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“Let me see that.” Leo leaned in, peering at the screen. His face softened as he read through the texts from the last few days. “What happened this time?”
“The usual, I guess. I put in too many hours at work. He got tired of waiting around for me.” I shrugged, feigning nonchalance, but my chest tightened, not sure why this was bothering me so much.
I didn’t love Marco—but this one stung.
“His loss.” Leo handed the phone back, his chestnut-brown eyes soft with understanding. “Yeah, Marco could’ve handled it better, but maybe he had a point?”
“About what?” I furrowed my brow, a tinge of defensiveness rising within me.
“From what you’ve told me, you never seemed all that interested in a future with Marco. Just some fun times.” Leo tapped his fingers on the table. “Did Marco want more?”
“Maybe,” I admitted. “I don’t know. We didn’t talk about it. But my job keeps me busy, and he knew that.”
“Hey.” Leo reached across the table, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. “You’re passionate about your work, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You’ll find someone who appreciates how dedicated and hardworking you are.” Leo took a long swig from his drink. “But if you want something more in your personal life, you might need to make some changes.”
“Like what?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“Maybe be more present in your relationships. Make an effort to understand what your partner wants and needs,” Leo suggested, his eyes warm and understanding. “When you’re ready for that.”
“I don’t see that happening anytime soon.” I took another long pull from my drink and shrugged. “We just got a new contract at work, and I’m gonna be swamped more than ever.” Not that I was in a hurry to find another boyfriend. Right now, my priority was getting ahead and maybe starting a business of my own one day. Relationships would always come second to the work, at least right now while I was building a name for myself.
Maybe Leo was right. Marco was better off without me in his life, holding him back from finding someone who could give him what he deserved.
But something Leo said made me pause. “Speaking of break-ups, have you heard from Leigh?” Leo and Leigh had been old high school sweethearts and got together every few years and dated for a few months until one of them ended it.
Before Leo could answer, the cracked leather booth cushion dipped as Samantha, one of Leo’s close work friends, slid in beside us. “Hey guys, come join the group! We’ve ordered more food and I have some exciting news to share!”
“Food?” My stomach growled at the mention. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until now.
“Yep, and it won’t eat itself. Besides, I’ve got an announcement to make that Ben might find pretty interesting.” Samantha winked, playfully nudging me out of the booth.
With a shared look of curiosity, Leo and I followed her through the dimly lit pub, weaving between tables packed with lively patrons.
The aroma of savory dishes intensified as we approached Leo’s coworkers, who had commandeered a large table and piled it high with comfort food. Spicy chicken wings glistened in tangy sauce, bowls of tortilla chips next to queso, and the enticing scent of onion rings wafted through the air.
“Alright, everyone, listen up!” Samantha clapped her hands together, and the chatter died down as we all gave her our undivided attention. “I couldn’t say anything while we were at work, but this afternoon I got the all-clear to talk about it. Our marketing agency just landed the Mangle account—an AI-powered dating app for gay men!”
“Wait, Mangle?” Victor called out, scrunching his nose. “What kind of name is that for a dating app?”
“Mangle is the words ‘man’ and ‘mingle’ combined. It’s been around for a year or so, primarily on the West Coast, but they’ve expanded nationally, and they chose our marketing agency to help with big rollout promotion.” Excitement bubbled in Samantha’s voice. “So, if any of our gay brethren are single and ready to ming-, I mean, ready to mangle, then download the app and let me know what you think. I need your honest feedback on the app as a favor to me.” She glanced at the skeptical faces. “You don’t even have to date anyone; I just want to know your thoughts of the app’s interface and how satisfied you are with how it sets up your profile.”
“Just saying, Mangle is a horrible name for a dating app!” Jack called out from the table, causing laughter to ripple through the group.
Samantha chuckled and raised her hands defensively. “Blame the developers, not me! But trust me, this app is different.”
I glanced at Leo, sharing a knowing eye roll. “The last thing the world needs is another algorithm playing at Cupid,” I murmured under my breath, earning a smirk from Leo as we loaded our plates and found a table to sit at.
Samantha soon joined us, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Ben, what do you think? Willing to try it out?”
“Are you kidding?” I let out a short, incredulous bark of a laugh. “Leo just told me I’m a workaholic and a bad boyfriend. Why would I want another dating app to confirm that?”
“Hey.” Leo flicked a fry at my chest. “That’s not what I meant.” He turned to Samantha, grinning. “But seriously, Sam, why should he bother?”
“Come on, guys.” Samantha glanced at us earnestly. “This app is supposed to learn more about users to provide better match suggestions through artificial intelligence. It asks questions that explore your personality, values, lifestyle, and preferences in depth, and then goes deeper into the web to see who you really are and what you really need. It’s not your average dating app—at least, that’s what they tell me. That’s why I need some friends to be my guinea pigs.”
I laughed. “Is that ethical?”
Sam sighed. “You know what I mean.”
