Acing Romance

Nine

Ever since the fight with Rune, Sohal felt uneasy.

He was too much of a coward to message first, and it seemed like Rune was still mad at him. It felt like things had become so broken between them that there was nothing to salvage. But Sohal couldn't explain to himself why he missed Rune so much.

When his eyes caught on the familiar logo of the Fated app, Sohal knew what he needed to do. With his premium subscription, he could choose who he wanted to be paired with. Going on a date with someone new was the perfect way to get Rune off his mind.

Sohal laid back on his couch, his phone in his hand. He just came back from having a Fated employee verify his information, so his premium trial could begin, and he was excited to explore even more matches. It was like exploring a whole new world.

It was way more convenient to scroll through his phone instead of waiting for a match. Now, he could message whoever he wanted to try and get a feel for them first instead of feeling the pressure to make it perfect that came with being given matches.

A ping went off on his phone and he saw he got a message from a woman named Emily.

Hey.

He replied back quickly. Before he knew it, he was talking to Emily about random subjects and a small smile stretched on his face. She seemed to be more interested in other things than just sex since she didn't bring it up at all. If Sohal was lucky, maybe she would understand him. Better yet, she might be asexual, too.

His mind flickered back to Rune before he shook his head. Rune was wrong about Fated. There were good people on there if you looked hard enough for them.

〜

Things moved fast between Sohal and Emily, and before the day was over, the two agreed to meet up for dinner together. Sohal was starting to feel a real connection with her, so the fact she wanted to meet the same day didn't bother him at all.

Sohal approached the meeting spot. It was a restaurant on the pricier end of the spectrum, but the food was good, and it wasn't that often he treated himself. The area was supposed to be quiet and calming with plenty of beautiful scenery to look at.

At least that was how Emily described it.

Instead, Sohal found himself in a bustling street with tons of people walking everywhere. Fortunately, it wasn't too loud that he'd have trouble on his date.

"Sohal!" Emily called out to him from her seat at an outdoor table. "It's so good to see you! Come and sit. You'll have to forgive me for showing up early. I couldn't wait."

Sohal walked over to the table and took a seat across from his date.

"It's great to see you too, Emily," Sohal smiled.

"I've already gone ahead and ordered for us. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." Sohal looked down at the table and saw fries. Rune entered Sohal's mind as he thought back to the time they first met, but Sohal quickly waved the thought away.

Emily picked up a fry and she waved it around in the air. "Tell me more about yourself. I know we talked a bit on the app, but I still want to learn more about you."

"Well, everything you need to know is on my profile. What do you want to know?" Sohal didn't feel like eating but still nibbled a fry in hopes that his nerves would calm down.

She plopped another fry into her mouth. "So... how do you feel about marrying after the first date?"

"My parents did it but I'm not sure about it for myself. I want to make sure that I can really connect with the person I'm matched with."