Page 55 of The True Love Experiment

Connor:Who happened to have an unfortunate tattoo.

Fizzy:Ay, caramba.

Connor:Indeed. But he seemed grateful for your feedback.

Fizzy:[laughs] That’s because Evan is easygoing. His glass is always half-full.

Connor:I’d wager to say yours is, too.

Fizzy:That depends on what’s in the glass…

Connor:Cheeky. Let’s move on to Arjun, our Mr. Darcy. Thoughts?

Fizzy:That I bet he color codes his sock drawer.

Connor:[laughs] What about Nick, the Cinnamon Roll?

Fizzy:This archetype is a bit more inside baseball, so for the viewers who don’t know, a Cinnamon Roll is a hero who is sweet and supportive. He has the heroine’s best interests at heart.

Connor:Right.

Fizzy:You know, underneath those suits you have some definite Cinnamon Roll tendencies. So many layers, Connor Prince III. One might even say I find you hard to peg.

Connor:You know me, like an onion.

Fizzy:Or a cake. But back to Nick. I liked him.

Connor:That’s good, I’m sure it came across to the audience. Tell me about Colby, the Navy SEAL.

Fizzy:I would really like him to expand his reading choices.

Connor:[laughs] I’m sure he’d enjoy that, too. Then we had Jude.

Fizzy:The Vampire. He was very funny.

Connor:Is humor important to you?

Fizzy:Oh, absolutely. I need someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously, who can let go and have fun even if it’s out of his comfort zone.

Connor:Dance like nobody’s watching?

Fizzy:Or sing at a boy band concert like nobody can hear.

[both laugh]

twenty-sixFIZZY

For the first twenty minutes after I arrive at Jess’s on Friday night, I breathlessly download every detail I can remember about the eight dates. The Heroes’ faces, clothes, voices, jobs, whether I liked them, what we talked about, what kinds of jokes they made.

When I describe the hilarious moment my ex walked into the café, a knowing grin painted on his pretty face—and an even bigger grin painted on Connor’s—Jess nods in recognition.

“Is Evan the one with the tattoo you hated?” she asks. “Has that great laugh?”

“Update, hewasthe guy with the tattoo. He got it removed. And yeah, Chinese American, played softball with my brother. I put his name on the list because my dating past is littered with land mines, and Evan is a good guy, if not the sexual savior I need. But now I’m thanking past me for including him,” I tell her. “He’s great, and if all of these other men turn out to be duds, at least Evan and I can take a fun vacation together to Fiji.”

“Ormaybe things will be different this time without Bart Simpson standing between you.”

“Maybe.”

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