Darcy swallowed and dipped her chin. “I’m an actuary.”
“That sounds... interesting?”
Darcy actually chuckled. “I know, it sounds astonishingly dull, doesn’t it?”
Leaning back in her chair, Elle grinned. “I’m not sure I even know what an actuary does.”
“I help to establish accurate and fair pricing for insurance premiums by analyzing variables and trends in historical data. It’s calculus, mostly.” Darcy shrugged and set her wineglass on the table. “I enjoy it.”
The wordcalculusgave Elle a violent flashback to undergrad. Math was not something that usually got her hot under the collar, even if she was decent at it. But if Darcy wantedto spend the evening discussing differentials and limits, Elle would happily listen to the smooth cadence of Darcy’s voice.
“That’s what’s important.” Elle crossed her legs beneath the table, her ankle brushing Darcy’s briefly. “Life’s too short to waste on something you don’t enjoy. It’s the best of both worlds when what you love also pays your bills.”
Darcy smiled and a teensy dimple formed beside her mouth like a parenthesis for that special freckle. “What do you do?”
“Oh, Brendon didn’t say?” For being the brains behind adatingapp, Brendon was missing a few of the critical points of matchmaking. “I’m an astrologer. Margot—that’s my roommate—and I, we’re the voices behind Oh My Stars.”
Darcy cocked her head, copper curls spilling over her shoulder.
“You know, the horoscope Twitter and Instagram account? We have a book coming out in six months, too.”
Darcy shook her head. “I don’t really do Twitter. Or Instagram. Social media at all for that matter.”
Who didn’t do social media? It was one thing to steer clear of Facebook, which had been infiltrated by older relatives, sure, but Twitter? Instagram?
“Well, we tweet advice interspersed with the occasional meme and joke. OTP wants us to consult on adding a birth chart element to the match system. It would allow users to evaluate compatibility, not only based on the fun elements OTP’s already known for like their BuzzFeed-style personality quizzes and favorite ships and whatnot, but also the most pertinent planetary positions at the time of your birth.” She pointed to Darcy’s cell. “If you let me borrow your phone, I can pullup your chart really quick. All I need is your date, time, and location of birth.”
Darcy’s lips twitched. “I’m good.”
“Do you not know your time of birth? Because most of the planets are slow moving enough that—well, I couldn’t tell you about your ascendant or your houses, and your Moon could potentially be tricky, but we could still look at a few factors.” Unless—oh crap, had she overstepped? Elle was so used to doing readings, not only for a living, but also analyzing the birth charts of friends and family, that asking was second nature. “If that’s too personal, I completely understand.”
Darcy plucked her glass by the stem and swirled her wine. “Sorry, I don’t really believe in that stuff.”
Elle frowned. “Stuff?”
Teeth sunk into her lower lip, Darcy looked like she was trying not to laugh. “The supposed link between astronomical phenomena and human behavior. Blaming your personality on the planets sounds a bit like a cop-out.”
She’d heard this argument before. “It’s not aboutblamingyour personality on the planets; it’s about understanding yourself and becoming aware of why you might be prone to certain behaviors and patterns. What people choose to do with that knowledge is up to them.”
Darcy took a delicate swig of wine and set her glass aside. “Agree to disagree.”
Elle bit the inside of her cheek. That was fine. She believed in it, and her five hundredthousandTwitter followers believed in it, too.
Itwasa bit of a bummer that she and Darcy weren’t on thesame page, but it was one topic. Granted, it was a topic near and dear to her heart, but it wasn’t as if they came down on opposite ends of the political spectrum. She wouldn’t press the issue... not on the first date. “At any rate, Margot and I are super excited to be a part of,hopefully, helping people find their soul mates.”
Darcy snorted and not in thatI agree, orGod, you’re so funnykind of way. It was a sardonic little puff, condescending when paired with the roll of her eyes. “You sound like my brother.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“It’s a romantic notion.” Darcy dropped her eyes, her expression shuttering.
Elle frowned. “Andthat’sa bad thing?”
“It’s silly. Soul mates. Yourone true pairing.” Darcy shook her head like it was ridiculous.
The butterflies quit fluttering, Elle’s stomach souring, though that might’ve been the wine. What was Darcy even doing on this date if she wasn’t looking for love, or at least thechanceof love?
“I think it’s nice,” Elle argued. “If you don’t believe in love, what’s left to believe in?”