“Wow. Were you even into him?” Solomon asked.
I shook my head. “Not really. And maybe he could tell that, but that doesn’t give him a free pass to be a dick. We could’ve at least been friends since I had enjoyed talking to him.”
“Want me to go beat him up for you? Or leave a clean T-shirt in his mailbox so he’ll take a hint?”
His questions made me laugh, which I knew was what he was going for. “Nah. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I might need to take a break from dating for a while.”
Solomon let out an exaggerated gasp. “You? Take a break from dating?” He reached over and placed the back of his hand against my forehead.
I batted his hand away. “What are you doing?”
“Checking for a fever. You must be sick to say you’re going to take a break from dating.”
I snorted. “I said I might need to. I didn’t say I was actually going to do it.”
“Not sick, then. Well, I’m sorry your date ended so badly, but maybe you should try a new tactic?”
“What’s that? Date a woman?”
Solomon sputtered the beer he’d just taken a sip of, causing me to tip my head back and laugh until tears streamed down my cheeks.
“Shit, that burns!” he whined as he wiped his face. “Very funny, asshole.”
I swiped my hands across my cheeks to wipe away the tears. “I thought it was.”
“I was going to say stop using the app for a while and pick a guy up in person. That way, you’d already know how they looked, acted, and spoke. It’s hard to really judge a person when all you have to go on are texts. It’s hard to decipher tone and sincerity when all you have to go by are words on a screen.”
I thought about what he’d said as I ate more ice cream. “Very profound, Sol. Why are you still single?”
“I guess Mr. Right is out there looking for me, and I’m good at playing hide-and-seek.”
“Eh, well, whenever he finds you, he’s going to be a very lucky man.”
It was true. Solomon was the best friend I’d ever had, and whoever was lucky enough to finally catch him would win the boyfriend lottery. But until that happened, I would gladly enjoy his company until I had to share him with someone else.
Solomon shrugged. “We’ll see. I’m not in any hurry for him to find me, though.”
“How come?”
“I don’t know. I’m just not. Besides, I have my job to keep me busy, and you to keep me from being lonely.”
I smiled softly. “But what about at night? What keeps your bed warm?”
“I could always adopt a dog.”
I snorted. “No way. You can barely keep a goldfish alive. You don’t need a dog.”
“I would be offended if you weren’t right. But we’re not talking about me and my lack of a dating life. We’re talking about your douchey date.”
“Ugh. And to add insult to injury, he hasn’t even messaged me to see where I went. He probably doesn’t even know I’m gone.”
“He’s not worth your time, Brody.”
“You say that about all my failed dates,” I pointed out. The words hung heavily in the air, reminding me of how many I’d been on lately, and how none of them had worked out.
“Because it’s true,” he finally said softly.
“At this point, I’m beginning to wonder if anyone is worth my time. Is it really them who’s the problem? Or am I being too picky?”
“It’s definitely not you who is the problem. You have a right to be picky, Brody. There is no point in spending time with someone who doesn’t ignite a spark in you. There is someone worthy of your time. You just haven’t found him yet. Maybe stop trying so hard.”
I stared down at the tub of ice cream on my lap and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Of course I am. Now stop sulking over holey T-shirt dude, and let’s pick a movie that you can actually finish.”
“I think that’s what I’m most pissed about. It was a good movie, so I’m curious to know how it ends.”
“Let’s go tomorrow. I’m sure you missed more than you think since your focus wasn’t all the way there.”
“That’ll be fun. You know, I might have shitty luck in the dating department, but I did pretty good when it came to picking my best friend.”
Solomon winked at me. “Ditto.”
Two
Solomon
I was irritated my best friend was upset over yet another failed date. Brody was a great guy, and good looking to boot, so the fact he was wasting his time on complete assholes was baffling. He deserved so much more than that, and I had no idea why he couldn’t see it.
Though, while I was helping him deal with his irritation, the last thing I needed was to discuss how my love life was lacking. I was grateful for the subject change, and happy when we picked a movie to watch. He didn’t stay long after the movie was over since we were going to the movies the next day, and after he was gone, I went to bed. The bed that Brody pointed out was lonely. Maybe I’d get a cat rather than a dog. Cats were more low-maintenance, weren’t they? They didn’t require constant attention, walks, or endless games of fetch. They enjoyed being left alone until they felt they needed some attention. Yeah, cats were much easier, so it was definitely something to consider.
Of course, being alone meant I had my thoughts to keep my company, and because of our conversation, they were running rampant. It wasn’t that I wanted to stay single. I’d dated plenty, just not as much as Brody. I had to remind myself that being alone wasn’t the same as loneliness. It was true I had work to keep my mind busy and Brody to provide more than enough company. I was content, and I didn’t need a man to reflect that. Something I wished Brody would understand. But I knew he wouldn’t. I’d just have to stock up on more ice cream and hope that whoever he went out with next was the one who deserved his heart because it was a good one.
Let’s not forget you gave your heart to someone a long time ago, my tired brain decided to remind me.
Every so often, that annoying thought liked to pop up to remind me of the fact I had spent years pining for the same person, while the feelings were never returned. And just like I had done countless times before, I pushed it to the back of my mind, hoping it stayed buried once and for all. Once I was satisfied it was hidden again, I gave my pillow a few punches—to plump it up of course, not out of irritation at myself and those unrequited feelings—and willed my body to relax so I could get some sleep.
I woke the next morning after a restless sleep, and even though I had nothing on the agenda until later that evening, I still crawled out of bed. I needed to mow my lawn before it got too hot and then catch up on a few household chores I’d put off during the week. Plus, I was running low on clean underwear, so laundry was on the top of my todo list. My chores weren’t going to do themselves, and I was the one stuck doing them—one of the downfalls of being single.
After devouring some cereal, I put my dirty bowl in the dishwasher, then added the soap and started the device. At least that was one thing checked off my list. Since I planned on mowing, I threw on a ratty T-shirt and pair of gym shorts, then went outside to get the mower from my garage. There was no point in showering if I was going to get sweaty and covered in lawn clippings. My backyard was a bit larger than my front, so I started there, and by the time I was wheeling my mower to the front, I was dripping in sweat, and my shirt was sticking to my wet skin.