'Til There Was You - Jerry Cole Page 0,2

in his seat, head down and looking away as Freddy and his baboon partner waltzed on by, hands entangled in one another's. He then snuck out behind them, keeping his distancer as they exited the cinema. And then, despite himself, he followed them some more... and some more... and some more, all the way to Freddy’s apartment.

What the heck was he doing?! It was a question that could be applied to both Austin and Freddy. As to Austin... he had no idea. He stood on the side of the road, staring up at the window he knew to be Freddy’s bedroom. It was dark by now, so he could stand out openly, watching as the light flicked on inside and the outlines of the two men walked to and fro.

And as to what Freddy was doing? Another minute of standing and watching painted a pretty clear picture for Austin. He and his new man moved into one another like hyena’s fighting over a carcass. Their bodies interloped and became one. Limbs went everywhere. A lamp tipped over –Austin's favorite lamp, FYI. And then they were gone... or laying down... or moving into another room. Or... or... or... regardless of what they were doing, they were together and having a very, very good time.

Austin would be embarrassed to admit to himself just how long he stood on the side of the road for, staring up at that apartment window. Five minutes? Twenty? An hour? Really, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Austin’s life was over. His heart was broken, his self-esteem was shattered, and neither would be repaired any time soon. If it weren’t for the fact that it was physically impossible to do so, he would have happily sunk into the ground right then and there, never to return. One could only dream.

Chapter Two

“... it’s Connor. Like Jim Connor, but without the E-2000 trying to kill me.” Finn chuckled nervously as his perfect Exterminator 2 reference fell flat. “I used to joke that Jim Connor was my second cousin or... or something.”

“I’m sorry, the E-2000?” Finn’s round-faced date, Anthony, scrunched his brow in apparent confusion. “I don’t know what that is?” He indicated for Finn to explain himself further.

"It’s from Exterminator 2,” Finn explained. Anthony blinked stupidly. “Surely... you’ve seen Exterminator 2?”

“Can’t say I have. I’m not really into film – Oh, but theater! I die for theater. I forget, did I tell you about New York last year – tell me I told you about Broadway!” Anthony’s pudgy face swelled with excitement as Finn shook his head. The man looked ready to explode. “Oh! I have to tell you! It was July last year – I remember it being July, because it was as hot as the Devil’s asshole. I swear to God, I went through three pairs of...”

The date had been going for exactly two minutes and thirty-five seconds, and already, Finn was pretty damn certain that it was going to be a dud.

It started when Finn first spotted Anthony... or at least he thought he did. They were meeting for drinks at a small speakeasy called Button Bar. It had a saloon like feel to it that reminded Finn of something you might see in an old Western. It was perfect for first dates and almost never missed. Almost.

The short and simple of it was that Anthony just didn’t look like his pictures on Datematch. The Anthony that Finn had matched with looked like he’d spent his entire life, from birth to right now, doing nothing but sit-ups and pull-ups all day long. He’d also looked cool. And interesting. And unique. And like a good time. And like someone that Finn might actually connect with. So, Finn asked him out without hesitation.

That was just how Finn was too. He hated small talk, especially on dating apps. If he matched with someone that he liked the look of, he’d just ask them straight to a drink. They almost always said yes... and even more often than that, truthfully. And then Finn could get to know them in person, off the app. If they didn’t vibe, so be it. At least he’d have someone good to look at, and quite possibly make a few bad decisions with.

But for that to have been the case, they had to actually look like their profiles. It was safe to say that Anthony failed in this department. And then some! First of all, he was shorter than he had made himself