cially decided that h

ally, men wer

her usual uniform of comfort: oversized hoodie, leggings, and fuzzy socks. Hair thrown into a messy bun, a pair of sung

rs like a relentless drum: Three months

dating app imaginable, though not because she wanted love. No.

Swipe left

as a man holding a dog. Cute. Decen

ed right o

match notific

st disaste

tly: Hi Emily! I love dog

roaned.

y: I... um... have

about tomorrow?

mitment. Commitment meant leaving her apartment. Exposin

, typed again: Can

ad entered the first batt

utral meeting ground. Not a date. A r

k natural but really to guilt customers into buying overpriced drinks. Emily s

Disast

ed. His handshake was firm, his smile too wi

d. "Yes. In

h. Emily nodded politely, sipping her latte, mentally calculating

So, you write r

ng-not from attraction,

carefully. "Un

up. "Really

mething vague, h

s favorite authors, then tried to explai

t quietly behind

eed. She ran, not walked, out of the café and straight back to

was an accountant with a nervous smile and

ght printouts. Emily stared at

he said proudly. "I analyzed your credit rep

inked. "

ain all the formulas. Look, t

y. This one had the potential to

Emily discover

dsheets, or kale smoothie

all the talking, then gasli

lusion: dati

takeout and collapse into her couch, thinking about the

y had a minor breakthrough. She realiz

bject. Each interactio

list in h

1: Too ver

: Too analy

: Too arrog

tly interesting. M

. Smile, nod, answer questions minimally, ext

ive five dates in one w

on her couch, taking notes like a s

y all overestimate their charm. Emotional labor is exponential, propo

hone

est novel: Why won't he

dealing with something far wor

that she needed a pl

ent. Temporary. D

inst the couch, sta

erous and wonderf