Chapter Four
“Y eah, it’s a lot of logistics—finances, planning, that kind of thing—but I love it,” August said with a smile.
“That’s great,” Rhiannon said.
She was sweet but polite. Nice. She was very pretty too. And yet… August just was not feeling that spark. She’d known it was a risk in these situations. In truth, this had been her best hope for the date—someone who showed up, was lovely, and with whom she could have a nice chat and a coffee. She hadn’t been expecting sparks flying or a lasting relationship, not from her first date. She’d only been hoping not to get stood up or stuck with someone awful.
And yet, it was still a little bit sad.
There was something so vulnerable about putting yourself out there, being so open about the fact that you wanted love, that you were ready to try again, and in the way your brain tried to be realistic but your heart just wanted to be loved. For it not to stick on the first try was normal but still disheartening. It highlighted how rare and magical it was to find someone who just… set your world on fire. And how many attempts it took to find that.
“How about you?” she asked Rhiannon. “Do you like your job?”
“Eh. It’s okay. Pays the bills. I’m more of a… free spirit, I guess? But, you know, you do what you have to to survive,” she said, tilting her head and widening her eyes.
August smiled warmly. “That’s great. Tell me about your life outside of work then.”
“Now that, I can talk about.” She laughed and a wide grin settled on her face as she spoke. “I’m really into van life. I saw it on social media first and just… got fully drawn in. The freedom, the adventure, the opportunity to take my dogs with me… It just felt perfect. So, you know, I bought an old school bus and I’m working on converting it. A couple of friends are helping, and one of them is probably going to come traveling with me quite a bit.”
“Where’s up first?”
Rhiannon laughed. “Probably just the surrounding states. You know, check it out, make sure everything is working and how I need it. I’m good with rugged living, though, so I’m sure it’ll be fine. But, after that, I’ve got big plans.”
“You’re a better woman than I am. I don’t know that I’m very suited to ruggedness.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “It’s not for everyone.”
August nodded and she knew they were both on the same page. This was nice, they could chat, get to know each other, but it wasn’t going any further. They were different people and the spark wasn’t there to try meeting in the middle. Even if it had been, August doubted either of them would be happy long- term if they were constantly trying to meet in the middle. They wanted fundamentally different lives.
But that made things easier. While sad that they weren’t a good fit, it was infinitely better when they both knew that, rather than when one of them was into it and the other realized it would never work.
“So…” Rhiannon said, the mood between them slightly awkward now. “Do you… do this often?”
August breathed a laugh. “This is my first time, actually.”
“Oh, wow. A rookie.”
“I’m guessing you’re not?”
“Nah. This is my fourth date this month.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah. Although, one of them went so badly in the first five minutes that I said I was going to the bathroom and just fled out the back of the restaurant.”
“Oh, no!” August looked at her with wide eyes.
“Eh, it happens. I’ve just done this enough to not stick around when it’s going like that.” She shot August a look. “Go on enough of these and you’ll see.”
“Can’t say I’m looking forward to that.”
“Nobody ever is, but maybe you get a good story out of it.”
August hummed. She’d heard that sentiment a lot lately. Against her better judgment, she glanced across the coffee shop.
It took a second, but there, between an adorably rambunctious family and someone on a laptop—headphones in like they were pretending to be anywhere but here—was Piper. Alone.
August schooled her expression and tried to casually glance around the café. There was no sign of the woman who had been Piper’s date.
She glanced back at Piper, who looked up, met her eyes, half smiled, and raised her coffee in silent cheers.
Maybe August’s date was going better than Piper’s was. Piper’s might just be another story for the dentist’s office.
August looked back at her date and resumed the small talk as they both drained their coffees.
By the time both cups were empty, August felt like they’d both talked a lot, but that they knew very little that felt real about each other. The conversation hadn’t been unpleasant, but they’d known they wouldn’t be seeing each other again, and they’d simply been filling time.
Rhiannon stood up, pulling her coat and hat back on. “Well, it was a pleasure meeting you—and getting to be your first online date.”
August laughed lightly. “You too. Thanks for going easy on me.”
She gripped August’s shoulders and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, barely touching the skin. “Take care of yourself, August. I know you’ll find the right one. You’re a good date.”
“Thanks. You too. And, good luck with the van.”
“You can follow along on Instagram if you like. But try not to get too jealous of my amazing life.”
“I will do my best.”
She laughed and headed for the door.
August supposed she should have done the same. Instead, she found herself glancing back towards where Piper had been sitting. She was still there, now nursing a different cup and reading a book she’d presumably been carrying in her bag.
Making a decision, August headed back to the counter. It wasn’t as busy in the café with the midafternoon lull, so she was served immediately, and quickly found herself walking over to Piper’s table carrying another cappuccino and a small plate with a brownie and a cookie on it.
“Do you carry a book in case your date is really boring and you need a nonverbal way to signal that they should leave?” she asked as she placed the items on Piper’s table and sat down. The family had left, but the laptop person was still tapping away at the side of them.
Piper looked up laughing. “No, but I’ll definitely try that next time.”
