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Riley turned to me. “Matty, come on. You need to settle the argument. Who’s right?”
I sipped my hot chocolate, grinning at their antics. “You know I’m not daft enough to side with either of you.”
“But we need to know this for our exam.” Riley slumped back in his seat, pushing his glasses up on his face and rubbing at the bridge of his nose. “Don’t you think you should be more worried about it?”
I shrugged, fussing with my mug. “I mean, if you can argue why you think that, you should be okay. So long as you can back it up with examples from previous cases Revenue and Customs has brought to court, you’ll be fine.”
Ethan stabbed at the textbook in triumph. “Ha! Examples. I’m right. Suck it, Riley.”
“If I found you attractive, I would.”
Ethan rolled his green eyes. We all knew Ethan was attractive—his bright red hair and freckles meant he didn’t think so, but he was totally hot. “Meanie.”
I stepped in before they could start bickering again. “I think I’m going to start dating again.”
That took the wind out of their sails. They exchanged a significant look before Ethan cleared his throat. “We noticed it’s been a while…”
“We didn’t want to say anything though,” Riley said hastily, covering my hand with his. “We figured you’d open up to us when you were ready.”
My friends were both wearing matching looks of concern. I sighed internally, even as I smiled. This was precisely why I hadn’t told them anything. I hadn’t even announced I was taking myself off the market, I’d just quietly stopped going on dates.
“Well…I’m ready now. After seeing everyone coupled up at the club the other night?—”
“Sorry about that,” Ethan murmured, his hand going over my spare one. “I didn’t mean to make you feel left out, and I’m sure the others didn’t either.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Don’t worry about me. But it was a reminder that I want that for myself.”
“Ooh, this is exciting.” Riley clapped his hands together as he bounced in his chair. “What are we looking for? A handsome bear you can call Daddy? Or maybe someone younger? Someone who has the energy to rail you for hours?”
“Riley, stop it,” Ethan chastised as my cheeks flamed red. “A casual fuck is fine for you, but not for Matty.”
“It’s never been a problem before,” Riley protested.
I took another sip of my hot chocolate to hide the expression on my face. No, it hadn’t been a problem before. I might not have had as many hookups as Riley, but I hadn’t been a saint either.
“Matty said he wants to date,” Ethan fired back. “Right, Matty?”
“Right.” I gave Riley a kind smile so he didn’t feel like we were ganging up on him. “I want something serious. With someone stable. Sensible.”
Riley goggled at me like I’d lost my mind. “But we’re only twenty-one, Matty. There’s loads of time for sensible and serious. This is the time for fun.”
I flinched. Look where fun got me before. “The next few months will fly by. We’ll be graduating before we know it and I’m ready to move on to the next stage of my life. Those are the things I want.”
I was so rarely this firm with anyone that they both seemed taken aback. Ethan recovered first. “I think that sounds great, Matty. Any man would be lucky to have you.”
“Of course they would,” Riley added swiftly. “And we’ll make sure you’ll find a great one. Have you set up a profile yet?”
Urgh. Just the thought of having to go through the whole rigmarole of online dating made me want to take a nap. Still, it was better than trying to meet someone in a club. At least this way I could try to sniff out any red flags before meeting someone. “Not yet. Fancy helping me with it?”
Aweek later, I was sat in an upmarket restaurant and questioning my life choices.
Jeremy seems lovely, I reminded myself as I straightened up the cutlery. Exactly what you’re looking for.
True to their word, Riley and Ethan had helped me set up my profile. After going through an alarming amount of responses, I’d settled on Jeremy. At twenty-seven, he seemed to have his life remarkably well worked out. He had a steady job in risk analysis, owned his own home, and was looking to settle down.
On paper, he was my ideal match.
But as he strolled into the restaurant, his smile showing off way too many teeth, I knew this wasn’t going to work.
