Page 7 of Left on Read

“About a week.”

Nick sighed and slouched against the wall. “Yeah. I found that when I was on the apps. Everyone wants that instant connection, and they bail if it’s not there. Until a few years ago, I was that person too. That moment has been built up so much to us. Like in all those movies and books and TV shows where the characters just know as soon as they meet someone or talk to them that they’re meant to be and they found their soulmate. Anything less means it isn’t real and they’re off looking for it with someone else.”

“Can I add something?”

Nick and I glanced over to the left, where Quinn sat, a paperback in his hands.

“Yeah, please do,” I said quickly.

Quinn was a few years older than me and was incredibly smart. He’d had a successful career in porn and ran his own content creation business. I was curious about his thoughts on dating because it was hard enough as a stripper. I could only imagine what it was like when you were in porn or made spicy content.

“That’s something I noticed too,” he said. “Our generation, and millennials, were raised to believe that true love is out there and finding your soulmate is the only thing that can make you whole. Like, we’re not taught to be okay with being alone and building a life for ourselves based on our wants or needs. Everyone is so focused on finding their future partner, on waiting to start the rest of their lives, that they miss the life they’re living right now.”

“Duuuuude.” Nick put his hand out for a fist bump. “That’s deep.”

“And so true,” I agreed.

“It’s one of the biggest problems with dating culture. It trains us to settle,” Quinn continued. “It’s made us believe that being single is the worst thing that can happen to you. Because of this, people are choosing to be unhappy as part of a couple rather than be happy alone. If you think about it, everything in our adult life is easier as part of a couple, from your taxes to just being able to pay your basic bills. Every path leads to coupledom, and every adult celebration outside of your birthday is tied to being part of a couple—engagements, showers, weddings, anniversaries, even Mother’s and Father’s Day. And if you don’t find that young, or at all, then you’re somehow a failure or there’s something wrong with you.” Quinn bit his lip and looked between us. “Sorry. That wasn’t the right thing to say, was it? This is just something I feel strongly about, and I tend to ramble when given the chance.”

“You’re fine,” I assure him. “And you’re right about everything. I believed in that magical true love moment for so long, but now I see it’s not real.”

“It’s actually dangerous if you think about it,” Quinn said tentatively, like he wasn’t sure he was still allowed to have an opinion.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know what love bombing is and how abusers use it to trap victims?”

I nodded as Nick snort-laughed and let out a “Yuppers.”

“That’s what online dating has turned into. There’s no courtship or buildup. Everything is done at hyperspeed and sets up the idea that smothering someone with attention or grand gestures and love declarations within a few weeks of meeting them is completely normal and not a red flag. I guess I just don’t understand why people care more about being in a relationship than they do about the person they’re in the relationship with.”

“You are a very wise man, Quinn Reynolds,” Nick said solemnly.

Quinn shrugged, his cheeks reddening slightly. “I just tend to have a different perspective from most people.”

“Yo, Riv!” Zane shouted from across the room.

“Yeah?” I called back.

“You’re on next.”

“Thanks!” I jumped up. “Thanks,” I repeated to Nick and Quinn.

Nick blew me a kiss, and Quinn smiled in a way that was both fatherly and a bit smirky.

With Quinn’s words racing through my head, I headed over to the prop closet to put away my construction gear and get my costume on. Time to switch to work mode and make some money.

2

HAYDEN

The front door closed behind me with a soft click.

“Holy goddam fucking shit,” I said into my empty house, letting out all the frustrations and crap I’d been holding in all day.

On autopilot, I put my bag on the chair near the door and hung my keys on the small hook over it. Yanking off my tie, I trudged upstairs to my room.

The silence was extra noticeable after spending the last three hours supervising my school’s social justice club meeting.

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