In Five Years

I've always had an awful taste in men. It started in ninth grade when Jimmy Erland ended up behind the curtain in the drama room kissing Erin Wise. Then there was Ray Walter who got drunk, pushed me into a wall. Everyone I thought was great were actually awful but I only saw after the break up.

Then's Aiden Wright. Aiden wasn't perfect. His nose was slightly crooked because of a break when he was younger that made it whistle slightly while he slept. He clicked his teeth utensils when he was thinking. Most frustratingly, if he was upset about anything he'd go silent until he decided he wasn't upset anymore.

While not perfect, Aiden was the nicest guy I've dated. He loved my blueberry muffins and would have one every morning if he could. He adored my dog and would walk her if he was over. His smile could light up a room. But most importantly, he would tell me he loved me, not expecting anything in return. He'd kiss my cheek and say it in this soft, loving tone that I'll never forget.

I met him at a social event for a tech company. I had on this nice knee-length black dress with a high neckline and an uncomfortable pair of short heels. The room was filled with men and maybe three other women. I had a drink in my hand that I took one sip of, decided it was disgusting, and held onto it for the sake of holding onto something.

"You look uncomfortable." Was the first thing he said to me. I hadn't noticed him walk up next to me, surprisingly considering his dress shoes and larger frame. He smiled down at me with the edges of his brown eyes crinkling. He held out his hand that wasn't holding his glass.

"Aiden Wright, previous full stack developer with Mio. Quit, not fired." I was surprised by the company name. To quit one of the leading IT companies seemed insane when I was just getting into industry.

"Warren Xilia, but please call me Ren. Currently one year out of being a front end developer at... hopefully a good company around here." I laughed awkwardly, shaking his hand.

"Well Ren, you've come to the right place. You see that man right over there?" He asked, pointing to one of the middle aged white men. I nodded.

"Tanner Filo, IT support manager at Pyro Industries. Over there? Lead developer for Mio's app. Then you have the mobile developer for Pyro, lead developer for Little Nook, you get my point." He took a sip of his drink before smiling once more. It probably wasn't too hard to tell how overwhelmed I felt. I knew if I didn't make a good first impression, I could kiss a job in industry for that town goodbye.

"Deep breaths. Why don't you tell me about yourself? Why front end? What are your hobbies? Where do you see yourself in five years?"

"Well, I'm twenty two, I have a dog named Koda, and... I like baking. I enjoy front-end development because I've always had a nac for designing and making things look clean. I can do back end too but I enjoy front-end more. In five years..." I stopped to think. It's such a big question. Nobody knows where they're actually going to be in five years and guessing just feels like you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

"I'd like to be working full time at a stable job that allows me to have a good work-life balance." And that's still my go to answer today. It's simple and let's them know that I value my personal life and my work life.

"And your personal life five years from now?" This time I smiled, hearing the hint between his words.

"A nice little house with a backyard for my dog to run around in and hopefully a long term boyfriend, if not more. Your turn." I took a sip of my drink just to do something with my arms and hid my disgust as it hit my tongue. Aiden triled his lips for a moment and clicked his tongue before answering.