“His name was Alejandro, and no, it did not go well.”
We order our food. She gets a rice bowl with steak and curried sweet potatoes and I get a lemon kale salad with roasted beats, walnuts, and goat cheese.
“So what happened?” I ask, glass of wine in hand. “Did he try to get in your pants too fast?”
“We didn’t even make it that far.”
I hold up my hands, waiting for the big reveal. “Well?!”
She lets out a dramatic sigh. “He moans while he kisses.”
I stop. “Wait… he does what?”
“Like, full-blown sex noises while kissing. And not even making out—just a five second goodnight kiss. After that weirdness, it wasn’t just goodnight. It was good riddance. Which brings me to Duo!”
I regret the question before I even ask it. “And—I can’t believe I’m playing along with this—what, pray tell, is Duo?”
“It’s a new extension of the Hooked dating app where you can go on double dates with friends!”
I blink. “Why can’t you just go on a double date with friends? The normal way? You know, like I set you up on a blind date and?—”
“Let me stop you right there.” Electra sticks up a hand. “Are you currently dating anyone?”
“Well… no.”
“And do you know anyone you could hook me up with?”
“Also, no.”
“I rest my case. This is why we need Duo! The app that links friends and then finds dates for them to go out with! Isn’t that brilliant?”
“Are you getting paid to say this?” I ask exhaustedly.
“No, but we could be gettinglaidto say this!” she retorts with a fierce grin.
Our food comes and I take a bite. I need nourishment before we go any further into Electra’s La La Land.
“I know this might sound a little crazy, but why not try meeting someone organically. Like, in person. A bar, a gym, a pottery class?”
Electra’s nose crinkles in disgust and she nearly chokes on her wine. “You mean meet a man in the wild?! You’re right. Thatiscrazy. Duo takes out all the guesswork. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Oh, I don’t know, you end up on a date with someone from the mafia?” I snort.
Electra gives me the eyeroll of the century. “This is real life, Amara.Myreal life, specifically! And yours, too.”
This time, I am the one choking. “Wait, wait, wait. Leave my dating life out of it. I don’t want to go on a double date with two creeps some AI algorithm picked out for us!”
“Why not? You said you aren’t seeing anyone.”
I brush my hair back, looking at my food, at my feet, at the ceiling, anywhere but at her. “I’m not.”
“Hold on… Are you interested in someone?”
“Like who?” I snap too quickly. “I mean, no. Of course not. I’m at work all the time—who would I be fawning over?”
My best friend studies me for a moment and I swear my heart full blown stops. After a long second, she defibrillates my heart again by moving on. “Listen, I will take the guesswork out for you. I already created a profile for you?—”
“Electra!”
