Jerk

It’s in the morning after I’ve poured myself a cup of orange juice and taken my first bite of a cream-cheese-smeared bagel that my phone dings with a surprising notification.

Someone swiped right.

4. Swipe Right

“Yeah, okay, he is cute, but—”

I stop Prisha right there. “We have a lot in common, too.”

“But just because someone swipes right doesn’t mean—”

“Look, he’s into reading high-fantasy fiction, video games, Dungeons & Dragons, and loves watching anime. Literally no one that cute admits that in a dating profile if they’re just looking for a hookup.”

“You said that about your last date, and then he seemed a lot more interested in eating out your ass than rolling high dice on a fireball spell.”

Yes, I tell Prisha everything—even that. “I know, but this is different.”

“You always say that, too.” She kicks back the last of her beer, then slaps down her cup on the end table next to her. Dakota’s party started out loud and has only gotten louder. The apartment is crowded. We’ve found the only space we can breathe is in the corner of the room by the opened window, the sill of which I’m sitting on, with a clear view of the front door if we decide to bounce. “But the day after your date, which will inevitably turn out horribly, I know exactly what I’ll be doing. Consoling you. Drinking sparkling rosé with you. Looking for a Twilight marathon on TV.”

“Twilight mara—?”

“And as much as I love a nice rosé, my dear Rome, I’d rather be drinking one with you to celebrate something. Not to drown out your tears.”

“His last message to me was asking if I wanted to meet up for a movie. Should I say yes? I haven’t replied yet.”

She lets out a sigh. “Isn’t there anyone you’ve got your eye on who isn’t at the other end of a two-and-one-quarter-star-rated dating app?”

Just then, the apartment door opens with a new arrival to the party.

Danny.

I watch him through cracks in the crowd, my breath held. He greets someone, laughs at something, then points off somewhere, maybe asking where the drinks are. When he turns to go, his boyfriend Joey enters the apartment, too, and though he isn’t wearing his usual scowl, the bodybuilding loser already looks two or three drinks in, his eyes watery and happy as he follows Danny to the kitchen.

“Rome?”

I turn back to Prisha. “Sorry, what?”

“I asked if you’ve got your eye on anyone.”

“I …”

“Yes?”

My arms fold over my chest. Okay, I tell Prisha almost everything. “I guess I do have a little crush on someone.”

“A little crush? What are we? In middle school?”

I wonder what Danny is doing here. Does he know Dakota? How else did he get invited? “Hey, you asked if I have my eye on anyone, and yes, I do.”

“So who is it?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I gaze off toward the kitchen with a smirk. “He’s with someone anyway.”

Prisha sighs and is about to say something when Juan, a coworker of ours, appears out of nowhere and shouts: “Hey, Prisha! I gotta talk to you about a thing!”

She nods. “I’ll be right there!” Then she eyes me. “I sometimes hate going to these parties. It’s like we’re all still at work. Hey, by the way, we should have another game night soon. I’m still a bit raw from that last game of Clue we played.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m telling you, I did not cheat.”

“Yet somehow knew it was Miss Scarlet in the kitchen with the lead pipe after just two clues.”

“It’s always Miss Scarlet. That lady is shady as fuck.”

She smirks. “I’m going to go talk to Juan. Maybe I can rope him into a game night. Promise you’ll be here when I get back and won’t bail without me?”

“Promise.”

“Shouldn’t be long.” And away she goes, disappearing into the crowd.

I stare at the kitchen from across the room, gnawing on my lip. For a second, I was tempted to pull out my phone and see if my swipe-right guy has said anything else after popping the question about hitting up a movie together. Now, all of my focus is stolen by one such cutie from the gym, and my phone is forgotten completely.

So is my promise to Prisha that I’d wait here for her.

I ditch the window and make my way toward the kitchen, gently maneuvering my way through the crowded room. To my surprise, I don’t find Danny there. I ease my way through the noisy crowd to the hallway, but he’s not there either. I poke a head into a darkened bedroom, but there’s just a few people hanging out on the bed watching two guys duke it out on a video game. “Dude, shut the door, you’re letting the light in!” someone shouts at me. “Sorry,” I mutter, then quickly close the door and frown, wondering where Danny has gone. There are only so many places he can be in this apartment. Is he hiding in an air duct?