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Looks wise, I try not to be too critical. I’m not demanding he be six-two and muscular, or a Henry Cavill lookalike (although that would be nice.) I suppose it’s a bit like porn—you know it when you see it. I’m hoping he’ll jump out at me.
Fifteen minutes later, I realize that’s not going to happen. I suppose it’s a bit like looking for a new house. You start off by thinking you want four bedrooms, a quiet location, a huge kitchen, and a pool, and by the end you realize you’ll be lucky to get just one thing on your list. None of the guys I look at mention reading, sci-fi, or fantasy in their bios. I’m sure some of them must read, surely? I guess they think it’s not going to attract girls.
I perk up when I find one guy who states thatAlienis among his favorite movies. He’s relatively good looking, with short, dark-blond hair and a cheeky smirk. He’s twenty-six and a dentist. Well, I won’t hold that against him. It also says that he likes playing Minecraft. So that’s two things we sort of have in common. I’m not super-keen on Minecraft, but at least he likes gaming.
Taking a deep breath, I swipe right.
I continue on, and also swipe right on three other men. One mentions Slytherin—I decide not to tell Charlie, who told me to only date Hufflepuffs—one mentions he has a beagle, which is my favorite breed, and the third also has a photo of him with a dog and, in the background, a World of Warcraft poster. All three of them are smiling and are normal looking, maybe seven out of ten, which is what I consider myself to be, so hopefully they’re not out of my league.
I’ve just closed the app and I’m about to give Mum a call when I get a notification.
You’ve got a new match!
Holy shit. So that means one of the guys I’ve swiped right on has also swiped right on me?
Heart racing, I open the app again.It’s a Match!it declares, and it informs me that ‘You and Mark have liked each other.’ It’s the guy with the dog who plays World of Warcraft. Ooh, well, that’s good, right?
I look at his photo and bio again. It says he’s five foot ten, twenty-four, so a year younger than me, but that’s okay, and he’s a dentist. Well, he’s going to love my Bugs Bunny teeth. He’s quite cute, with interesting light-blue eyes and a nice smile.
Cute enough to have sex with?
For the first time, it really sinks in what I’ve got myself into here. Charlie said that most guys on the app, even if they’re open to a longer-term relationship, aren’t going to turn down a hookup. If I start talking to this guy, it could end in us having sex.
I think I’m going to hyperventilate. I really need to get myself a brown paper bag if I’m going to do this for real.
Chapter Two
Alice
I’m not sure whether to message him first, or whether I should wait and see if he messages me. I don’t want to look desperate, even though I am, so instead I decide to call my mother.
She answers after two rings. “Alice!”
“Hey, Mum.” I smile as her picture pops up on FaceTime. She’s in her mid-fifties, with still-blonde hair she keeps long so I can put it up neatly for her. Today, June has plaited it into a French braid and slotted one of her pretty flower clips into the side, and her face has a little color. “Ooh, you look nice,” I tell her.
“June gave me a makeover.” She bats her mascara-brushed lashes and laughs.
“Are you having a great time together?” June, her sister, only lives half an hour away, but she has four teenage children and works full time as a nurse, so she doesn’t have much free time. When she does have a holiday, I assume she must want to spend it with her own family, so I try not to call on her, but occasionally she offers to look after Mum for a few nights so I can visit Charlie or have time to myself.
“We are,” Mum says. “Last night we watchedMamma Miaand June made us both a margarita. The drink, not the pizza.”
I laugh. “Naughty girls.”
“I know I’m not supposed to drink alcohol…”
“Hey, everything in moderation including moderation, right?”
“Yeah.” She smiles. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good. I’ve just met Charlie for lunch. She’s trying to get me to go to a party tonight, but it’s not my sort of thing.”
“Aw, Alice. You should go! You might meet a nice young man.” She winks at me.
I wrinkle my nose at her. Although we’re very close, I haven’t told her my reason for coming to Wellington this time. Not because I’m too embarrassed, although I don’t particularly want to discuss my hopes for a one-night stand with my mother, but more that I don’t want to make her feel bad. She’s obviously aware that having to care for her is the main reason I’ve never dated, and she feels terrible about it. The last thing I want to do is increase her guilt.
“There’ll be plenty of time for that when Charlie comes home,” I reply. Charlie only agreed to go to university on the proviso that she returns to Gisborne when she graduates so she can split Mum’s care with me. I’ve tried to convince her that I’m happy to continue to care for Mum, but Charlie just gets upset, so at the moment I’m going along with the idea.
“What are you going to do this afternoon?” Mum asks.
