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"An intervention?" I repeat, anger replacing my confusion. "I know you guys don't approve of the guys I date, or why I date them, for that matter, but I need my friends tonight."
"And you have them," Tori says.
"But sometimes it's the job of your friends to tell you a few home truths," Kara adds.
"Just hear us out, Claire," Danni says. "If you don't like what we have to say, we'll never bring it up again."
I grind my teeth. This isn't how I saw the evening playing out. I want to walk out of here right now, but if I do, I'll be even more miserable and pissed off than when I walked in. I don't want the evening to end on a complete downer. Clearly, my friends came here with a purpose and won't be deterred from 'intervening'. If we can get this over with, maybe I can convince them they are being ridiculous, and we can put the whole thing behind us and get on with having a fun night.
"Fine. I'll listen to what you have to say, but then we drop this subject and you guys support me from here on out. Fair?"
"Okay," Kara agrees. "Tori will go first. Ready, Tori?"
Tori nods and takes a deep breath as if she's preparing to speak in front of the United Nations. "Claire, we love you. And as your friends, we want to see you happy. It's come to our attention lately that you seem to be going through the motions of life rather than actually living it. We can't remember the last time you smiled or even laughed. You just don't seem to be taking any joy from life at all."
I resist the urge to disagree. It's their opinion, and I can't dismiss it outright, even though it hurts to hear.
"I'll admit I'm a little preoccupied at the moment. Kara pointed out that it's been a while since I had fun, and she's right. I think that once I find the right guy, I'll probably start to relax. I do appreciate your concern, though."
Danni jumps in. "Here's the thing, Claire. I think it's possible you're actually scaring off all the guys who could be suitable at this point."
"If they're suitable, they won't be scared off," I say.
"You'd be surprised," Danni returns. "Even the guys who don't shy away from commitment and want something serious are turned off by someone who doesn't know how to let go and have fun."
I jerk back as if slapped. "I do know how to have fun and let go."
"We don't get to see it anywhere near enough," Danni says. "Whenever we catch up with you, you're always...I don't know, you come across as miserable and feeling sorry for yourself."
"I do not!"
I'm done listening to this. As much as I want my friends to know I value their opinion, I can't sit here while they accuse me of indulging in self-pity. I don't feel sorry for myself. Okay, I'm frustrated and exhausted by how much effort I put into working towards my goals, and I'm upset that all of my relationships end quickly and without any progress, but I'm not caught up in self-pity, am I?
"Guys don't want to date someone who sucks all the joy out of them," Danni continues.
"Claire, you don't smile anymore. We're really, really worried," Kara says.
The only thing stopping me from walking out of Brody's is the earnest expression on Kara's face. I hear the concern in hervoice. I see the concern on all my friends' faces. It's a shock. Yes, I'll admit I'm not as happy as I could be and probably haven't been for quite some time, but I don't want anyone to worry about me.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, but I'm fine. Truly."
"We were wondering," Kara starts tentatively. "If you would just consider the idea of a timeout from the list."
"I can't. There's no time."
"We're not talking about anything long-term. Just six months or so. Long enough for you to have some fun and relax."
"We can all go out together a bit more," Tori says. "We only seem to go out when you break up with a guy."
"And you can date a cute bartender or two during the timeout," Kara says, grinning. "You'll have time to have fun with them."
"And when you're done having fun," Tori says, "you go back to looking for Mr Right. No harm. No foul."
"You might even find that dating is easier and more rewarding after you've loosened up a little," Danni says.
Kara leans in. "We'll drop it for now, but will you please consider what we've said?"
"I'll consider it."
