I got stuck on the interaction between Brennan, Cam and Angela. Angela asked Brennan how her dating was going and Angela was thinking of joining as well, and soon thereafter is using the Date or Hate service. This story is set after "The Cinderella in the Cardboard" with the assumption that Brennan was signed up for the dating service.
The noise of the people around her barely registers as she focuses on the screen in front of her. A seemingly simple question, two possible choices, leaves her struggling internally. The implications of her choice feels heavy, weighing on her mind.
"So… what's it going to be?" She lets out a small, imperceptible sigh as her complication rejoins her at the table. His voice is strained, although he was attempting to conceal it. He took a long drink of his beer, looking at her intently as she kept her eyes on her phone. "Date or hate?"
"I am considering the pros and cons for each decision." He shifted in his seat, crossing his arms across his chest as if protecting himself from her possible answers. "What are the pros?" he asked.
Setting the phone on the table, she met his eyes for the first time. She found a sadness in his eyes that matched her own. "Rationally thinking, the more people I meet and interact with increases the likelihood that I will find "my someone," as you put it."
His jaw clenches and he shifts in his seat again. He stares at the remaining liquid in the beer bottle, not really wanting anything to do with the conversation at hand. "What are the cons?"
"It is possible that if I press date, I may get farther from "my someone", instead of closer." She paused there, aware of the seriousness of her statement. She had showed up at his door with a further understanding of her feelings, her experience with Sweets and Daisy forcing her to confront jealousy and the true reasons behind her own. She wanted to understand an irrational concept she had denounces so many times in the past. She tried to reach out to him at his apartment earlier but had received nothing but empty reassurance and promises. She looked across the table at him, considering whether or not to continue down this path. "I am just unsure of how long to wait."
She watched his expression morph through a multitude of emotions, settling on hopeful, and possibly scared. She wasn't great at reading people, but she felt most confident in her ability to read him.
Eyes still locked, he leaned forward, repeating his earlier question. "What's it going to be?"
She glanced at the screen one final time before pressing the hate option and returning the device to the table.
His smile broadened, eyes twinkling, visibly pleased about her decision. Returning his smile, she hoped that soon they could stop fighting the obvious and take a risk, together.