured her, laughing at Tatiana’s outburst.

  “Absolutely gorgeous. Don’t worry too much about it. Just go and have fun,” Summer added.

  “Thanks, guys,” Olivia said, standing up to pull on her sweater. “It’s not that I don’t think I’m pretty. I do.” She did a series of model poses causing us to laugh. “It’s just awkward when someone is more into the other person. It’s rare that people are equally physically attracted to each other. If he’s really hot and isn’t that into me, I’m going to be bummed. If he’s not hot at all, I’m going to be bummed and I’m going to feel shallow. If I don’t like him, Jason might not want to be friends with me anymore. Or if he doesn’t like me, Jason might feel awkward around me—”

  “Olivia, stop! It will be okay. No weirdness, promise,” Tatiana said as she dropped two twenties on the table. After putting on her suit jacket, she reached over and hugged Summer. “When Autumn mentioned you guys were celebrating here, we had to swing by to say congrats! Sorry to run off so quickly.”

  “And sorry to leave early after bringing down the celebratory mood with my blind date fears!” Olivia apologized as she hugged me and then Summer.

  “Thank you so much,” Summer responded graciously. “It’s always so good to see you guys! I’m glad I’ve officially moved here.”

  Once Olivia and Tatiana were gone, Summer and I ordered food. The crowd had grown since we arrived. Men and women in work attire mixed with men and women in Friday night date night attire. By the time our food was brought to us, we had turned down four date offers. Two from the creepy bar men.

  None of the potential suitors were my type, but really, what is my type? Am I too picky? I considered as I sipped on my bottled water. Robert was a nice guy. But he was boring. But why was he so boring to me? Is it me? Am I the problem?

  “Mmm… this smells good,” Summer said, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Looks good too,” I agreed as the grilled chicken and broccoli dish was placed in front of me. Summer ordered smoked salmon.

  “So I was thinking about Josh…and Robert…and Derr—,” Summer started slowly.

  I continued blessing my food before lifting my head up and looking at her like she had lost her mind. With an eyebrow raised, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Ever since we were little, Summer had always managed to shock me and then reel me into outrageous plans. Twenty-four years of friendship and she was always full of surprises, I thought as I started shaking my head slowly.

  “Why are you already shaking your head ‘no’? You don’t even know what I’m about to say!” Summer laughed.

  “Yeah, but I know you,” I countered good-naturedly as I smoothed the side of my hair that was pinned up with bobby pins. Rolling my eyes, I continued, “Okay, fine! Why are you thinking about them?” I stabbed at the broccoli on my plate and brought it to my lips. The steamed broccoli was seasoned to perfection. I closed my eyes briefly as I chewed it.

  Right as I swallowed, Summer said, “Because they were good guys.”

  My eyes flew open and I coughed. Choking on my broccoli, I coughed again loudly and then took a sip of my water. “What?” I sputtered incredulously once I was able to speak again.

  “No, hear me out. You knew from the beginning that Josh was no good for me. And I knew from the beginning that Robert was no good for you. But we still engaged in the relationships. And if we are being honest, on paper those guys would be perfect for us. Same interests, same goals. But even though we saw that the guys weren’t good for each other, we didn’t see it for ourselves. And Derrick…”

  Afraid to eat before I heard where Summer was going with her thought process, I placed my fork down and sipped from the margarita glass. I can already tell that this conversations needs alcohol, I thought as I swallowed the strawberry liquid and nodded for her to continue.

  “So I was thinking about Olivia’s blind date and it occurred to me…what if the reason we keep ending up with Mr. Wrong is because we aren’t seeing the whole picture clearly. What if the key to finding Mr. Right is to let our best friend find Mr. Right Now for us!”

  I thought about what she was suggesting. Finishing my margarita, I considered her idea. After everything that happened with Derrick and then the string of bad dates and then Robert, I could stand to change it up a bit. I need to get Derrick out of my head for good and she needs to get Josh out of her head. Hmmm…what if we set each other up? It could be fun, right? What could it hurt?

