Chapter One
Alex
I give myself one last look in the mirror of my visor and make sure my dark hair is as stylishly tousled as it was when I left my apartment before grabbing the oversized stuffed penguin on my passenger seat and climbing out of my car. It’s February in Massachusetts, so it’s a bit nippy as I make my way up to the apartment building where I’m picking up my date. But since I’ve dealt with sub zero temperatures my entire life, I find myself only doing a brisk walk, rather than a full on run as I clomp through the snow and up the stairs, opening the front door and shivering as it closes behind me. I make my way up another set of stairs to the second floor and look for apartment 2D, which is where my date said she lived. We’ve only been out twice after meeting and chatting on Tinder. I’ve enjoyed being with her and we agreed to go out again tonight, and she wanted me to pick her up, so she gave me her address.
Her apartment building is nice, not super high end but not a dive either, and only about a ten minute drive from mine. The gray carpet in the hallway is clean and there’sartwork of flowers decorating the beige colored walls, along with decorative off-white sconces providing warm light and an inviting environment. It seems relatively quiet as I stop in front of her door and let out a breath before knocking. I was supposed to be here at seven thirty, and I’m just a couple of minutes late.
I start when I hear a voice from the other side of the door that is most definitely not Stacy’s. “Just a minute!” It’s rich and smoky, with a southern drawl, and when the door opens a moment later I’m staring at a man with golden skin and bright blue eyes, his hair up in a messy bun, a few of the blond and brown strands having fallen loose and framing his handsome face.
“Can I help you?” he asks, a bit timidly as he wipes his hands on a towel. His eyes move from me to the oversized plush penguin in my arms before he meets my gaze again, looking as confused as I feel. He’s a bit bigger than me, broader, more muscular, and a few inches taller than my own five eleven.
“Uh,” I stammer. “I’m looking for Stacy. I must have the wrong apartment.”
He blinks. “This is the right apartment, but she’s not home right now.” His gaze lands on the penguin again. “Who are you?”
“Her date?” I say it like it’s a question even though I don’t mean to. I swear I see him flinch, and his face goes slightly pale.
“Her date?” he repeats, his voice so soft I barely hear it.
“Yeah, uh, are you her brother?” I ask hopefully.
He clears his throat, his cheeks flushed now. “No, I’m her boyfriend.”
My eyes widen and I swallow, taking a step back. “Shit, man I’m sorry. I swear she never said she had a boyfriend. I didn’t, I mean, I wouldn’t. It was only twice, and nothinghappened, I swear. I…shit, I should go.” I turn to walk away but then realize I’m still holding the rather large stuffed penguin and I sure don’t want it now, and I’m not giving it to Stacy. I turn back to him. “I’ll uh, I’ll just leave this here and you can do whatever you want to with it.” I take a couple of hesitant steps forward like I’m approaching a rabid animal and set it down outside the door.
“Sorry, again,” I stammer, before hightailing it out of there.
Fuck, what a mess. The guy looked awful hearing me say I was here to pick up his fucking girlfriend, and I wonder if I’m the first guy she’s cheated on him with. God, I’m really glad I’m not the type to fuck on a first date because I would feel ten times worse if I’d slept with her.
So, little miss Stacy is a two-timing bitch. Good to know. I take my phone out of my pocket to text her. Instead though, I see that I have a text from her that I must have gotten on my way here.
Stacy: Hey, change of plans, can you pick me up from work instead? I’m running late.
Me: Yeah, no. I won’t be picking you up at all
Stacy: Wtf?
Me: Yeah, see the problem is, if I wanted to take you out anywhere, I would need to get permission from YOUR BOYFRIEND!
Stacy: Bentley is there?
Me: Yeah, sure. I didn’t ask his name but let's just say neither of us were expecting the other. That’s a fucking shitty thing to do, fyi. To him and me. Next time you cheat, leave me out of it. That guy deserves way better than you and I don’t deserve to be used in whatever sick game you’re playing
Stacy: Fuck you, you don’t know anything about him or me
Me: I know he doesn’t deserve to be cheated on, and I don’t deserve to be manipulated and lied to
Stacy: middle finger emoji
I don’t bother to reply, just block her number. No way I’m dealing with that shit.
I sigh as I set my phone down and pull out of the parking lot. With nothing to do tonight I guess I’ll head back home.
Why is dating so fucking hard? Maybe I should just stick to having a cat and a few plants and call it a day. The idea of never having someone to call my own, someone to come home to at the end of the day, someone to care for, and who will care for me in turn, is seriously depressing, but at least I wouldn’t be getting caught up in this kind of garbage.
Not that I needed the reminder, but if I didn’t already know it, I do now:
People suck.
