3. Marcelo

Chapter 3

Marcelo

Date One

Stuck in traffic. Be there in ten .

That was my blind date, Dan. Ten minutes didn't sound as though he was blowing me off. I hoped if the date went well, there'd be blowjobs and fucking.

I loosened my tie. Not sure why I wore the damned thing, but I wanted to make a good first impression. Unless the tie said I was uptight and I hated people being late, especially a date. I ripped the tie off and stuck it in my pocket before wiping sweat off my face with a cloth napkin. Now what was I supposed to do with the sweaty napkin? I shoved it in my pocket, hoping the staff didn't toss me out for theft.

I was on my second–or was it third?–glass of water, and droplets sloshed on my shirt. Now my date wouldn't be able to distinguish between sweat and water. Gods, why had I agreed to this?

Because you were lonely and were hoping to find a mate . My dragon was itching to burn something because he got bored being inside for long periods. Shooting out red-hot flames and setting something ablaze was his idea of fun.

A waiter approached with a water jug. He gave me a pity smile, the one he probably reserved for someone who'd been stood up. But that wasn't me. My date would be here soon. I checked my watch. It'd been twenty minutes since his message.

Should I text? Or order a drink? Wait another ten minutes and give up ?

Let's shift . My dragon sniffed the air as the scent of searing meat drifted from the kitchen. That smells so good. Can we go back there ?

No .

I sent my date a message. No reply, but if he was driving he wouldn't reply. But the message didn't go through. He'd blocked me! I was tempted to steal the jug of water from the waiter circling the room and upend it over my head.

Date Two

I'd convinced myself to try this again. One bad date shouldn't ruin the experience. If people gave up looking for work after being rejected for a job or professional athletes retired after losing a race, success would be hard to find.

Having had a bad experience at a restaurant, I'd suggested a coffee shop for my date with Albie. It was more informal, and I didn't stand out as much sitting by myself. I also ordered a coffee so I had something to do with my hands. When my date arrived, I'd get a second or one of the pastries I was eyeing.

I'd brought a book with me. Not that I could concentrate on what I was reading, but sipping coffee and reading showed I had a purpose. It was Saturday morning and me being here said I was enjoying a day off.

Albie was taking a bus as he didn't have a car, explaining he was doing his bit to save the planet. I liked that, and it earned him a tick in the pro column. Not that I really had a chart where I awarded him ticks and crosses.

What about the one on your phone? My beast didn't miss much.

Oh you saw that, did you? I bristled at being caught out and wondered what it was like to be human and not have an animal inside you. I've never used it . But I had kept the details in my head.

I drained the last few drops of coffee from my mug and stared out the window at a bus trundling down the street. It was a 208, and that was the one my date was on. I sat up straight and studied everyone who got off. None of them matched the pic Albie had sent.

But as the bus pulled into traffic, a man who resembled that photo pressed his face to the window, his mouth shaped into an O. Oh? Oh, I forgot to get off the bus? Or oh, I changed my mind? Or oh, you look like a serial killer?

I ordered a pastry and a muffin and ate both. Albie wasn't coming, and I didn't have the energy to text and ask why.

Date Three

Why am I doing this again?

Because you enjoy being punished . My dragon loved pointing out my mistakes.

Date three was at the cinema because if the guy, Trey, didn't turn up, I was going to spend the afternoon watching a movie I'd been wanting to see. And I'd eat a whole tub of popcorn and buy the biggest soda to drown my sorrows.

Trey lived within walking distance, so there'd be no snafus with traffic or public transportation. I'd already bought two tickets online, as this was the movie's opening weekend.

My date told me he'd have a flower in his buttonhole, even though I'd seen his pic. That was cute, and we'd bantered back and forth, the heat rising along with the sexual innuendo.

I hoped he wouldn't be late, because while the first twenty minutes were always trailers and ads, I hated squeezing past people in the dark, my butt in their face as I stumbled to my seat.

If Trey ghosted me, I was deleting this stupid dating app.

But my heart sped up as I sighted him on the other side of the road, his long hair flipping over his shoulder as he raced over the crosswalk. He saw me and waved, and I waved back, more frantically than was polite because I was excited I'd be going on a date.

"Hi, Marcelo." He kissed me on both cheeks. "It's so good to finally meet you." His gaze dropped to my crotch, and he licked his lips. Maybe there'd be afternoon delight after the movie. We might get handsy in the cinema.

But as I handed Trey his ticket, an alpha stormed over to us and pulled our hands apart, yelling at Trey that he knew he'd been cheating. The guy glowered at me, and I held my hands up in surrender, burbling that I had no idea he was mated.

"It's his MO," the alpha snapped. "Pretends he's single." He dragged Trey away who blew me a kiss and mouthed, "Another time."

Did I get the biggest tub of popcorn and the largest soda? I did, and vowed my days of dating were over.

Date Four

But I didn't learn. A friend insisted I'd had bad luck and urged me to try again. I didn't give a shit if the guy turned up. I was in my running gear at my local park, and he was getting me. Joe said he ran every morning, so here I was at six on a weekday.

And Joe was strolling toward me, holding a coffee. Not a drink for me, as he was sipping it. Unless he expected us to share. Ewww, I hoped not.

"Hi. So where do we do this running gig?"

I winced at the term "gig" but pointed out the jogging path circling the lake.

"Okay. Let's do it." He did a couple of stretches, in between sipping his coffee.

"Don't you want to finish your drink first?"

"Nah, I'm good."

Maybe this would be a stroll, not a run. I started and expected Joe to be at my side, but he hung back, looking at the ducks.

"Are you coming?"

"Go on without me. I'll catch up."

This was already a disaster, so I jogged off, thinking I could lap him on my second round of the lake. But I never saw him again. He wasn't on a bench or sitting on the grass, nor was he buying a second coffee.

I did what I'd threatened to do and deleted the dating app. Where did the app find those guys?

Lying on the sofa, I scrolled through my phone and found an app I didn't recognize. Love and Hate. I'd forgotten I downloaded that months ago. It was created by a human mated to a shifter, and there were two versions of the app, human and shifter.

But why would that be any different to the exclusive shifter app I'd tried? I pressed the app so it jiggled. I hated having to delete anything on my phone because that jiggling reminded me of the app crying, shivering, and begging me not to get rid of them. That was silly because it was a piece of technology. It didn't have feelings.

"Okay, you're safe for now." I turned off the phone and watched TV. Having a mate, I'd have to share the bathroom, and we'd probably squabble about what to watch. And he might not be a meat eater. I thought of all the reasons why it was better to stay single.

Did I convince myself? Nope, but I decided to meet potential mates the old-fashioned way. At work, at the library, in a book club, playing football. But considering I worked from home, read books online, and my exercise consisted of shifting and flying, that didn't seem like much of a plan.

Maybe I should wear a sandwich board that said, "Need a date," front and back.