  “What do you think?” Summer asked, a gleam in her blue eyes. “I’m not saying we are going to find each other’s soul-mates this month. But I think opening our minds will help us find Mr. Right eventually. And besides, I don’t need to be in charge of picking my own guys for at least the next month. And you haven’t had sex in entirely too long. It’s been a few weeks for me and I’m about to lose my mind. So we’ll date around. It’s perfect!”

  “I don’t think I could date more than one guy at a time.”

  “It’s not like you would be in a relationship with them and cheating on them. It’s completely okay to go on a first date with multiple men. It’s like going to an ice cream shop and they offer you a sample of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream… and then they ask you to try mint chocolate chip…and then they ask you to try strawberry. Because you tried the three different flavors, you can definitively say ‘I like cookie dough the best’ and order that one. Dating is the same exact thing: sampling. Except instead of delicious flavors, we will be sampling delicious men,” Summer reasoned with a sly grin.

  I pursed my lips and cocked my head to the side. Tapping my finger on the smooth surface of the glass table top, I started nodding my head slowly. “I’ve never thought about it like that. I guess…that sounds…interesting. But we would need rules.”

  “Of course,” Summer squealed giddily.

  Laughing, I asked, “Why are you so excited?”

  “Because I thought it was going to take more convincing than that!”

  I held up my empty margarita glass. “Maybe it was the strength of these margaritas or my elation over the fact that you have moved in with me.”

  “Or maybe after twenty-four years of friendship, I’m finally wearing you down!”

  We ate our food that had cooled considerably as we discussed the parameters of our new adventure. Once Summer finished explaining what she had in mind, I summed it up simply, “So for the next month, we will go on ten first dates with ten different men and we will only date those ten men. Sounds easy enough. But quality is more important than quantity. I don’t want you trying to fix me up with any old thing because you are trying to make a quota!”

  Summer’s head fell back and she let out a loud chuckle. “Very true,” she said as she shook her head humorously. “We will bring our ‘A’ game. Rule number one is that each guy will have to top the four major areas of compatibility and physical attractiveness.” Biting into a buttered roll, she chewed and swallowed before explaining by counting off with her fingers. “One, they will be hot. Two, they will be smart. Three, they will be interesting. And four, they will be gainfully employed.”

  Biting into the delicious chicken, I chewed thoughtfully before I said, “Because we have similar tastes in guys physically, I’m not concerned about the physical attractiveness part. But you don’t know anyone here so how exactly would you gauge someone’s other areas of compatibility? We both know that being hot and sexy does not equal Mr.
Right.”

  “Agreed. But you know people around here and you know people who know people. I am outgoing and I’m going to be working with lots of new people and I’ll be shooting lots of hot models. This is going to work.”

  I nodded. “And because we are looking for each other and not looking for ourselves, it’ll make things a lot easier. A lot less pressure,” I reasoned.

  “Exactly!” She tossed her wavy hair over her shoulder and leaned across the table. Instinctively, I pushed my plate away and I leaned forward to hear her, careful not to get any food on my dress. “This guy over here is clearly listening in on our conversation,” she explained quietly, tilting her head in his direction. “Okay, so rule number one is compatibility. Rule number two is that we won’t have sex with any of them. Well, at least until the end of the month.”

  “You know that sleeping with a guy after the first date is not my thing. I have to get to know him before he can get all of this.” I ran my hands down my sides as I did a body roll.

  We both leaned back from the table to laugh. I turned my head to the side and I caught a glimpse of the guy Summer said was staring at us. And he was still staring. Frowning slightly, I turned my head away from him and looked back at my best friend. “I hope he can’t hear our sex talk,” I said with my eyes wide. “Anyway, you were saying…”

  “I don’t usually sleep with them on the first date,” Summer whispered mischievously and then she winked. “Maybe right after the date is over, but never on the first date.”

