Cake Toppers | ✔

t e n

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"Love is doing the hard things, for the greater feeling" - Unknown

    -A month and a Half later-

    I sat in my same old office staring at the endless amount of emails I felt I always had. Ever since the article had come out about ‘New York Bridal Shop Owners’ I’ve had emails from clients either confused, worried, or defending our business. I shut the computer down. My eyes were going to fall out of my head if I didn’t head home and get some rest soon. There was a slight knock on the door. Laying my head down on the desk I let out a sigh before slumping back up in my chair.

    “Come in.” The words sounded slightly defeated. It had been a long day but it was still early in the morning, honestly it had been a long month. From terrible dates, to disastrous customers, and plenty of weddings. The door slightly opened, a head peeking in through the crack. I turned to see who needed my attention.

    “What are you doing in here all alone?” Clara opened the door deciding it was safe. She shimmied through the room before taking a seat on the long sofa. I leaned my head against my hand, resting my elbow on the table.

    “Trying to get some emails answered and some bills paid.” I rolled my eyes, not out of annoyance but more of a shrug. The last month had felt like a routine. I had gone on dates with these boys from Tinder. Dates that seemed like every other date I had been on. Plenty of hoe hoppers and night walkers.  I wasn’t getting anywhere with any of these guys. I hadn’t even gotten passed a first date. “Do you think i’m being too picky?” I blurted out.

    “Umm, always?” Clara shrugged her shoulders while throwing her hands in the air. She obviously had no clue what I was talking about. Realizing I hadn’t given her enough information I figured I should probably explain to her my thought process.

    “All these dates I’ve been going on, none of them have worked out. They’ve all been worse than the last. I haven’t been able to have any fun on any of them. Am I just being too picky?” The words fell out of my  mouth and as soon as they had I felt like I was just begging for confirmation that it wasn’t me. That everybody else was the problem.  Clara stood up walking around the office. She grabbed a few bills out of the organizer on my desk. Looking through them she gently placed them back.

    “Seriously?” She questioned taking her seat again. I nodded my head almost too eagerly. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something before quickly closing it again. Kicking her shoes off she laid back on the couch.

    “Yes, i’m being serious. I mean I haven’t been on a date worse than my date with Stephen, but they definitely haven’t been good. That one guy didn’t even show up.” I thought back to all the dates I had been on in this last six weeks.

    There was the business salesperson who didn’t stop talking the entire night about how great the stock market is in Nebraska right now. There was the guy who just simply didn’t show up. The guy who ended up bringing his sister because he didn’t have a ride to the restaurant and he wasn’t sure she would come back to pick  him up if she left. I couldn’t forget about the gym junkie either, he had dumped like a gallon worth of protein mix into his water at dinner. That was before the protein shake he made on the table.

    “You’ve only been on four dates Erin. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will a relationship.”

    “That’s literally the idea of dating apps,” I chuckled to myself for a second. “They are all about just meeting these guys and hooking up. There’s no relationship or love. There is definitely no bonding and getting to know a person.” I pulled at my shirt. My nervous tendencies were starting to show.