Page 24 of Your Pace Or Mine

“That’s so cool. Tell me more.”

One advantage to dating a lot is hearing what people do with their lives. I mostly went into computer science because I was good at it, and it seemed like a good way to get a job and get out of my mom’s house. Meeting women who do art therapy or urban planning or even goat yoga opens my eyes to all the different ways people fill their days. Since I go on so many first dates, I get tiny snippets of a lot people’s lives, and it’s fascinating.

Marisol’s eyes light up when she talks about some of the children she works with. I try to listen, but my brain keeps going back to our app influencer project. Tansy has gotten off the ground as Downtown Diva, bringing a new perspective on dating as a Queer woman, and Ashley’s Miss Midtown profile has gained a loyal following. She manages to mix in hilarious stories with dating tips and genuinely introspective reels about the realities of dating and the trade-offs you have to make in relationships. Still, it’s the funny videos where she shines—the one with the guy and his parents had a lot of reactions.

Ashley would love hearing about art therapy. I consider introducing them, but that’s ridiculous. Marisol seems like a cool person, but this is a one-time thing. We both agreed we aren’t looking for relationships, so I’ll probably never see her again.

Tonight, however, we can make the most of things. Or we should be able to. Instead, I’m distracted as images of sitting intertwined with Ashley on her couch flash through my mind.

“It sounds so rewarding,” I say, catching the end of her story, which does sound fascinating.

Marisol gives me a shy smile. “Thanks. Hey, I’m not in the mood for drinks, but if we’re done with the coffee, maybe we could grab dinner? I know great tapas place not far from here.”

I look down at my hand, still on top of hers. Despite her gorgeous face, I realize I’m not in the mood. “Sounds like fun, but I’m beat. Maybe we can take a raincheck?”

“Oh, okay.” She seems surprised, but not terribly disappointed.

We grab our things and leave, and I tell myself I’m just tired. I need to go to bed early. But instead, I stay up late, obsessing over accounting spreadsheets and not thinking too hard about why I cut my date short.

“Too many wild nights there, Don Juan?” I open my eyes to see Seth smirking from his desk. For a guy who has never played the field in his life, he’s been accepting of my commitment-phobic tendencies, but he’s less cool with me falling asleep at work.

“You could say that.” I lean my head back in my chair and stifle a yawn. “I never thought I’d get tired of the game, but maybe my thirties are catching up to me.”

I have to admit that a month into life as a dating influencer, the late nights are getting to me, along with extra email monitoring on top of regular work. All the evenings seem to blur together. It’s only been a couple of weeks since Valentine’s Day, but it feels like I’ve barely slept since then. I hadn’t anticipated the added time commitment of both dating broadly and filming videos about it, even though it’s mostly been fun.

Seth bursts out laughing. “Well, you’re older than me, so I’ll take your word for it.”

I shake my head. He’s exactly five months younger, but he pulls this card a lot.

“So you don’t have some hot date tonight?”

It’s late on Friday afternoon. I’ve contemplated texting a new acquaintance to see if she wants to grab a drink, but suddenly I don’t have the energy to put my best foot forward.

“I don’t know yet,” I reply, not quite ready to admit I may have bitten off too much, considering it’s helped us gain traction. “What are you up to?”

He sighs. “Diana’s brother is in town, so we’re stuck hanging out with the family all weekend. I guess I should take off now, or we’ll be late.”

“Well, have fun with that,” I say, as he gathers his things. His expression says fun is unlikely to be part of the evening.

I take out my phone to text the woman I’ve been talking to, hovering over the dialogue box. Instead I open my thread with Ashley.

What are you up to tonight, Miss Midtown? Another round of drinks with a sexy stranger?

Ashley:

I’m exhausted. Not in the mood to schmooze with a new guy tonight.

I thought maybe I’d do a night in with Laurel, but I’m sure she’s busy doing couple things.

So do a night in with me. Come over and we’ll watch a movie.

This is probably a bad idea, but now that I’ve put it out there, I realize I do want to chill with Ashley. I mean actually chill, not a euphemism. We never used to hang out this often, but this collaboration has thrown us together more and reminded me how much I’ve always enjoyed spending time with her.

I promise, no funny business.

Did you just say “No funny business”? Are you my dad now???

Okay, no ulterior motives then, young lady.