Beautiful disaster (completed)

Chapter 3 - The Blind Date

"What did you just say? A blind date?" I asked in disbelief when Maya told me to go on a blind date. 

Maya, my roommate and self-proclaimed matchmaker, was convinced that I needed to find love. Her latest obsession was Dev, a colleague of mine whom I had only interacted with in passing.  She believed he held the key to my happiness, that he could bring me the love and joy I had been missing. I couldn't understand why she felt the need to interfere with my personal life. I was content with our friendship, and I didn't want to complicate things by adding romance into the mix.

"I think you should go on a date with Dev," Maya repeated, her eyes sparkling with mischief. " You've been cooped up in this apartment for too long, and it's time for you to meet someone new."

"But Maya, we're just friends! " I protested. "We have a great working relationship, but that's all there is to it. I don't want to complicate things by dating someone from the office. Plus I'm not interested in dating right now and perfectly content with my work and my own company." 

My job required me to interact with colleagues over work calls, and though we never met in person, I became friends with Dev. He was an easygoing and fun person to talk to, and I found solace in our conversations during the long, lonely hours of working from home. We would discuss our favorite movies, share funny memes, and even vent about our frustrating work experiences. He was the only friend I had after Maya, It was refreshing to have someone to rely on in the virtual world. And I thought it was harmless. But now Maya was suggesting something I never saw coming.

"I made a mistake. A big, big mistake," I muttered to myself. I thought telling Maya about my friendship with Dev would make her happy, but instead, it seemed to have sent her mind spiraling down the wrong track. She saw an opportunity, a chance for me to move on from my past and find happiness. But I wasn't ready. I wasn't sure if I would ever be ready.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! A girl and a guy can be friends, but there's always a possibility for something more. You never know until you try. You can't say no now. You promised me to do what I say in return for your favorite concert tickets. You know how hard it was to arrange," Maya said, her voice tinged with a mix of excitement and determination.

I sighed, feeling trapped by my own words. Maya had always been the persuasive type, but this time, she had truly outdone herself. The concert ticket was my most prized possession, and she knew it. I had foolishly made a promise, never thought she would use it against me like this.

"I'm perfectly fine on my own," I said, trying to reassure her. "I don't want to date anyone at this point in time."

Maya sighed, her expression softening slightly. "I just want you to be happy, you know? I worry about you."

I sighed, staring at Maya as she continued to ramble on about my nonexistent love life. Her concern was genuine, I knew that, but her idea of happiness didn't align with mine. I had tried to explain to her countless times that I didn't want to date anyone at this point in time, but my words fell on deaf ears.

"I know, Maya, and I appreciate that," I replied, my voice tinged with frustration. "But happiness comes from within, not from blindly following societal expectations." I couldn't help but think of Kat Stratford from "10 Things I Hate About You". 

Maya rolled her eyes, clearly not impressed with my attempt at channeling Kat Stratford. "Okay, miss Stratford, but maybe a little companionship wouldn't hurt," she retorted.

"Fine, let's say I agree to this blind date. What's the plan?" I asked, reluctantly entertaining the idea. " don't get your hopes up, Maya. I'm doing this for you, not because I want to."