“Remember what you said about me thinking the opposite when I thought about what Thomas did or didn’t like?” she asked sweetly.
“Yes.”
“The same applies to you. You love games. I do not.”
I extended my hand. “Deal.”
She shook my hand, and I went back to tidying the shelves. I felt like we had made great strides in our relationship. I knew she worried about me and her brother. She loved Thomas, even if she teased the hell out of him. I knew he loved her as well, even though she drove him crazy. They had a close bond. A bond close enough that I had a feeling she would not appreciate me getting in the middle.
I glanced over at her sitting in the chair with her feet tucked under her as she read a book. If she knew how I felt about her brother, she would be pissed. I wasn’t sure if the feelings I thought I had were even real. It could be nothing more than a mild infatuation. It could just be the fact we lived together and spent a lot of time together. It could be any number of things that would eventually fade.
Don’t push it.
I needed to keep my feelings to myself. Thomas and I were friends and roommates. I wasn’t going to risk screwing up a good thing. If I confessed my feelings to him and made him uncomfortable, I would be looking for an apartment. I couldn’t afford an apartment. I couldn’t risk disrupting my living situation and putting my education at risk. It was better to leave things alone.
22
Thomas
I sat down on the couch with my reheated Chinese and flipped on the TV. I usually had the TV on, but I never really watched it. I just liked the background noise. I flipped through the channels and found a documentary about World War II and dug into the fried rice left over from last night’s dinner.
Lily was with her study group, which meant I was alone in the apartment. Things had been a little tense since Tamlyn’s surprise visit. I couldn’t explain what it was, but I felt it. She had apologized several times for what she referred to as ditching me. I didn’t think she ditched me. I felt slighted, but I got over it. It wasn’t her fault. I had no claim to her. She was free to do what she wanted.
I had just stuffed a massive bite into my mouth when the door opened. Lily walked in and slammed it shut. I gathered something was wrong, but with my mouth stuffed to the gills, conversation wasn’t possible. I couldn’t very well spit the rice out, and it was too much to swallow without choking.
“What are you doing here?” I mumbled around the mouthful of rice.
“Please tell me we have beer!” she exclaimed and dropped her stuff in the chair before going to the fridge.
I managed to get the lump of food down and wiped my mouth. “What happened?”
She couldn’t answer right away because she was sucking down the beer she pulled from the fridge. Without answering me, she went into her bedroom. I didn’t follow her, but I was concerned. I would give her a few minutes before I went after her.
A minute later, she returned wearing a pair of pale gray sweats and a T-shirt with her feet bare. She flopped onto the couch and turned to look at me. “That was awful.”
“What was awful?” I asked with concern. “Did something happen? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said with disgust. “I got set up.”
I immediately thought of something out of Carrie. “What did they do?” I asked and was ready to jump up and kick ass if I needed to.
“They set me up!”
“How?”
She wasn’t making any sense. She didn’t look physically hurt, which made me feel a little better. But she was upset. There were about a million scenarios running through my mind. I felt a responsibility to take care of her.
She took another long gulp from the beer. “I thought I was going to a study group. One guy showed up. I didn’t know him, but he knew Laura and Donavan. I assumed they couldn’t make it or were running late. I had my notes and was doing my best to stay focused on the lecture we had earlier because I know we’re going to have a test later. The guy had no interest in the material. He kept asking me questions about me, like I was the subject to study.”
“What kind of questions?” I asked.
She waved a hand. “He was asking how long I’d been in Austin and what I was going to do when I graduated. It was like we were getting to know each other. But I didn’t want to get to know him. I wanted to study. He just kept pushing. That’s when I figured it out.”
“Figured what out?”
“They set me up!” she exclaimed.
“Like a date?”
She bobbed her head up and down. “Yes! Laura and Donavan set me up with this guy. Once I figured out what was happening, I apologized to the poor guy. I told him I had no idea we were supposed to be on a date. I explained I thought we were studying. He is in the same class, but he thought we were on a date. Talk about awkward.”
“You didn’t know they set you up on a date?” I asked with confusion. It just seemed a little too crazy.
“No!” she exclaimed. “We always meet at this same coffee shop to study. Sometimes one or the other doesn’t show up. I didn’t think anything of it.”
“Wow. That’s ballsy. Why do you think they did it?”
She threw her hand up before slapping her thigh. “I don’t know. Why does everyone think I’m in need of a date? Is there something tattooed on my head that says I’m in desperate need of getting laid?”
I choked and reached for the can of soda. “No,” I managed to get out.
“Exactly! Why in the world is everyone suddenly so interested in my love life? I just don’t get it. They act like I’m heading for spinsterhood. I’m twenty-two and trying to get a degree. I don’t think that puts me on the shelf. I don’t think I’m on the verge of being alone forever.”
