Club Endless Fantasy

“Another cruise, probably.” I shrugged. “My stepfather’s family doesn’t celebrate Christmas at all—religious reasons.”

“Ah, yeah. I remember you telling me that once.” Starla nodded. “Wow, you’ve got a really nice view from up here.”

She apparently wants to change the subject as much as I do.

“It’s not bad.” I stood up and walked over to the window. “Thornton Advertising’s parent company owns a lot of real estate in the city, and we get a very nice discount—otherwise, I would never be able to afford a place like this.”

“You have a balcony too?” Starla’s eyebrows raised, and she walked over to look outside.

“Yeah, but it’s a little cold for that right now.” I shivered at the thought of it.

“True…” She nodded. “So, what have you been up to? I feel like it’s been a while since we talked. Are you dating anyone?”

“Nah, I don’t have time for dating.” I shook my head back and forth. “You?”

“No, not because I don’t have time—I just haven’t met anyone that I clicked with.” She sighed. “I did sign up for a new dating site though, so maybe my luck will change before the end of the holiday season.”

“The holiday season?” I raised an eyebrow. “Are you giving up if Santa doesn’t leave you a hot guy under the Christmas tree?”

“No.” She walked over and reached into her purse. “It’s a new app—Secret Santa Romance. They match you up with someone that’s single, and you’re expected to exchange gifts on your first date.”

“What’s wrong with Tinder?” I laughed under my breath. “It’s year-round, and you don’t have to buy them anything.”

“Most of the guys on there are just looking for sex.” She sat down and sipped her wine. “Don’t get me wrong—it’s been a while, but Secret Santa Romance has a different kind of demographic.”

“Ah.” I nodded. “Well good luck with that.”

“You should sign up.” She motioned to my phone. “You never know…”

“Oh, I know.” I shook my head quickly. “I know I’m too busy, and the last thing I want to do is exchange gifts with a stranger. It’s bad enough that we’re drawing names for gifts at the office, and it’s frowned upon if you refuse…”

“What about meeting someone?” Starla tilted her head inquisitively.

“I’m too busy for that too.” I shook my head again.

Starla and I continued to talk. I might have been looking forward to a quiet evening alone, but it had been a while since I hung out with anyone. The wine obviously helped. She talked about her family, which was technically my family, but I didn’t know any of them well enough to have any interest in what they were doing with their lives. Starla kept trying to get me to join her in the pursuit of love on the Secret Santa Romance dating app and I remained defiant. Dating was just way too complicated, and I needed to focus on my career. I certainly didn’t want to meet some guy that loved Christmas so much he signed up for a holiday-themed dating app. That was even worse than meeting a normal guy.

I started to get a gnawing in my stomach that reminded me I worked straight through lunch. Normally, I would have run to the kitchen for a snack, but I didn’t have anything I could share. I doubted she wanted the leftovers in my fridge, and I wasn’t in the mood to cook anything. I ran through the options in my head and decided that I was going to have to order something if I intended to be a polite host and eat something without being rude.

“Hey, are you hungry?” I reached over to pick up my phone. “There are a lot of good delivery places around here.”

“I had a big lunch, but I could eat something small.” She nodded.

“Anything you’re in the mood for?” I scrolled through the options on my Door Dash app.

“Whatever you want.” She shrugged.

“Here…” I loaded the list of my recent orders. “Look through those, and if you see something you like, just hit the reorder button and add whatever you want. I need to run to the restroom really quick.”

“Okay.” Starla nodded and took my phone.

I got up from the couch and frowned when I saw the vast array of Christmas trees that were in my direct line of sight from the apartment next to mine. I made a mental note to look into buying myself a gift for the holidays—some thicker curtains. At least I was high enough up that I wouldn’t be able to hear any of the Christmas music that the row of stores nearby usually played all season long. I still hadn’t changed out of my work clothes, so I made a quick stop in my bedroom to put on something that was more comfortable than my pencil skirt and heels. I really wanted to take my bra off too, but I still needed to answer the door when our food arrived.

“Did you find anything?” I walked back into the living room and sat down.

“Yeah, I ordered something from your favorite place—based on your order history.” She smiled. “Famous Sid’s Sandwich Shop.”

“Their lettuce wrap sandwiches are really good.” I smiled.