Check out more parts of this story on my author page!

“So what was wrong with this one?”

Liv’s voice came from above her on the couch. Emma’s head hung over the edge and her feet were up on the cushions. Her curls hung wildly around her and brushed against the floor. She had loved being upside down since she was a kid. Her dad used to call her “fruit bat.”

“His name was Trevor, and he had a man bun, for one thing.”

Liv groaned in disgust, and Emma giggled. Man buns were something they had discussed at length. Liv despised them with every fiber of her being. Emma felt some men could pull it off. So far the list of men who could pull it off contained only one name, Jason Momoa. Sadly, her date had not been Jason Momoa. 

“It was sort of cute, but I don’t know. He was very… slow.”

“Slow?”

“Yeah, like everything he said came with long pauses, and waiting for him to respond to me felt like it took forever. It made me feel like I was talking way too fast.”

Liv laughed. “Maybe he was stoned.”

“Maybe. That would explain how he could eat the lunch of roots and berries he ordered for us.” The blood had finished rushing to her head, so she sat up and faced Liv. Her best friend patted down her curls, which were now bigger than ever. 

“Roots and berries?”

“He took me to that new vegan place on Central.”

Liv grimaced. “Okay, first the man bun, and then he doesn’t even take you out for real food? Nope. This guy has got to go.”

Emma shrugged. “At least he was slightly more interesting than the Russian literature guy.”

“Em, these are really low bars you are setting.”

“It’s grim out there!”

“You could always switch teams.” Liv waggled her eyebrows.

“If I ever develop queer tendencies, I promise, you will be the first to know.” Emma patted her friend’s knee and padded across the room to the kitchen to grab some snacks. “Sweet or salty?” she asked over her shoulder. 

“Both.”

She had already guessed Liv’s answer and pulled out a bag of chips and the last of the cookies she had baked on her day off. She tossed them onto Liv’s lap and flopped down next to her. 

“Help me find the next one.” Emma opened the dating app on her phone and held it so they both could browse the profiles.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take a break from dating?” Liv leaned her head against Emma’s as they searched. 

Emma could hear the concern in her friend’s voice, but there was nothing to be worried about. She was going to find the right guy. She was determined. He was out there somewhere and if she had to date every other loser in order to find him, that was just what she would do.

***

“Come out and face me like a man, you coward.” Natalie had not bothered to knock and instead stormed into Oliver’s apartment like she owned the place. Oliver had left her no other choice. He had stopped answering her texts and refused to pick up when she called. 

“Oliver! I’m not leaving until you come out.”

A black and white bunny with floppy ears hopped down the hall and settled by her feet. She glared at it as it twitched its little bunny nose.

“Nice try. Be an adorable bunny all you want, I am still going to rip you a new one.”

The bunny flinched. Natalie put her hands on her hips and waited. The bunny hopped back down the hall and Oliver stepped out a moment later. 

“You idiot,” Natalie greeted him.

“Nice to see you too, Nat.”

She growled at him. “Oliver, what are you doing? How many more dates have you gone on?”

He seemed ready to protest, but let out a long sigh instead, and wandered into the kitchen. Natalie followed. 

“Only two more. I’m just trying to get to know her better.”

She shoved him hard on the shoulder. “Then do it as yourself.”

He rolled his eyes. Natalie suddenly felt like she had a teenage son.

“I tried that and it didn’t exactly go well, remember?” he said.

“And how did these other dates go?” 

Oliver turned away from her, suddenly very interested in the coffee he was making. “Not great,” he muttered.

Natalie grabbed a cup from the cupboard and let Oliver fill it up before she spoke again. “Can I ask you something?”

Oliver raised an eyebrow. “You know you’re going to ask anyway, so go ahead.”

“What’s so great about this girl?”

He paused, mug raised to his mouth. Natalie watched as he struggled to come up with a reason this Emma person was worth so much trouble. 

The best he could do was a shrug. “She just is.”

Natalie scoffed and sipped her drink. “Well, have you at least learned your lesson? These dates haven’t gone any better than when you were being yourself. Please tell me you’re going to let it go.”

Oliver’s eyes darted away from hers. “I will… after I go on this one last date.”

“Oliver!”

“I have to. We already made plans. I can’t cancel on her, Nat.”

Natalie huffed. “You should have stayed a bunny.”

Featured Image by Matt Pike via Unsplash