AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fine,” Jinny said. “You haven’t been in a single serious relationship since I’ve known you. Your M.O. is to meet a guy, sleep with him once or twice, and then get bored.”
She wasn’t wrong, but Esther still felt the need to defend herself. “Sometimes they’re the ones who get bored.”
“Because you always pick guys who clearly aren’t looking for anything more than a casual hookup.”
“Not always.” Just mostly.
“Leo didn’t get bored,” Jinny said. “He would have happily boned you for the rest of his life if you’d let him.”
Leo was a vendor who worked with Jinny. Esther had gone home with him after Jinny’s New Year’s Eve party last year. And then she’d lost interest. Fast. She wrinkled her nose. “Leo was obsessed with anime figures.”
“So what? You’ve got some Funkos on your desk.”
“No, I mean he was obsessed. He had an entire room of his house devoted to them. Have you ever seen a entire room full of nothing but shelf upon shelf of anime figures? Super creepy. You wouldn’t have wanted to go back to that house either.” Esther shuddered. The memory of all those unnaturally wide, vacant eyes staring back at her still haunted her.
“I’m just saying, you could have given him more of a chance. He might have eased up on the doll obsession a little once he had a real girl to care about.”
Esther shook her head as she reached for her iced tea. “No, see, that’s your M.O. You’re always thinking you can change the guys you date, remember?”
Jinny pointed her fork at Esther. “Nice try, but we’re not talking about my hang-ups right now, we’re talking about yours.”
“I liked Diego.” Esther set her tea back down. “It’s not my fault he moved to Texas.”
Jinny rolled her eyes. “Please. Diego was already halfway out the door when you slept with him. You worked with him for a year and didn’t show the slightest interest until he took that job at NASA.” She reached for a packet of hot sauce and tore it open with her teeth. “This is what you do,” she said, squeezing hot sauce onto her taco salad. “You either pick a guy you don’t actually like, or you pick someone who’s ‘safe’ because he’s physically or emotionally unavailable. And if one of the unavailable guys starts showing signs of wanting to hang around—god forbid—you immediately stop liking him and run for the hills.”
“When have I done that?” Esther asked.
Jinny fixed her with a pointed look. “Arun. You crushed on him hard for like three straight months, and as soon as he started showing actual interest in you, you immediately stopped liking him.”
“That’s because I found out he was vegan! I can’t date a vegan. I like cheese way too much.”
“There’s always a reason if you invent one,” Jinny said, shaking her head.
“I don’t have to invent reasons. The reasons are just there.” It was called having standards, and there was nothing wrong with it. Esther refused to feel bad about it.
“You picked cheese over an attractive man who liked you.”
Esther broke off a piece of tostada chip and scooped up a big pile of cheese and sour cream. “My relationship with dairy is deeply fulfilling. You’re lactose intolerant. You can’t possibly understand.” She shoved the chip in her mouth and smiled happily.
“I’m not lactose intolerant, I just refuse to put up with lactose’s shit.” Jinny picked an olive out of her salad and popped it into her mouth. “When’s the last time you were in a relationship that lasted longer than a month?”
Esther swallowed. “High school.”
Jinny’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding?”
“There was a guy in college, but it was more like a friends with benefits arrangement.” She shrugged. “He wasn’t interested in being serious.”
“How long did it last?”
“Two semesters, give or take.”
“How’d it end?”
“He met a girl. They started dating.” It was the last time she’d actually felt invested in a relationship, and the memory of it was still a little tender. That was what trying to date a friend had gotten her.
Jinny leaned forward. “How did that make you feel?”
Esther scowled. “What are you, my therapist?”
