I sigh, rubbing my temples, hoping to dispel my sudden headache. “I’ll have you know I’m learning a lot about myself too, but unlike you, I’m taking it seriously.”
“Oh? I’d love to hear the details.”
“No.” Like I’m going to divulge my therapy-worthy secrets. He can read about them on the internet like everyone else.
“Ouch.” Seth stands, stretching his arms over his head, which of course causes his blue button-down shirt—one of the ones we bought together—to rise, revealing a tiny peek of that cut-from-marble stomach. “Well, I’m off to work on my dating profile, you know, for one of those real-relationship-finder sites...” He lets the words dangle, though I don’t know how he wants me to fill in the blank.
But my curiosity is piqued. “Oh?”
“Yeah. I’ve been working on it for a few days and I just can’t seem to get it right.” He makes a weird sort of half grimace, half winky face.
“How come?”
Seth has the nerve to look sheepish. And the nerve to look adorable while doing so. “I don’t know what to say about myself to make a woman like me.”
It would be sweet if it weren’t utter bullshit.
“Since when do you have a problem with confidence?”
“Since I got my heart broken, of course.” He gives me an endearing smile, but there’s a bit of sadness behind his eyes, like maybe he really did experience heartbreak at some point.
I roll my eyes, tempted to tell him karma is a bitch. If he didn’t want his heart broken, he shouldn’t have broken mine. But I’ve let go of that. And what better way to test myself than to help Seth with this task. “Lead the way.”
Seth’s brow furrows. “What do you mean?”
I sigh and push out of my chair. “If anyone can make you sound appealing, it’s me.”
His lips part just the slightest bit, giving away his genuine surprise. “You want to help me write my dating profile?”
“Of course not.” I gesture for him to start walking. “But I will anyway.”
His eyes narrow suspiciously. “Are you going to make me sound like some kind of asshole?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare at him. “One:you wouldn’t need my help with that. Two: I don’t feel the need to try to sabotage my competition, which is more than I can say for you.”
“What did I do?” He sounds like we’re fourteen again and his mom is yelling at him for pestering his older sister.
I raise my eyebrows. “Brian.”
A triumphant grin tugs on the corner of his mouth. “Oh yeah. That was fun.”
I sit back down. “Never mind. Offer retracted.”
He taps his foot against mine. “You really want to help me, Parker?”
“Again, no I don’t.” I force a small smile, determined to prove to myself that I can do this, that I learned something and am growing as a person and blah blah blah. “But I will.”
“Did you have some sort of magical personality transplant or something? I thought you hated me, Parker.”
“I don’t hate you.” I shrug and spin my chair just slightly away from him. “But I can’t promise this goodwill will last forever.”
He opens his mouth like he has more to say on the topic but seems to think better of it, pushing off my desk and gesturing for me to follow.
Seth has set up shop at one of the cubicle desks stationed around the perimeter of the open space, right under the large windows. None of us have specific desk assignments, since we’re in and out so frequently, but he’s picked one of the better spots. In addition to his laptop, he also has an old-school Mead spiral notebook, which he quickly shuts and shoves tothe side. He drags over an extra chair, gesturing for me to sit in the one in front of his computer.
“All right. Let’s see what you’ve got so far.” I pull the laptop closer to me. “ ‘Seth, age thirty, writer.’ Wow. I can see you put a lot of time and effort into this.”
“I told you I was stuck.” He pulls his chair close enough to me that he can dig his elbow into my ribs. Of course he hits my one ticklish spot like Hawkeye hits a target.
