“You don’t have to give me anything. A rich couple hired me to shoot their wedding photos, and they offered me a lot of money.”
Mazi is an extremely talented freelance photographer. She started gaining popularity a few months ago, after a famous influencer hired her for an engagement shoot.
She places her hands on my shoulders. “You’re already miserable at Dauntless, and now you have to see that asshole. What kind of best friend would I be if I let you stay in a situation that causes you harm?”
If the roles were reversed, I would’ve done the same thing for her in a heartbeat. As much as I dread seeing Maddox again, I can’t allow Mazi to let me live here rent-free. She’s already covering most of the bills and other expenses, like groceries, herself.
I shake my head. “I don’t feel right freeloading off of you, Mazi.”
“You can pay me back by cooking me your delicious meals.” She bumps her shoulder into mine, smiling. “It’ll only be temporary until you can find another job.”
“It was already hard for me to get a job at Dauntless. I don’t have any other options. Plus, it would look bad on my resume if I quit after a month.” I grab a box of Kleenex and blow my nose. “Hopefully he won’t be there for too long, since it’s just a collaboration. I’ll just have to suck it up.”
Mazi sighs, knowing she won’t win this argument. “Well, ifhe ever does anything to upset you, best believe I’ll drop everything I’m doing and kick his ass.”
I laugh, even though she is being dead serious.
“Anyways, enough about that piece of shit. Has anyone else on SwipeMates piqued your interest?”
SwipeMates is an app designed for users to find their “soulmates,” but so far I’ve had no luck.
“No. I haven’t been on it since the last date went so horribly.”
The last guy I matched with took me to a cheap buffet that cost ten dollars per person. I wish I had left after dinner, but he suggested we watch a movie I’d been wanting to see.
When we got to the ticket booth, he said, “Since I paid for dinner, you got this, right?” I felt too awkward to say no, so I ended up paying for the tickets—which ended up costing more than dinner.
“Oh, yeah. That guy was such a weirdo,” Mazi says, making a face.
“He actually thought it went well because he texted me the other week asking for a second date.”
“The only date he’s gonna have for a while is with his right hand.” Mazi snickers.
I shake with laughter, my mood slowly lifting.
“By the way, when’s the last time you got laid?”
“I don’t know. Like, seven months ago?”
“Seven months ago?” She blinks twice, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Girl, how are you functioning? It must be dryer than the Sahara Desert down there.”
I roll my eyes while she cracks up at her own joke.
Unlike Mazi, I don’t particularly enjoy having casual, meaningless sex. Over the years I’ve been single, I’ve slept with a few men, but it always left me feeling unfulfilled. And I don’t mean that in the sense that they couldn’t satisfy my needs—although some couldn’t. I just felt empty after the encounters. I craved adeep emotional connection, which was something I would never find in these casual hookups.
A new text buzzes on Mazi’s phone, and she unlocks it to read it.
“Serena says she needs a break from studying for her boards. She wants to meet up at Lush Lounge later.”
A couple of months ago, Mazi met Serena Trinh when she hired her to take graduation photos. They hit it off during the session and have been friends ever since. Mazi usually has trouble making new friends, but I can see why she liked Serena. She has a warm, inviting energy and is easy to talk to.
Since I returned to San Francisco, I’ve hung out with both her and Mazi several times. Currently, Serena works as a nursing assistant at Greenwich Memorial. She’s studying for her NCLEX exam to obtain her license as a registered nurse.
“I think I’m gonna sit this one out.” I stretch my legs out on our sectional, throwing a blanket over my body.
“No, you’re not!” Mazi yanks the blanket from me. “I’m not gonna let you stay home and get high.”
“I don’t wanna go anywhere right now. I just wanna stay here and sulk.”