“I’m sure it would make for a good story.”
“I don’t doubt it.” She shook her head as she slid a receipt between the pages she’d been reading and put the book back in her bag. “I bring it just in case I get stood up. Looks a lot less like I was waiting for someone. Plus, then I get a lovely afternoon with a book.”
August nodded. “I’ll remember that tip for next time.”
“Do,” she said, nodding and amused.
“So. I wasn’t sure what you liked, but I figured you’d probably be on board with either a brownie or a cookie.”
“Ooh, brownie. I’m all about death by chocolate this afternoon.” She tilted her half-empty cup towards August, revealing she’d switched from coffee to hot chocolate.
“An excellent choice.”
“Glad we’re on the same page.”
August smiled and turned the plate so the brownie was facing Piper. “Have at it.”
“Thank you,” she said with a genuine smile. “So, how was the date?”
August scrunched her nose. “Okay. We won’t be seeing each other again, but I’m guessing it was better than yours.”
“Oh, was it obvious we wouldn’t be seeing one another again?”
August laughed. “Maybe a touch. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Eh, you know the story. Girl meets girl through anonymous dating app, girl is looking for something lasting, other girl is using the anonymity for quick hookups…”
“Ah.”
“Indeed.”
“I’m sorry.”
Piper shook her head. “It’s not a big deal. She was nice enough—I mean, obviously, or we wouldn’t have even gotten to the meeting in person stage—but we were in the market for very different things. No shame in that.”
“Some shame in her not telling you that ahead of time.”
Piper bobbed her head from side to side as she chewed on a bite of the brownie. “Maybe. I mean, that would have saved us both some time, but I guess I can’t fault her for thinking other people on an anonymous app might be looking for the same thing.”
“Still, though, nice to be clear upfront.” August hesitated. “I suppose that’s another thing I should add to my list of questions to ask before I agree to meet anyone in person.”
“Mm. Yeah. I think I’ll be asking that one myself moving forward.” She watched August speculatively as she took a sip of her drink. “So, looking forward to doing it all again?”
“Ha. No. Not really.” She sighed. “Well, not no, but…”
“It’s complicated.”
“Yeah, exactly. You never know how it’s going to go, there’s so many things to consider… and…”
Piper tilted her head, leaning a little closer over the small table. “And what?”
August looked at her, wrinkling her nose. “Ugh. It’s embarrassing, but I guess I’m a bit of a romantic.”
Piper smiled, breathing a soft laugh. “Yeah, I get that. The hope that something magical will happen, the slight dismay over how clinical it all becomes?”
“Yeah…” August was blown away by the fact that Piper just seemed to get it. Maybe it wasn’t silly that she felt that way, maybe it was okay that she did.
“I wish I could tell you it stops feeling like that, but it, kind of… doesn’t.”
August laughed. “Good to know.”
“Sorry. I mean, maybe it does when you find something lasting. Then, it might all feel wonderful, but I wouldn’t know. I’ll keep you posted.”
“It’s okay. It is what it is.” She hesitated, snapping the cookie in half and chewing her lip. “You know, it’s easier with you here. That probably sounds weird.”
“I’m good with weird.”
“Well, I know we mistook each other for our dates, and that should have been awkward, but it’s like a bonding moment, you know? Like, I’m not great at this whole thing, but at least I’m not alone in making mistakes, in being human.”
Piper smiled. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“And, then we both have dates that aren’t going anywhere, but we get to talk about it—debrief, if you like.”
“That’s true. That is nice. It’s good to not be alone in a coffee shop feeling like shit.”
“Did you feel like shit about the date?”
“No, but I have with others, and it’s nice to… not feel alone in the whole… machine of it, I guess.”
August nodded. Sure, Měilíng had recommended the app to her, and would probably be sympathetic to August’s plight with the whole thing, but Piper was right. It was nice to have a friend who was going through the unsuccessful dating cycle with her. As much as August loved Měilíng, she’d gotten a hit on the first try. Could she really understand why a nice but one-time date could make August feel so sad if she wasn’t even into the woman in question? Maybe, but, this way, August could process with Piper and never have to find out.
Piper took another sip of her drink and a mischievous smile settled on her lips. “You know, since we’re both in this thing now, what if we make it official?”
August gulped some of her coffee before replying. “How’d you mean?”
“Well, we clearly get along, and we’re enjoying having a friend to debrief with, so, what if we become that for each other? We trade numbers, and, whenever either of us has a date, we can call or text the other to discuss it, to debrief or explain it.”
“Do a lot of your dates need explaining?” August asked with a laugh.
“More than you could ever imagine,” she said with a shudder. August couldn’t wait to hear all those stories.
But, she thought the proposition through. She enjoyed talking to Piper. She’d invited herself back over and, both times, they’d slipped into conversation easily with no awkwardness. It just… fit. And she really would like to have someone to talk to about her dates—someone she knew wouldn’t judge her or make her feel bad. Just someone safe no matter what happened.
She grinned. “Yeah, okay, Piper. You’ve got yourself a deal.”
“A date deal.”
August laughed. “Sure. A date deal.”