Page 14 of Romance Languages

“You have notifications set up when Mr. Shablahblah posts new videos?” Everett asked. “That’sveryinteresting.”

“What? You guys don’t have notifications on your phone? When I downloaded the app, I forgot to uncheck the box for notifications.” I shoved my phone into my pocket.

“I would take a guess and say you only have notifications set up for Mr. Shablahblah. That’svery, veryinteresting.” Amos was way too pleased with himself.

I loved my friends, but I also hated them, in a loving kind of way.

“Fine. I have notifications whenever Seamus posts. Big deal.”

“I’m excited for this date tonight. Hopefully, this cop can get you to end your crush on Seamus once and for all,” Amos said.

“I don’t have a crush.”

“J, you do so much pining for this guy you could repopulate a forest,” Everett said.

I made a production out of stopping notifications for his videos for my audience to see. “Shouldn’t you guys be in class?”

Everett waved off my concern. “I put on the Leo version ofRomeo plus Juliet. They’re fine.”

* * *

I metErik at a wine bar on the edge of town. Like most suburban haunts, it was located in a strip mall, but this bar had a gorgeous outdoor patio in the back decorated with trellises and candlelight and a cellist playing in the corner. It was a perfect first date spot.

I walked onto the patio and found Erik on his phone at a corner table. He’d already gone ahead and ordered us two glasses of red wine, since I’d said in our messaging that I preferred red over white.

He was hot. Really hot. A big, muscular guy wearing a button-down shirt one size too small, which accentuated his arms. Amos was right. I couldn’t wait to role play with him.

This was it. We were going to have a great date, go back to my place, then do all the sex, banishing my virginity to the depths of hell.

As soon as Erik looked up and saw me, something in the air changed. I couldn’t place it, but his face went from excited to something more reserved. I chalked it up to nerves.

“Erik, right?” I held out my hand. “Julian.”

“Hey.” He remained seated and gave my hand a halfhearted shake. I’d expected a tighter grip, but perhaps he didn’t want to crush me.

“Hi. When did you get here?” I asked, sitting down.

“Few minutes ago.” He typed something on his phone. Did cops have to answer a lot of emails for their job?

“Cool. Usually, I try to arrive early, too. You know, if you’re not ten minutes early, you’re late. Which is a good lesson to abide by. I can’t tell you how many of my students waltz in late to class.”

“Yeah. Huh.” He flicked his eyes to me for a second, then back to his phone. I hadn’t dated a ton, and I knew we were all addicted to our phones, but this felt…off. And rude.

“Thank you for ordering for me!” I took a sip of the wine. It was exactly what I wanted. Crisp and dry. Point for Erik. “This is fantastic. I love a good red.”

“Yeah. It’s good,” he said, yet by the volume in his glass, I had the feeling he hadn’t tried it at all.

“How is life on the force?” I asked, hoping to find a way to break his attention from his phone.

“It’s good.” He looked at me, gave me a discerning stare, then back to his phone. “I can’t really talk about it, though.”

“Yeah. I get that. Um, is everything okay?”

“What?”

“You’re just on your phone. A lot. In the middle of a date. Technically, the beginning of one.” I summoned the directness of Everett, who would’ve called this out instantly.

“Sorry. My mom, she had to go to the hospital today. She collapsed. So I’m checking in with my family. They’re keeping me updated.”

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