  “You are a mess,” I laughed.

  “But seriously, my vagina is selfish and she only thinks about herself! So when you choose a guy for me, I’ll be able to figure out if I’m into him before she tries to steal the show. I mean, obviously, I’ll consult her as needed…” Summer joked, causing me to laugh so hard I had tears in my eyes.

  “Okay so that’s rule number two,” I said, once I caught my breath. “Rule number three should be that we don’t try to fix each other up with anyone that we are tied to in a permanent way. Like a supervisor—”

  “Oh good call!” Summer interrupted, gesturing emphatically. “I wouldn’t want you to hook me up with your boss and then it not work out and then it would be weird for all of us. And I wouldn’t hook you up with someone like my brother—”

  “Okay, your brother is like my brother so that’s just gross!” I shook my head as the words left my mouth.

  “You know what I mean!”

  “Yes, definitely. And that’s what was making Olivia so nervous. It’s already rough enough to go on a blind date, but to then have to worry about damaging relationships because the two of you don’t hit it off is a lot of pressure!”

  With the same twinkle in her eye that made me nervous earlier, Summer said, “This last rule is super important… rule four is no names.”

  “What?” I sputtered. “No names? Wha—?” My voice trailed off and I shook my head dubiously. She’s crazy, I thought as my recently waxed eyebrows rose in disbelief.

  Giggling, Summer started shaking her head along with me. “No listen…hear me out. What’s the first thing you do when you meet a new guy? You Google him to make sure he’s not a creeper. And then based on the search results and social media page, we decide if the guys are our type. If we do that, we’ll go into the dates already deciding if the guys are our type or not instead of just going on the date and seeing what happens. So here’s what we’ll do—we will check each guy out before we set up the date. We will show the other pictures of the guys, but we won’t give names. That way, we’ll know what the guys look like, but we won’t be able to look into anything else.”

  That sounds dangerous…and reckless…and sketchy…and stressful…and completely unlike me, I thought slowly as a smile played on my lips. But it also sounds kind of fun.

  “Auty, is that a smile?” Summer teased in a singsong voice. “Is that a yes?”

  Biting my lip to stop the smile from spreading, I narrowed my brown eyes at her. We sat silently for a minute. She was smiling prettily as if she had suggested the most normal thing in the world. I sat glaring at her, trying to ignore the undeniable intrigue that had planted itself in my mind.

  This is crazy and so unlike me. But maybe I need to step out of the box for once. I mean, it’s just for a month. Ten dates with ten guys that my best friend will vet. What’s the worst that could happen? I trust Summer. She wouldn’t lead me astray. Not when it comes to men anyway. When she was trying to dress me like her and trying to get me to get a tattoo and trying to get me to give up meat…and carbs on two separate occasions…she was definitely trying to lead me astray. But never when it came to men, I considered silently, weighing the options.

  “Okay,” I agreed, breaking eye contact briefly to smile at the waiter as he refilled our glasses. “I’m in.”

  “Yes!” she cheered. “This is going to be awesome! I’m so excited.”

  Her excitement coupled with the excitement that I felt bubbling inside of me and I couldn’t do anything but laugh. Raising my glass, I gave a toast, “This is either going to be really good or really bad. Either way, let the games begin!”

  By the time we finished eating and celebrating, it was close to 8 p.m. Knowing we would be drinking, Summer left her car parked at the row house in Wellington and took a taxi into the heart of the city. Walking out the door of the busy restaurant and bar, we heard the beginning of one of our favorite childhood songs. As we climbed in our taxi, we sang the entire song, much to the chagrin of the driver. Neither of us had great voices, but they were decent enough.

  We were home in fifteen minutes and we were exhausted. Between waking up early and the half-priced margaritas, we were both ready for bed. Walking into the house, I felt grateful that Summer had spent so much time visiting since I’d been living in Wellington. It was a relief to not have to show her around or get her acclimated with her new living space.

