AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
Noelle
Onandonandon. Doesn't this guy get tired?
“… but I didn’t get it, you know? I just kept going for the job, but still no luck. I guess some things aren’t meant to happen. I was pissed, though! I wore my best clothes to the interview!”
This is probably a big mistake. A song filters from a speaker nearby, the warm melody giving me a brief reprise from Trevor’s constant droning. I force a smile, bearing the agony.
I'm definitely blocking this one.
Since I entered my first relationship in high school, it’s been an unbroken string of romance, heartbreak, and repeat. At one point, I believed it was me. But it isn’t. Even those close to me have suffered from the vicious cycle. At best, they’re trapped for life, like my estranged parents.
Just a week ago, I was onFishin’4Love,apopular dating app, when I got a match. Trevor Jones. I wasn’t expecting much from the app, so I checked him out just for fun. And I was …wowed.
On the app, Trevor’s bio is perfect – a foster dad of the cutest puppies I’ve seen in a while, a volunteer firefighter, and someone looking for love and commitment. He seemed like the ideal man. Yet, so far…
“So, you’re telling me you were never a volunteer firefighter?”
“Look, that’s a piece of genius there. Chicks dig firefighters! What better way to get some than to put the voluntary firefighter tag on my profile? As I said, I’m still struggling to find a job. Society is cruel!” Sipping some soda, he adds, “Also, who needs a job anyways? Jobs are restraints placed on us, so we don’t have the freedom to do what we want!”
I’m shocked. Is he seriously admitting he’s lied about having a job? I glance around. Other people are dining or conversing, caught up in their world, while I’m here with…him.Trevor rubs his palms together and licks his lips as our waiter approaches our table with a tray bearing our orders.
“Finally! It’s about time!”
I groan as he claps when our meal is served.
“Chicken tenders? Chicken salad? Sesame Chicken? Now,thisis what I call a dinner!” He laughs, grabbing his knife.
Deep breaths, Noelle.
“So, Trevor, you’re also a foster dad for two puppies, right? How did that happen?”
He looks up and swallows a mouthful of chicken, before clearing his throat. A goofy grin is plastered on his face.
“Ah, Ree and Dee. My two darlings. Picked them from an animal shelter. My, those two were the light in my world. They made my days seem so bright with their little whines and barks.”
“Were?Did something happen to them?”
He chuckles, rubbing his jaw. “So, um, you see … it’s a crazy story. Why does life have to be so mean to me?”
“That’s not telling me much.” I raise an eyebrow.
His grin vanishes. “See, the thing is … Three years ago, they were taken from me! By society’s agents of oppression – pet services!”
He bangs a fist on the table, and the low murmurs around our table cease. Conscious of the attention he’s drawing, I smile awkwardly.
“I’m sorry.” I try to add as much sympathy to my voice without showing the irritation growing in me by the minute. “What happened?”
“Three years ago … those darned agents came to my home and snatched my puppies from me! After I’d had them for just three weeks! They told me I was endangering the safety of the puppies! Can you believe that?” He throws his arms up. “They told me my apartment wasn’tanimal safe!What the fuck?”
I can only stare with eyes wide. Why am I not surprised? He hasn’t had a puppy in three years. That means the picture on his profile was one he took three years ago. No wonder he looks different. He looked less of a slob then.
I grimace. This can’t get any weirder. Another bad date is in the cards. Does the‘right one’even exist?
“That’s bad. How did you manage?”
“Oh, I had a girlfriend then. But she left me a week after the puppies.” He clenches his fists. “All the girlfriends I’ve had left in less than a month. Those backstabbers! They’re crazy for leaving me. All of them!”
