he'll never be the one (a.i)

"how's about we give it the old college try?"

• C H A P T E R • T H R E E•

A week after bumping into her old flame, Noa is out at a bar with her roommates and their significant others. Noa being the fifth wheel is still a relatively new development. She had been with a long-term boyfriend until two months prior and is slowly getting back out there. These types of nights used to be predictable. Back when Nick was still in the picture—that was Noa's ex-boyfriend—the girls would leave their apartment, meet their significant others, and pretend that the larger group meshed well. Realistically, however, everyone except for Noa had always hated Nick; Alice, Noa's coworker-roommate-best friend, was usually with some guy she'd only been with for a couple of months tops that no one really enjoyed; and Hannah, Noa's other roommate and best friend who had been her roommate all throughout college, would be profusely apologizing to her girlfriend of over a year for having to deal with the crazy people she considered her dearest friends.

But things look a little differently now—for a multitude of reasons. Obviously, there is no longer a guy named Nick whom everyone has to pretend to get along with, and, in a surprising turn of events, Alice has met someone whom her best friends don't despise or feel uncomfortable being around.

Alice is currently talking to a guy named Brooks who is probably the biggest enigma of a person Noa has ever met. He's the one who had begged them all to come out despite the fact that he hardly drinks, hates being around too many people, and has never been one to make plans for the larger group. Noa and Hannah love Brooks. He's a breath of fresh air compared to Alice's ex-whatevers but the girls are constantly worried that Alice will eventually break Brooks' heart. Alice usually dates guys at least four years older than her who have never respected a woman in their life; Brooks—in total opposition—is a timid, inexperienced virgin-nerd who is exactly four months younger than Alice and worships the ground on which she walks. They met at a trivia night at the bookstore where Noa and Alice work; he knew the answer to one of Alice's favorite fun facts, and the rest is history.

Alice is genuinely enamored with Brooks, but going from having a constant partner who she primarily kept around for sexual pleasure to a guy who is more concerned about making a genuine connection before getting physically involved has been a big adjustment for Alice. Sometimes she views Brooks as a saving grace, other times she's particularly horny and cursing the universe for sending her a perfect man so early on in her twenties when she could be out having crazy sex with just about anyone else instead. But it's been a month and a half, and Brooks is still worth the wait.

Noa and Hannah pray he always will be.

"You know what?" As Noa's third vodka cran finally kicks in, she looks at all the familiar faces surrounding her as she slams her drink down on the table they're stationed at. "Tonight is the night."

"For?" Brooks asks through a quiet laugh; since Brooks never has more than one drink, he's usually highly amused at everyone else's actions. Though he also tends to feel obligated to be the one to keep an eye on everyone.

"I am having sex tonight, ladies and gent," Noa declares. "I am going to walk up to some lucky bachelor in here and shoot my shot."

"There's my Noa!" Alice cheers as she physically jumps up in excitement. "Can I help you choose?"

"No," says Noa as she wags a finger toward her friend. "The last time I let you help me pick out a hottie in one of these places, he broke my heart." Alice instantly covers her mouth and tries not to laugh; she doesn't find her best friend getting broken up with funny, of course, but she had forgotten that she was the one who sent Noa in Nick's direction. "I am going to get a drink, and I hope to not see any of you for the rest of the night."