  I just want to go to sleep, I thought as we climbed the stairs silently.

  “I know we said at dinner we’d watch a movie and have more girl talk, but I’m exhausted,” I announced once we made it to the second-floor landing.

  “I was going to suggest the same thing! That drive and being up so early took a toll on me. I need my beauty sleep. Not everyone can look like a glamour girl every moment of every single day,” Summer said, fluffing my hair.

  “I take a few moments off in the wee hours of the night, but then I’m back at it. It’s a hard job, my friend,” I joked as I enveloped her in a hug. “I’m so glad that you’re here!”

  “I’m glad to be here.” She hugged me tightly. “Thank you so much for letting me move in with you.”

  Pulling away, I admit with seriousness, “At times, it was lonely here by myself.”

  “Well, now the dynamic duo is back together.”

  Saying goodnight, we both retreated to our rooms. I showered and climbed into bed. Even though I was tired, I couldn’t turn my brain off. One week from today, we start our month long dating spree, I contemplated. And I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited and nervous at the same time. I’m excited by the idea of it. But as excited as I am, I’m nervous because I’m relinquishing control. Granted, I’m relinquishing it to my best friend who knows me better than anyone in the world. And ultimately, I decide who I will continue to date. But for a month, Summer is in control of my love life… starting Friday. And I am in control of hers. I laughed despite myself. This could go either way, I thought, turning over onto my belly and pulling the covers over my head.

  **********

  Chapter 5: Summer

  “Thursday morning meeting, come on!” Meghan chirped as soon as I answered the phone in my office. Well, not my office but still, I thought, surveying the nice sized office space with two desks. The desks faced each other and left virtually no room for anything else in the room. During the interview, I didn’t realize the photography office was a shared office. But it’s cozy.

  Looking around the room, I smi
led as I stood. “On the way!” Hanging up the receiver, I grabbed my notepad and a pen and then headed to the large open workspace of the main floor area, known as ‘The Pit.’

  Even though it was my fourth day at work, I still marveled over my new employment opportunity. Among the various dry erase boards and projection screens, in the back of the room was the largest projection screen that covered most of the back wall. Displayed in large, bright green font, the words ‘June Issue’ was blinking against the screen. A large, cream-colored conference table with twenty-four cream leather chairs was the cornerstone of the space. All the other stations had stools and high desks meant for group work and magazine construction. It was set up like all of the studios I’d ever worked in, except this conference area looked straight out of the corporate world.

  I slid into the seat next to Meghan with a goofy smile on my face. I couldn’t see myself, but the way in which my cheeks made my eyes squint, I knew it was goofy. I tried to contain it. I bit my cheeks to help. But looking around the table, I saw the future I’d always dreamed of—combination of independence, creativity, and steady pay with a dash of structure. There weren’t many photography jobs that would allow me to be an independent contractor and receive a steady paycheck with steady work, I thought in awe as I looked around the table. As it was my first meeting, it was my first time seeing everyone at the same time. There were people dressed in sleek suits and expensive dresses, people dressed in cool eccentric styles, and people dressed in jeans. And I work here. I get to work in this cool, trendy place with—

  “Get it together,” Meghan whispered jokingly as she elbowed me gently in my side.

  I laughed and turned my chair slightly toward her. “What?” I asked, still unable to control the enormous smile that graced my face.

  With her choppy hair styled toward her face and covering her right eye, Meghan looked like she was in her element. Her polka-dot shift dress looked like it was the future of fashion and vintage at the same time. “You are grinning from ear to ear!” She looked around as people trickled into the conference area. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she pointed out, “Mega Bitch just got back from an assignment and she will be here soon. And she will eat you alive for looking so happy.” Giving me a rueful smile, she added, “That’s why she hates me. She doesn’t like to see anyone happy.”