“Gabe,” he mutters when he sees me.
“Did something bad happen to Syd?” I demand, desperate to understand what’s going on, and furious at the thought of anything upsetting her. “Was someone rude or unpleasant to her?”
Marcel rests his forearms on the counter and looks me in the eye. He’s one of the few people who’s not afraid to do that, because he’s known me since I was a kid. “Nothing happened,” he says. “Except that she sat there for an hour looking miserable and lonely.” He shakes his head. “You’re a good guy, but I’m sick of seeing her wait on you. A girl like that should be cherished.”
Cherished? Yeah, she fucking should be. But not by me.
“We’re not a couple.”
Marcel raises a brow. “If you want it to stay that way, you’re going about things right.”
2
Sydney
During the Uber ride home from the hospital the next day, I call Lena.
“Girl,” I say when she answers. “You, me, wine, and internet dating. My place, in an hour. Interested?”
She laughs. “Provided the internet dating part of that equation is for you and not me, I’m totally in.”
I grin. “Like I’d suggest anything else. We both know Jase would tear apart any guy stupid enough to hit on you.” Something I try not to be bitter about, but deep down, I want a guy who loves me with that level of ferocity.
“He absolutely would.” She sighs dreamily, and I wonder what it says about me that I also envy the fact that everything Jase says and does turns her on. I want a man to press all of my buttons like that—a man who isn’t Gabriel Mendoza. “Need me to bring anything?”
I take a moment to reply, mentally running through the contents of my pantry. “Do you have any fancy cheese? I feel like it’s a wine and cheese type of night.”
“If I don’t, I’ll get some from a deli on the way over. See you soon.” She hangs up, and shortly after, the Uber arrives at my apartment building. I take the stairs to the fourth floor—my exercise for the day—and let myself in. My apartment is modest, with one bedroom, a cramped bathroom, and an open concept area that serves as kitchen, dining and living room combined, but it’s the best I can afford considering my hefty student debt. Gabe has offered to pay off my loans a time or two, but I can’t let him do that. It would tip the balance of power between us. We’ve always been equals in our friendship, and I don’t want that to change. Besides, I’m content where I am. My place is warm and cozy. I’ve done my best to make it homey over the years, and all that’s missing is a person to snuggle on the sofa with me at the end of a long shift.
I change into pajamas, then let my hair down, and sit while I rub my sore feet. Standing all day really takes a toll on them. Once they’re feeling marginally better, I head for the kitchen and put a pizza in the oven. Some days I’m a health nut—it’s hard not to be when, as a surgical resident, I see what happens to people with unhealthy lifestyles every day—but right now, I need comfort food.
By the time Lena arrives, I’ve eaten a couple of slices of pizza, poured us both glasses of wine, and connected my laptop to the television screen, so we have a clear view of the Match-Me homepage. I’ve created an account, and now it’s just waiting for me to input information into my profile. Hearing a knock, I go to the door to let her in.
“Hey, Lee.” She’s carrying a cheese board to go with the deli bag tucked beneath her arm.
“Hi, Syd.” She leans over the board and kisses my cheek. I kiss hers in response.
“I have us all set up in the living room,” I say. “Let me take that.”
She holds the board out of reach. “Oh, no you don’t. You make a start on the wine and I’ll just be a moment.”
“If you insist.” Winking, I go to the sofa and sip wine until she joins me and places the cheeses and a selection of crackers on the coffee table.
“Match-Me,” she says, looking up at the screen. “Good choice. Not too stuffy, not too sleazy.” She nibbles on a piece of cheese with some kind of seeds or spice in it. “So, you’re actually doing this?”
“Did you think I wasn’t serious?” That’s kind of insulting. “I want a partner. Like what you have with Jase.”
She shrugs. “I thought Gabe would get his head out of his ass and officially ask you out. It’s obvious he cares for you.”
Stuffing a piece of cheese in my mouth, I make an effort not to say the first sarcastic thing that comes to mind. “Someone who cared about me wouldn’t let me sit alone at a diner for an hour without so much as a text.”
She winces. “He’s easily distracted. They all are. You know that. But especially with the Ruby Knuckles final happening soon.”
“I know,” I agree, loading up a cracker with camembert. “MMA comes first, and it always will until he’s proved whatever it is that he thinks he needs to. God knows how long that will take—if he ever gets there. After the Ruby Knuckles, it’ll be something else. Tomas has big dreams for him, which is why I’ve decided to stop waiting.”
“Fair enough.” She winds an arm around my waist and hugs me. “You deserve to be happy, and you shouldn’t accept anything less than what you want. So, let’s put your best foot forward.” Letting me go, she turns her attention to the empty profile. “Describe yourself,” she murmurs. “Hmm. Too easy.” She taps away on the keyboard. “Super smart surgeon-in-training with curves for days and the best laugh ever.”
I swat at her. “You can’t put that!”
