CHLOE BAKER'S LOST DATE

Chapter Thirty-Five: Dinner with a Twist

"That's before I saw you and Ben together."

"Just because he passed your weird test doesn't mean he's a good guy."

"Are you done?"

"No. He was with his last girlfriend for ten years, off and on, he hasn't told his mother about me, he wouldn't give me his phone number, he called my boss to try get my job back—"

"What an asshole."

"It was super invasive."

"He was trying to help you."

"I don't need his help. He's the reason I'm in trouble in the first place."

"He sent an email to your entire company with porny movie titles in it?"

"Well, no, but—"

"He wrote that list for you?"

"Obviously, no, but—"

"It's his fault you didn't ask your boss if you could run that 'missing' campaign?"

"Are you done?"

"What do you want from me, Chloe?"

"I want you to support my decision."

"Even if I don't agree with it?"

"Yeah."

"That's not what friends do."

"Sure, it is."

"I'm sorry, Chloe, but no. Yeah, this relationship is messy. I'll give you that. And I get that you think it should be easier than this. But that's not how life works. There isn't some magical creature looking out for us up there, you know? If you meet someone you connect with, then you should hold onto that person because that might never happen again."

"Jesus."

"It's true. Look how long it took me to find John."

"You're not that old."

"He's my first serious boyfriend, though. I'm not like you, Chloe. I've never had two guys trying to date me at the same time."

"Neither have I."

"But you've always been with someone. The whole time I've known you. The only time you've been single is after you moved to New York. And then, the very first date you go on, you end with two guys."

"That's not how it—"

"Just listen to me, okay? I know who I am, and I'm okay with it. I never minded being the third wheel. I'm glad Lianne was looking out for me and helped me find John. But you've never had that problem. When you're alone, it's because you choose to be, not because it's forced on you. So you don't really know what it's like. And somewhere in the back of your brain, I know you're thinking you'll just meet someone else. Someone less complicated. But what if you don't?"

"Then I'm alone forever, I guess. But I'm not even thirty. I have plenty of time to find someone else."

"You think there are so many people out there who will take you as you are?"

"I'm so difficult to love?"

"That's not what I meant."

"What then?"

"Just that Ben doesn't seem to care about any of that stuff. He's a relationship guy and he wants to be in a relationship with you. This town ... There aren't that many guys like that."

I remember all the dating stories Kit used to tell me before she met John. The guys who seemed into her and then would just ghost. The guys who did weird things on their first dates. The guys who looked nothing like their profile pictures. The guys who made it clear that they weren't looking for a wife or even a girlfriend but just for a good time.