Page 29 of Hockey Player Seeking Fan

"Nothing," she says. "Let’s just say the dating is not going great right now, but I do have a date tonight, and I am hopeful that it’s going to be really, really good."

"Okay. I am hopeful for you. So, who are you going on a date with?"

"Why would I give you that information?"

"Why wouldn’t you?"

"I don’t know. If you were anything like my brother, you might show up at the restaurant and gatecrash the date and ruin it for me."

"No. Would I do that?"

"I think you would, Tyler. You seem to be a sadist. You seem to be someone who would totally get off on ruining my date."

"I don’t know if I would get off on ruining your date, but I mean, if I went to your date and met a hottie who wanted to come back to my place and perhaps blow me, maybe I would get off then."

"Ew. Really? Oh my gosh, Tyler, that’s so inappropriate."

"You’re the one who brought up getting off."

"I didn’t mean getting off like that."

"How many types of getting off are there?" I say, laughing.

"Is this why you called me? So you could irritate me?"

"No. Maybe I called to hear your pretty voice," I say, teasing her.

She lets out a laugh.

"Yeah, right. Okay. But if you’re calling because of the dates, nothing has happened yet. You are currently winning. Please do start thinking about what you want. But I’m also thinking about what I want, because it only takes one date for me to know he’s the one—and perhaps the one I meet tonight will be it."

"Call me after the date."

"What?" she says.

"I said, call me after the date. I want to hear how it goes."

"Why?"

"Because maybe I am as invested in you meeting the one as you are."

"No, you’re not."

"You don’t know that."

"Fine. I will call you. Unless the date lasts until tomorrow."

"Sorry. You are confusing me. What do you mean lasts until tomorrow? What do you think it means?"

I feel a twirl of jealousy run through me as I realize what she’s saying.

"Oh, so you’re the sort of woman that would hit it on the first night."

"I’m not saying that," she says innocently. "I’m just saying that if it turns out to be the one, maybe the date never ends. Maybe we spend the rest of our lives together and never take one moment apart."

It’s my turn to start laughing.

"And this is why we have the bet, Erica. Because you are so high up in the clouds that I don’t know if you are crazy, on drugs, or the most deluded woman I’ve ever met in my life."