A talk with Maria.

“Oh wow, your face went red in seconds…” Maria said, mostly in surprise rather than out of a desire to tease me. And yeah, not shit I went red.

Though, to be honest, the more I thought about it, the more I accepted it. After all, my first face-to-face encounter with… Diana was at a love hotel, with me as a customer going with five women. That must’ve already made some sort of impression, so her knowing I’d been going to another hotel with the same girls wasn’t as huge as I first thought. It was awkward that Maria, my boss, also knew I was frequenting love hotels, but with five girlfriends, it wasn’t too hard to guess that I probably had an active sex life.

Honestly, yeah, it was better than she knew. Saved me the awkwardness of explaining myself… IF I ever saw her again.

“So I left an impression?” I asked Maria, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “What kind?”

“Hmm… How do I say this?” My boss stroked her chin with over-dramatic gestures. “She’s… interested, but… You see, she’s 26, like me. But unlike me, she’s a lot more conflicted about having feelings for a younger man.”

So the thoughts I felt from her were true? She WAS interested and happy to see me that day. It made me very happy to hear, but…

I grimaced and nodded. “I understand. Who’d be crazy enough to date a guy 8 years younger?”

Maria glared at me as she harshly cleared her throat.

I gave her a small smile. A little **** for being so amused over my embarrassment. “But she… likes me? Really?”

“Like I said, you made an impression, that’s all.” Maria quickly said, but it felt like she was almost correcting herself. “She’s single and very picky about men. No, wait, not picky! She’s…”

It was at times like these that I wished I could read the minds of people not directly connected to me. It felt like Maria was hiding something. Either her friend wasn’t as interested in me as she first claimed, or…

I chuckled. “You’re trying to hide her real opinion of me, aren’t you?”

Maria flinched. “...Since when did you get good at guessing these things?”

“I spend most of my time with women rather than men,” I said. “I’m starting to understand how it works. If she’s interested in me, you don’t want me to get cocky, right?”

“...Ugh.” Maria sighed and shook her head. “Look, I just think you two would really hit it off. I’m actually so confident that I don’t want to give either of you any… preconceptions. Here’s my proposal. Let’s go on a double date. You, Thomas, Diana and me.”

I felt a strange, awkward chill, and I think my misgivings were clear on my face.

“What? You think it’s a bad idea? Think we’ll get in your way, smooth guy?” Maria asked, pouting and crossing her arms.

“N-No, it’s just… Wouldn’t it be weird?”

“It’s not like I’m proposing we all rent the same room at a hotel! I’m saying we go out, have fun, we help you break the ice. Unless you tell me you can effortlessly carry a conversation by yourself, because Diana is not huge on talking to strangers, either.”

“...” I opened my mouth to argue, but stopped myself before I could say a single word. Yeah, I’d gotten better at talking, sure, but it didn’t change the fact that all the people around me were better at starting and carrying conversations than I was. Even Noelle, shy as she is, still loves to talk about the things she likes. And starting conversations with strangers… and with a woman older than me at that… It felt beyond me.

Back when I started seeing Mila, Grace and Sarah, they did all the heavy lifting in that regard. They talked to me despite not knowing me and they kept at it even when I couldn’t answer. Then, when I started seeing Alice and Noelle, I had already done some growing and had the advantage of sharing a hobby with Noelle and that Alice was already friends with Mila, Grace and Sarah. Things just… worked out. I like to believe I tried my best, and that things wouldn’t have turned out like this if I hadn’t stepped up when it mattered, but I had to admit things worked… despite me being me. It was, and still is, a depressing thought, and one that kept pushing me to do better next time.

I sighed. “And you’ve already talked about this with Thomas?”

Maria nodded. “And Diana, too, of course. I’m a responsible adult, after all.”

“And if things turn out badly, will you fire me?” I asked.

“Maybe. Depending on how bad you hurt my friend.”

I chuckled. “At least you’re honest about it.”

“It’s mostly a joke. I’m the one pushing for it, after all. I really think you two will click, Oliver.”

I had a hunch, too, but I couldn’t just leave it to luck and fate. I wanted my chance to meet this woman again, and Maria was handing it to me on a silver platter. Saying no would be stupid, and I already had explicit permission to act as I saw fit in the event that I did find her.

“Alright, I’m in.”

“Yes!” Maria fist pumped. “Leave it to me. I’ll take care of everything.”

“...If you don’t mind me asking, why are you so excited about this?”

Maria smiled wryly. “Because Diana’s been going through some rough stuff, and I really want her to start having fun again. She’s always been one to put responsibilities and duty before herself, so I know she will continue doing just that unless I butt in. It’s what best friends do.”

My mind went back to Thomas, to his invitation to his birthday party and the countless other times he kept meddling in my affairs.

I smiled. “I suppose it is.”

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