“You are definitely not on the verge of being alone,” I assured her.
“They feel like I’m so desperate I can’t get a date,” she growled. “They act like it has to be a blind date because no man would willingly date me.”
“That is definitely not true,” I said. “Any man would be lucky to date you.”
“I don’t want to be set up,” she said and took another drink. “I think I can handle looking for my own date. They make me feel like I’m helpless and only they know what I want. Like only they can find me a man. At first, it was kind of cute and funny. Not anymore. I have to say it does make me doubt myself. It makes me wonder if there really is something wrong with me.”
“There is nothing wrong with you,” I told her. “There is nothing wrong with not dating every man that crosses your path.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand why people meddle. Seriously, mind your own business.”
“I would say it was because they care,” I said. “But I get it, trust me. I have been pushed into more dates than I care to admit.”
“Why do people do that?” she asked with exasperation. “I just don’t get it. I’m not unhappy. Everyone keeps saying I need to date. I need to go out. I need a boyfriend. Gah! I don’t want to do that. I’m fine!”
“I understand,” I told her. “You don’t have to do what they want. You do what makes you happy.”
She sighed and finished the beer before putting the bottle on the coffee table. “Now, I can’t even trust I’m going to a study group. I’m always going to be worried they are setting me up with another guy.”
“The guy they set you up with, was he terrible?” I asked. I hoped he was terrible. I didn’t want her to find a guy before I could have a chance.
She wrinkled her nose. “Not terrible, but I wasn’t interested. He was nice enough, but I really just didn’t click with him. I don’t want to date. I just feel like I need to focus on school. I don’t want to deal with drama. Dating leads to drama.”
“I am in the same camp,” I said. “I don’t like the game. It’s so much work to get to know someone only to find out you really don’t mesh. It feels like you put in so much time and effort for nothing.”
“You’d get an A,” I told her. “You’re hot, smart, and fun. I’m surprised there isn’t a line of men at our door trying to get in.”
She smiled. “Thank you, but that’s just a little exaggerated.”
“Not at all. I think you’ll find the right guy when you’re ready.”
“Me too,” she said. “I mean, I think you’ll find the right woman when you’re ready. I tried to tell Tamlyn the same thing. I know it makes you uncomfortable when she constantly tries to push you. I feel the same way.”
“She seemed to change her tune that last night she was here,” I said. “Was that you?”
“We had a conversation,” she said evasively.
“Thank you for that,” I said. “The last date I went on was a disaster. I’m not looking forward to repeating the experience.”
“What happened?” she asked and got up to go to the fridge. She came back with two beers.
I took the offered beer. “First of all, the woman was ten years older than I was. At dinner, she was the world’s worst customer. She was a royal bitch to put it bluntly. I was embarrassed to be sitting at the table with her. Throughout dinner, I felt like I was in a job interview. She was asking all kinds of questions about my experience, and I mean my experience. She wanted to know where I lived and if I planned on staying in the same place forever. She asked about my exes. It was awful.”
She cringed before bursting into laughter. “That sounds awful. How’d you meet her?”
I rolled my eyes. “This is going to sound really cheesy, but we actually met at the grocery store. She was searching for the right steak and asked my opinion. She seemed nice enough. I asked if she’d like to get coffee and she suggested dinner. I kind of liked her forwardness and accepted. I will forever regret that choice.”
She was laughing as I told my story. I was glad I could get a smile from her. “I have had some doozies myself.”
“Were you asked about your skill level in the bedroom?” I asked with a laugh.
“No, but I have been asked about how many kids I wanted to have and whether or not I could have kids. One guy asked to see a picture of my mother. When I asked why, he said it was a good indicator of what I would look like in the future.”
“Damn. That’s bold.”
“Yeah, it’s no joke. People are awful. I guess they’re probably just in the same game. They’re probably tired of being surprised by bummers in bed or stuff like that.”
I laughed at the idea. “I think we should all carry scorecards or something,” I said. “Resumes if you will. All the pertinent information, like age, likes and dislikes, and goals in life.”
“Yes!” she said with a laugh. “It should include any habits as well, good and bad. A list of skills as well.”
“Like what kind of skills?” I asked.
“I don’t know, like cooking, gardening, painting.”
“Hobbies!” I said and clapped my hand against my thigh. “The survey should include things we like to do.”
“And whether they are a smoker or drinker. What kind of drugs have they used in the past? All of it.”
I was nodding along. “That is perfect. Can you imagine how much time we could save if we just had it all out in the open? We wouldn’t have to worry about sitting down to dinner with someone you knew you weren’t compatible with.”
“Guys could save a fortune on the standard dinner and movies,” she added.
“And girls wouldn’t have to go through the stress of buying a new dress or spending money getting their hair done,” I said.
“I think every single person should just carry a card. If someone shows interest, you exchange cards. If it looks like there is a chance it could work, you call. If not, you toss the card.”
