“Oh, really?” she asks. “I guess that was stupid of me to assume otherwise.”
“No, not stupid. We did go on a double date, so your assumption is valid.”
She sets her fork down and crosses one leg over the other. “So why don’t you date much, Breaker? You seem like a pretty levelheaded guy. Sweet. Kind. Thoughtful. Why aren’t you putting yourself out there?”
“Going deep tonight, are we?” I joke. “Well, I guess I just haven’t found the person I want to spend more time with. It’s not that I’m against dating, but I just haven’t clicked with someone enough to spend more time, if that makes sense. And with my busy schedule, I haven’t really put the feelers out there either.”
She nods. “I can understand that.” She glances to the side and says, “And I guess you’re not that lonely because you have Lia.”
Very true. Lia keeps me fully occupied when I need it.
“Yeah,” I answer softly.
“So what happens after she gets married? Do you think you two will hang out as much? And I ask that not in a mean way, just trying to understand.”
“Don’t worry about insulting me or anything like that. I get the curiosity. And we talked about it a little today, said we could find a house near each other, still hang out.” I twist my lips to the side. “I don’t know. I’m not sure how much we will see each other, though. I know we’ll never forget about each other, but I do know our dinner dates will probably become few and far between.”
“I can only imagine they would because married life is different,” Birdy states, confirming my fears.
“It is.” I bite down on my lip. What does that mean for me? I can tell you what that means. It looks like I’m going to be a whole bunch of lonely soon. “Shit, Birdy, looks like I need to start dating.”
She laughs and pats my hand. “Well, when you’re ready.”
I look up at her and smile. “Maybe I could be ready. What do you think? Would you want to do this again? Maybe not with such a sad ending talking about my pathetic life?”
“It’s not pathetic at all. I actually think it’s sweet. My mom always told me that true friendships are hard to find, but they are the most important things to hang on to. What you have with Lia is so special. You want to hang on to that.”
“I do. But I think you’re right. Married life will be different, and I might not be lonely now when I have her, but that will change after she’s married. It’s about time I put myself out there.” I take Birdy’s hand in mine. “Would you like to go on a second date with me? Maybe a hike? I can show you some birds.”
She smiles brightly. “I would love that.”
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
I grumble under my breath and peel my eyes open as I glance at my phone that is lit up.
Who the hell is texting me?
With blurry eyes, I bring the phone closer to my face and note the time. 1:15 a.m. This better be fucking important.
I glance at the sender and see that it’s from Lia. I rub my eyes a few times and then swipe on her text to read it.
Lia: Hey, you up?
Lia: You never texted me after your date.
Lia: Are you still with her?
Groaning, I get comfortable on my side, and I text her back.
Breaker: You know, this is a conversation that could be had in the morning.
Lia: Oh, you are awake. Look at that.
Breaker: Because of you.
Lia: Oops *charmingly smiles*
Breaker: Rejects the charming smile
Lia: Don’t be mad, I couldn’t sleep, and I was curious. So . . . how did it go with Birdy?
Breaker: Are we really doing this right now?
Lia: Yes.
I groan again and text her back.
Breaker: Good. She’s pretty cool. We have few obvious things in common, but she was super nice, sweet, and pretty of course.
Lia: Of course. Did you invite her back to your place?
Breaker: Seriously? No. I barely know her.
Lia: As if that has prevented you before.
Breaker: This is different.
Lia: How is this different?
Breaker: Because I’m trying something new.
Lia: Something new? Tell me more . . .
Breaker: I thought I would try to date her.
Lia: Wait . . . seriously? But you don’t date.
Breaker: Yeah, I know, but with you getting married soon and your time being consumed with your soon-to-be husband, I figured I should maybe find someone to, you know . . . be compatible with.
There isn’t a response.
For a few minutes, and I wonder if I said something wrong or if she fell asleep until my phone rings in my hand. Seeing her name scroll across the screen, I pick up and put my phone on speaker so I can rest it against my pillow and talk.