Page 54 of Looking for Group
“Well, if that isn’t your concern, I don’t see what you’re worried about.”
Drew thought about it for a moment. “Like you said, she could be a serial killer.”
“So could anybody. So could I. People on the internet aren’t more likely to be serial killers than people in general.”
“I get the feeling you’re not taking me seriously.”
Tinuviel pulled a pair of extendable chopsticks out of her top pocket and started on her noodles. “I’m taking this very seriously. I don’t understand why you think I’m not.”
“If you told me you’d fallen for someone you’d met on the internet, and especially if you’d met them in a video game—not, like, through a dating app—I’d be way more worried.”
“Why?” She frowned in a noodle-y kind of way. “The way I see it, when you meet someone in”—she did air quotes—“‘real life,’ allyour initial assumptions about them are based on their physical appearance, but these are extremely likely to be ignorant, prejudiced, and misleading. When you meet somebody online, your initial impressions of them are based on what they say to you. This can’t be any more misleading, and it’s only social conditioning that makes you accept the validity of relationships initially based on nothing but physical response. Online relationships are based on intellectual and emotional connection. If anything, it’s a better way of doing it.”
This was all a bit much on a hangover. He worked through it like it was a particularly chewy piece of biltong. “Yeah, but what if what they say isn’t true?”
“My mum said she once had sex with a woman because she, the woman, not my mum, thought she, my mum, not the woman, played the alto sax.”
Drew was definitely way too hungover for this. “Uh?”
“That was long before the internet. People misrepresent themselves, consciously or otherwise, all the time.”
“Can we come back to the bit where your mum tells you stories about her lesbian affairs?”2
“You know your parents have had sex right?”
He put his hands over his ears and rocked. “I don’t like to think about it.”
“It’s just sex.”
“It’s your parents.”
“Sometimes you have a very strange attitude to things, Andrew.”
“If Sanee was here, he’d understand.”
Tinuviel sighed. “Before you went weird, I was trying to point out that the only extra information you have about someone when you meet them in person is what they look like. So, if we’redisregarding the not-hot theory, I don’t see what you’re so worried about.”
“Okay,” he tried again. “But the thing is, if we ditch all the prejudice stuff, there are still things you can tell by looking at someone that you can’t tell over the internet. Like, if they’re twelve or a man.”
“I think you’re oversimplifying gender identity a bit.”
He groaned. “I don’t know why I thought I should talk to you about this stuff.”
“Well, because Sanee would say you were an idiot. Whereas I’ve spent the last ten minutes telling you that it’s probably fine, and you should see what happens. Which is blatantly what you want to hear.”
“Oh.”
She looked up and smiled. “Come on, Drew, if you genuinely like this girl, what’s the harm? I mean, obviously, meet in a public place and tell someone where you’re going, but really, if she turns out to be twelve or a man, then what have you lost?”
Drew thought about it. And, actually, she was sort of right. Either he would meet a great girl who he also fancied, and that would be cool, or he would meet a great girl who he didn’t fancy, which might be a bit awkward and make him feel shallow, but at least he’d know. Or none of the above, in which case he’d still know, and that would be better than…than…not.
“Thanks, T.”
“Anytime. I hope she’s whatever you think you’re supposed to expect her to be.”
***
Drew had another medusa date with Solace that night, and told himself very firmly that he was going to take the opportunity to come clean, and ask if she wanted to meet up in real life.
