the list.
While I contemplate just being honest with her and avoiding this whole find-a-boyfriend and help-plan-a-stupid-high-school-reunion fiasco, I roll through my usual social media stops.
Instagram. Twitter. Facebook.
I scroll through what feels like a thousand pictures of my sister Kate and her fiancé Zach and my old high school classmates smiling in cheesy photos with their significant others, and uninvited dread and annoyance form a fucking alliance and carve out a hole in my stomach.
It feels like everyone is in a relationship. Or engaged. Or married.
Everyone besides me.
Why does this bother me so much?
I don’t know. But it does.
Before I know it, I’m Googling things like “Best Online Date Apps for NYC Singles.” And it doesn’t take long before I’m downloading a stupid dating app onto my phone.
Fucking hell. What has my life become?
Pathetic. Your life is pathetic.
I roll my eyes at my annoying thoughts but carry on with the insanity and scroll through the saved photos on my phone in search of the best picture to use for my brand-new profile.
A few minutes later, I have it narrowed down to a couple pictures, but the sound of keys jingling in the lock of my front door stops me from deciding on the winner. By the time I look up from the screen of my phone, Luke is already walking into my apartment.
“Hey there, sleeping beauty,” he says with a smirk as he shuts the door behind himself and tosses my keys onto the table beside my coatrack. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be up this early. How are you feeling?”
I ignore his question completely and get straight to the point. “I’m sorry I’m an asshole.”
“You’re not an asshole,” he says with a smile. “You’re a Fantana.” He waggles his eyebrows when he says the word correctly, and I almost laugh.
The guilt of the position I put him in wins out, though, and a heavy sigh brings my face back to contrite.
He shakes his head and runs a hand through his messy but stylish dark hair. “Let me guess. You already talked to Desi and Claire.”
“Yeah.” I nod.
“It’s no big deal, Ava.” He waves me off with a casual gesture of his arm and walks toward the couch, sitting down beside me.
“You almost got in a fight.” I narrow my eyes at him and shove his shoulder with my hand. “That sounds like a big deal, Luke. If you’d gotten arrested, it could’ve ruined every-fucking-thing.”
“Ava, it’s fine. Stop freaking out about it,” he retorts. “I didn’t even come close to fighting the guy, I didn’t get arrested, and now, it’s over. I imagine it’ll be another fifteen years or so before I have to save you on Halloween again, and I’ll likely have achieved all I need to with NASA by that point,” he teases.
“It’s not funny!”
“Sure it is,” he contests. “The guy got pissed when he realized I wasn’t going to let him get into your panties—because you were way too drunk to even know what the hell was happening—and I set him straight. The end.”
“Jesus,” I say, sinking my head into my hands. “I’m sorry I got so fucked up last night.”
“Like I said, it’s no big deal.” He reaches out to pat his hand on my thigh. “Water under the bridge. Or should I say, Fanta under the bridge?”
“Smartass.” I snort and nudge him gently with my shoulder. “Even though you probably shouldn’t have, thanks for coming to my rescue. Lord knows, I would’ve felt like dying if I’d woken up in some random dude’s apartment.”
“Yeah, I figured you didn’t want that.” He smirks, and his eyes make their way to the screen of my phone. “TapNext?” he questions, his mind switching focus. “Why are you on a hookup site?”
“Dating site,” I correct him, but he doesn’t hesitate to disagree.
“That most people use as a hookup site.”
“Well, I don’t have a lot of options,” I sass back. “I need to find a date to bring to my stupid high school reunion, and I’m running out of time.”
“You’re seriously going to go through with the planning circus?” he asks, and I nod.
“Yes.”
“Christ,” he mutters. “And you think you’re going to find a boyfriend to bring home for the holidays on TapNext?”
“What? You think I should choose Match.com?” I retort. “Courtney has been trying to find someone for, like, three freaking years now, Luke. You know I don’t have that kind of time.”
“I don’t think you should choose any of them, Ace,” he responds and wraps his arm around my