Page 15 of Blind Bite
“Go.” Krista shooed me away from my workspace. “Live a little. You’re too young to be this jaded.”
“Says the woman who started a business called ‘Venom’ after?—”
“Hey, that name has layers.” She laughed, unbothered by cutting me off. “Go take some risks, but I better not catch any new tattoos that were not done by me. Now get out of here.”
I packed up my supplies, trying to shake off the funk that had settled over me. Maybe Krista was right. Maybe I needed to stop overthinking everything and just have fun.
But as I headed for the door, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something fundamentally wrong with me. Something that made guys take one look and decide I wasn’t ‘it’ for them.
Chapter Eleven
I arrived home just as the opening credits of Love Village flashed across the TV screen. My best friend had a spread of snacks covering our beat-up coffee table. Popcorn, candy, and in the middle was a steaming box of spinach and feta pizza. Our boxed wine was prepped and already poured into two wine glasses. This was exactly what I needed after being scolded by Holloway.
“Finally, I’m already on my second glass.” Amelie lifted her wine glass with a nod before taking a long sip. I rushed to my room put my stuff away.
As I threw my bag quickly on my bed, a loud yowl emitted from beneath my quilts.
“Sorry Mysti,” I called as I ran back down the hall. My poor kitty would surely torture me later with 3 AM zoomies for waking her up from her nap. I settled in beside Ames, grabbing a slice a pizza. It was warm, cheesy goodness with enough veggies to make you feel a little less guilty for eating it. A groan left my mouth as I chewed.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all day,” Amelie voiced the sentiment I had already been thinking. “I even found the dark chocolate candies we can never find!”
“You did good, girl,” I appraised. I grabbed the red wine that had been waiting for me and took a slow sip. My least favorite couple were currently being documented, they always started pointless drama. This time, she was upset at him not cheering her on when the whole group played volleyball on the beach...they were on opposing teams. “What do you say I just wife you up instead of trying to find a man? Marcus might back off if you’re legally taken.”
A snort-filled laugh erupted from my best friend. “Yeah,” she sniffled trying to compose herself, “I don’t think that would be enough to stop him. He knows we’re just friends. Besides, you are going to find someone. Don’t worry too much about it! It always takes time to find the good ones.”
“Ugh,” I sighed, “I’m so over waiting. I just wanna enjoy my twenties with my best friend and it would be great to have a hot guy, too.”
“Marrying your best friend isn’t going to help you find a guy. Besides, I think I have a solution.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please tell me it isn’t another blind date.”
“Not exactly,” she set down her glass as she turned to me. “Wither Rowe is collaborating with some local matchmaker and half the restaurant is going to be reserved for a speed dating event.”
“Speed dating?” I asked.
“Yeah!” Her face lit up with excitement. “One side moves table to table, you chat a few minutes, then once the time is up, you move on.”
“And you think instead of going on one blind date, I should go on several mini blind dates?”
“It’s not like that. Think of it as a sample date, like this,” she pointed at the various snacks on our table. “If you like them, exchange numbers and go on a real date. If it’s a hard pass, you both move on and you don’t have to interact any more. Low expectations, the pool is a little bigger, and your best friend is going to be there if you need her. It’s tomorrow night.”
Not even twenty-four hour notice, very Amelie to bring something like this up last minute. I wasn’t too sure about speed dating. On one hand, it would be nice that the flow constantly moved. On the other, it sounded like more opportunities for rejection.
“I’m not sure if I can.”
“Just think about it, please? Even if it’s just to try it while having one of Martha’s special cocktails. What’s the worst that could happen?”
A lot could happen. Someone could be openly disgusted with me, speak to me like a child, or just a terrible person. Worst case, they were charming and I fell hard once again only to be ignored.
“I’ll think about it,” I promised, bringing my attention back to the show.
“Thank you,” Amelie stuffed a handful of chocolate in her mouth. She watched the show with little interest other than laughing at how ridiculous that cast could be. “You’ve gotta stop living life like you’re the monster banished to the closet. All I want is your happiness and for you to get your power back.”
“I know,” I said. She had a point. I needed to get control of my life and my feelings. Bringing myself down constantly would never get me anywhere in life, but I still felt the call to bury myself in my bed and never step outside our haven’s doors again.
We vegged out on the couch for the rest of the night until Amelie trudged off to bed. The early start to her work day called to her like a cruel promise. As I snuggled into my sheets, Mysti tightly curled against my arm, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever be ready.
Loneliness felt safe.
