Mom
I don’t know. Maybe gas money?
I drag a hand down my face.
Caleb
I’m good, Mom.
I toss my phone onto my couch and groan out loud. When it dings again, I nearly throw it across the room, but when I pick it up, I see it’s from Malia, not my mom.
Malia
Gonna confess that your urgent message was actually from your LetsEat driver bringing your dinner?
I let out a laugh.
Caleb
I wish. From my mom. *Actual* urgent questions about my date’s food preferences for my sister’s wedding …
Malia
Urgent indeed.
Did you consider going solo?
Caleb
Not an option. My mother will introduce me, and hand out my number, to every woman there with a healthy 401k.
And there will be plenty of those. I need to take a date to save myself.
Malia
You never know. One of those girl-power CEOs could be your MFEO.
Caleb
Uhh…
Malia
Someday Caleb, we need to rectify your sad lack of knowledge of ’90s and 2000s era classic romcoms.
Caleb
Why?
Malia
I’m positive it will help in the date department.
MFEO. Made for each other.
And that’s when it hits me. Malia would be the perfect date. She lives in Houston; that’s actually how we ended up playingShadow Heroestogether on the same team. She posted in a forum we’re both in asking about housing in Houston since she was relocating for her job. We ended up in a conversation that included finding out we were bothShadow Heroesfans.
Besides, I know we get along. We’ve had tons of gaming missions and texts to show that. And I’m 98% sure she’s not aguy catfishing me. She’s got a top-notch voice modulator if she’s a guy.