“I love it,” I said. “I’m never going on another date again until those cards are a thing.”
“Me too,” she agreed. “We’re on strike until this dating thing is fixed.”
She leaned forward and extended her beer bottle. I clinked it to cement our pact.
23
Lily
I juggled the bag of groceries, my backpack, and the soda I picked up and headed for the apartment. I was looking forward to the weekend. I only had to work a few hours tomorrow and the bookstore was closed on Sunday. I was spent. I knew the next two years were going to be difficult, but I sometimes forgot how stressful it was to do this whole school thing.
I fumbled with the keys and managed to get them in the lock when the door was pulled open from the inside. “Shit, let me help you,” Thomas said. He took the bag from my hand and carried it to the kitchen.
“You’re home early,” I said.
He turned around and I could see glee on his face. Real glee. The guy looked like he’d won the lottery. I put my bag down and stuffed my keys into my backpack.
“I couldn’t wait to tell you,” he gushed.
“Tell me what?”
“I’m going to take our idea and make it real,” he said.
“What?” I asked. I wasn’t following his train of thought.
“The dating thing. The card. The survey.”
“Oh,” I said and remembered the conversation. “You’re going to develop a dating app?”
“Yes, but not like the rest of them. I want to cover all the things we talked about. I want it to be more detailed. I don’t want it based on looks like so many other apps are. I want it to be a blind date at first. I want people to focus on likes, interests, and goals instead of looks. I mean, everyone is out to get laid, but there are still some people who get on these apps that want an actual relationship.”
“That’s risky, but I like it,” I said.
“I’ve been looking for the next big thing and I’m sure this is it. I’ve already got my team working on a prototype. We’re going to move fast on this one. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited about anything.”
I hugged him. I didn’t realize what I was doing until he squeezed me back that I had done what I did. It just felt natural. I didn’t think; I reacted. “I’m so happy for you,” I told him before stepping back.
“I had to tell you,” he said. “This is your brainchild. You gave me the idea.”
“Not really,” I joked. “You’re the one who thought of the card. Will one of the questions be about a user’s sexual prowess?”
He chuckled. “I don’t know, should it?”
“I don’t think you can trust anyone to answer that question honestly,” I said with a laugh. “Guys are going to exaggerate their prowess while the women are going to play coy and claim to be virgins.”
He appeared to actually be taking it seriously. “Good point. I’ll have to figure out how to word that without coming off as crass.”
“Maybe have an optional section,” I suggested. “Multiple choice. Like novice, intermediate, or expert.”
His laughter warmed my heart. I heard him laugh more frequently than I could ever remember. “I like that idea,” he said. “I’m going to use it. Are you going to sue me for proprietary rights or something?”
“No, trust me, I do not want to be known as the woman that helped develop an app that asked a man about how good he was in bed.”
He grinned. “Good point.”
“I brought junk food,” I told him. “I got that peach salsa you like. You can lecture me about working out later. For now, I’m going to eat and chill. My brain needs to rest.”
“I saw that movie you wanted to watch on Showtime. I added the subscription to the Prime membership so we can veg tonight. Unless you have other plans.”
I gave him a dry look. “I’m going to get my fat pants on and put my hair up. That’s the only plans I have.”
“That sounds like a great plan to me,” he said. �
��I’m going to change as well. Meet you back here in five.”
We settled in on the couch like we did so many nights. He sat at one end while I stretched out with my feet in his lap. We had become very comfortable with each other. I could be me. I could relax and not worry about trying to impress him. He knew me. There was no hiding who I was.
* * *
I accepted the pizza from the delivery man three weeks after Thomas had told me about his new app. He had texted me earlier and said he had exciting news he wanted to share. It was Tuesday, and our standing dinner date was on. I changed and was sitting at the table with my lecture notes out when Thomas came in.
I smelled the Thai and was suddenly starving.
“I’m so hungry,” he said. “I nearly dug into this while I sat at a traffic light.”
“Better not,” I teased.
We went through the routine of dishing up and chose to eat at the table. We were halfway through dinner when he wiped his mouth and stared at me. He had a look on his face that said he wanted to ask me something.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I did it,” he said excitedly.
“What did you do?”
“I’ve got the prototype of the app done,” he said. “It’s in beta right now.”
“Already?!” I exclaimed.
He nodded and I could see the excitement in his eyes. “It wasn’t all that hard.”
“Did you create it?” I asked.
He nodded. “Some. A lot. We all worked together to make it happen.”
I loved that he gave credit where credit was due. “That’s awesome.”
“Would you be one of our testers?” he asked.
“Testers?” I asked.
“Yes. We have a test group, but I want to get more participants. The bigger the pool, the more results we’ll have. I want to do my best to iron out any trouble before we launch it.”
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