(Jewelie Rain, I am in love with Liam a bit too much. So here’s an alternative universe where he is present. Not related at all to your story at all—I just wanted to do it for funsies.👍🏾 )

A glorious red suit and a yellow tie; that’s what you see him in. Somehow, you control yourself enough to not laugh at the sight. Instead you get out of your mother’s car, saying goodbye to her quickly, befor...

You came to this place wanting to meet someone better for you, someone who would know you on a deeper level and make you feel like ‘you’ again. But you found me. You found me sitting there, at the little wooden table in the middle of the pizza joint, with my hands clasped on my lap and a nervous gaze from side to side. Truthfully, because I was looking for the same thing and knew deep down that I ...

You place your hand on Claire's and stare lovingly into her eyes, the reflection of the gaudy pub lampshades on the ceiling visible only to you. The clamour of patrons a the bar just a few feet away feels loud, but after 5 minutes you don’t hear it anymore. All you hear is Claire, telling you about her ‘fur baby’.

Your Smirnoff Ice bottle tips over, you weren't aware you knocked it, maybe it fell...

You were there on the dot, as always, ten minutes before the agreed-upon time.

Punctuality resulted in a good first impression, and so far, your date was late, for all knew when a time was set both participants should be present and arrive ten minutes before.

It was common courtesy—a must—and due to the fact that your date was late, that must have meant they had gotten lost or held up somewher...

You step out the cab, pulling down your short black dress and running a hand through your perfectly curled blonde hair. You open your purse, take out a small mirror, and check that your makeup is in place. Perfect.

You step inside the simply furnished restaurant and look around. It seems your date hasn’t arrived yet. Oh well.

You take a seat at one of the round wooden tables and ask for a glas...

You’ve been sitting there for hours. You had put on a new dress and a little extra makeup because this place was a bit fancier than the average restaurant. And people were giving you pitying looks.

All because your date hadn’t shown up.

It had been nearly an hour and you just kept waiting to order. The tables around had taken turns having whispered conversations with plenty ‘oh poor her’ glances. ...

We swiped and we matched. You looked like an interesting guy. You had so many interests. You looked good. You were ideal. Not quite off-the-shelf, unique and so I decided to meet up with you. You invited me to come to meet you after your run with your running club that you habitually do every Monday evening at Battersea Park. Again, this reinforces your athletic profile. I told you that I didn’t r...

Strange person,

Writing poems instead of stories,

Just one moment, as they scribble down

All their hopes and glories.

I waited and thought wistfully,

Of other places, other times,

While they asked me to spell nonchalant,

And criticize their rhymes.

Not much of a date,

And I’d had my hair done just for this,

But they said they were on a timeline,

And did I like cheese whiz.

Last time I date a wr...

You’re waiting by the coffee shop entrance with people pushing past you to get to the warm coffee waiting for them inside.

You slide a hand through your hair and keep it away from you face. You smooth down your jacket and click your heels together.

The butterflies rumble around in you belly but you try to ignore it.

If you stand in your tippy toes you can see them sitting there. Waiting for you.

...

You are married. Yet, you haven’t taken down your dating profile, Nor do you plan to. You like meeting new people, and your wife keeps you home all day, in fear of the ‘Rona. You go on your first date with a younger woman at a MacDonalds. But, instead of the young woman who you were supposed to be meeting, you find your wife.

According to her, she catfishes on dating profiles, and accidentally w...