Page 14 of Confessions of a Virgin on a Dating App
I must’ve left it behind on Friday night when I wasn’t feeling well.
Yeah, it is. I’ll come get it later today.
You know C&C is today, right? You should play.
Yup, I am. Cass asked me to come.
Sweet. Sam is out today, so I’ll be substituting as your Crypt Master.
I groaned and plopped my phone on the bed. If I was going to go to aC&Csession, I really wanted it to be with my regular group. I liked Sam; he was an easygoing, balanced Crypt Master who ran equal parts roleplaying and combat. Devin usually ran the children’s group, which meant he had a very…differentplaystyle. He made all his characters talk in funny accents, threw weird puzzles into every dungeon, and spent far too much time plotting out elaborate roleplay sessions at his fictional town’s pub.
I debated staying home and spending my afternoon playing video games. But I’d already told Cassidy that I’d go, and Devin was currently holding mylifestealerdeck hostage. Plus, I had to admit, Devin was a good CM. He was great at making the kids laugh, and his table was always the loudest and most enthusiastic one in the shop.
That was when I decided to check my second message. And while Devin’s text had surprised me, this one made my blood run cold.
Hi Avery. How’s it going? I haven’t heard from you since Thursday. Did you wantto meet up again soon?
It was from Anthony. I hadn’t contacted him since our lackluster date a few days ago.
I gulped. I didn’t want to ghost him – I had been on the receiving end of that cruel practice and knew how awful it felt. I just needed to let him down gently.
Hi Anthony. Thanks for reaching out! I had a nice time, but I don’t think we’re compatible relationship-wise. I wish you the best of luck though!
I re-read my message twice before hitting send, carefully plotting my words like a work email to a client. Friendly and professional, but firm.
The little “typing” bubble appeared immediately next to my message and stayed there a suspiciously long time. I exited out of my messages and browsed social media for a while, cringing when I saw averylong message pop up in my notifications.
Are you sure? I’m sorry, I know I was kind of awkward. To be honest, I don’t date much and I was really nervous. But I felt we had a lot in common, and I’d really love to get to know you better. Would you like to get dinner with me at—
I threw my phone on my bed, clasping my fists to my skull and trying not to scream.
I knew that online dating was hard, especially on guys. I got nervous on dates too. But I wasn’t interested in him, and nothing irritated me more than men who couldn’t take no for an answer. Because as tough as online dating could be, it only worked when there was mutual attraction. I neverunderstood pushiness; why waste emotions on someone that wasn’t interested?
I decided to retract my former promise to not ghost the guy, as his begging didn’t deserve the dignity of a reply. Despite my earlier reservations aboutCreatures & Crypts, I was now relieved that I had somewhere to be for the afternoon. This guy’s message had sent chills down my spine, and I didn’t really want to be alone.
I walked away and stepped into the shower, leaving Anthony’s whiny message untouched on my bed.
Critical Games was surprisingly empty for a Sunday afternoon.
Cassidy and I arrived fifteen minutes before the start time, surprised to find most of the tables unoccupied. The only people in the store were Aaron, two preteen boys I didn’t recognize, and of course, Devin, who was standing behind the counter.
Aaron immediately rushed over to us, excitedly babbling on about how much fun this was going to be. And, as was usual when Cass and I were together, I was invisible. Aaron’s focus was strictly on my adorable curly-haired best friend. I did my best to hide my smug, knowing smile as the pair approached one of the gaming tables and sat down, still lost in conversation.
Devin didn’t even try to hide his. He looked like the Cheshire Cat as I spun around and approached the front counter.
“You think he’s ever going to grow a pair and ask her out?”
“Devin,” I hissed, throwing a pretend swat his way. He laughed, his snake-bite piercings gleaming a deep onyx black color under the fluorescent lights.
“Anyway, where’s myC&Cdeck?”
“What, you meanthisdeck?” Devin fetched my sun-and-moon deck box off a high shelf behind the counter, clasping it in his upright fingers like a prized jewel.
“Yes. Give it to me.”
“You playing at my table today?”
I huffed. “Yes. Now gimme.”
