He frowns, and it’s so damn tempting to tell him it takes more effort to frown than to smile. “I don’t sound like that, and I was being sarcastic because I didn’t think you were serious.”
“You shouldn’t be such a cynic about love,” I suggest, and he drags a hand over his face.
“Dating apps are not where you find love. They’re where people go to find fuck buddies, which is exactly why I got a text from some chick who wanted to know why I didn’t reply to hermessage,” he says, and I have to admit, this is a scenario I hadn’t considered. I open the door the rest of the way, fully prepared to argue my case.
“Not everyone on dating apps is there to find a fuck buddy. Maybe they have social anxiety, or they’re intimidated by your fan club. We picked out some really nice girls, and I think that if you give them a chance, you’ll learn I’m right.” I tilt my head, trying to read his body language. “How mad are you?”
Jack sighs, but I think I’m starting to win him over on the idea.
“I’m not mad, but I wish you asked first,” he says, shaking his head. “So how many girls am I talking to?”
“A few,” I answer, keeping it vague on purpose. Ellie and I agreed we shouldn’t tell him how every single girl we swiped right on ended up matching with him, because it would inflate his ego to dangerous levels.
“Dinner’s ready,” Coop calls from down the hall, and Jack holds his phone out to me.
“Sign me in on the app so I can figure out what kind of damage control I need to do.”
I download the app and try to remember the password while I follow Jack to the kitchen. Ellie’s sitting at the counter with her blonde hair piled on her head, and the tie of her teal swimsuit hanging out of the top of her shirt. Honestly, I think she had the right idea coming over to use their hot tub.
Nate’s getting out plates and silverware when Dylan shuts the back door behind him.
“Hey, Jack,” she says, giving him a hesitant smile, and Jack snorts.
“So, Eleanor, how much of this are you responsible for?” he asks, and I pass the phone to him. It’s tempting to hide in the bathroom again once he starts scrolling.
“Um, I plead the fifth?” Ellie says, and I cough to hide my laugh.
“What did I miss?” Nate asks, the corners of his mouth turning upward.
“The girls signed Jack up for a dating app without him knowing,” Dylan says, and Nate’s smile turns into a grin as he gives us both a thumbs up.
“Is it a good idea for you to live together?” Coop asks, and I carefully take my seat from earlier, packing up our things since I have a feeling we won’t be studying after Jack reads through everything.
“Well, you stuck your dick in my last roommate, and Al’s not cutting out pictures of any of you to use in a scrapbook of your future wedding, so I’d say it’s a good idea,” Ellie says, flashing a sweet smile at her brother.
Coop’s neck flushes a bright crimson, and he doesn’t say anything else.
“Save a horse, date a hockey player instead? Who came up with this shit?” Jack scoffs, and I snicker as Dylan and Coop roar with laughter.
“It would have been better if you had a picture of you riding a horse,” I add, and his mouth parts as he looks at me.
“That’s why you wanted a picture of me with a horse?”
“That’s an option?” Ellie chimes in, and Jack looks back down at the screen.
“This is fucking awesome,” Dylan says, moving to help Coop by getting plates and forks out for everyone. I’m impressed they’re capable of making actual meals, considering Bradley and his roommates lived off premade dinners. My stomach rumbles as Coop turns off the burners, and I’ll be happy if it tastes even half as good as it smells.
Between Ellie, Macy, and me, we’re decent at cooking, but I’m excited for any meal I didn’t have to make myself.
“Will you be the yee to my haw?Are you fucking kidding me?” Jack drops the phone on the table, pinching the bridge of his nose, and I do feel a little bad, but not bad enough to take any of it back. Dylan makes a move for the phone, grabbing it before Jack can react.
In my defense, Macy was responsible for that one.
“While the execution is flawless, you didn’t need to sign him up for a dating app. Jack gets harassed more than the rest of us by puck bunnies when we go anywhere other than Twin City,” Nate says, and I roll my eyes.
“You’re proving our point exactly. We were trying to find him someone he could date, not just hook up with,” I say, and Dylan’s smile is wide as he scrolls on the phone.
“This is gold. Schultz, did you see how many matches you have?” he says, shaking his head before reading a few of them out loud. “If I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put ‘U’ and ‘I’ together. If you were words on a page, you’d be fine print. Do you have a name, or can I call you mine?I can’t believe any of these worked for you guys,” Dylan says, and maybe we took it a little far with some of the messages, but they did work.
