Author's Note: Well, this is certainly an odd place for me to be in. Welcome to my second fanfiction on this site! Now, I know what you're thinking. How in the world are you supposed to expand upon a story where sex is the end goal? What constitutes going too far in terms of content? And, perhaps most importantly, what sets this story apart from the game it's based on?

Let me explain.

To answer my first rhetorical question, I'm making this story a romantic comedy with some serious elements sprinkled in. It's not about the sex. It's more about the interactions between the characters I created, as well as their interactions with the main character. Also, the main character is not like the protagonist from HuniePop; he's not a blank slate that you're supposed to identify with. As you'll soon see, the main character of this story is one I created. He has a backstory, motivations, and flaws. He has a unique identity that goes beyond being a stand-in for the player in a video game.

As for content, I'm not actually going to give you any sex. I'll give you the dates, and a day-to-day account of the main character and his experiences, but I'm not about to write whole sections about sexual intercourse between my characters. The game would go that far, but I don't want to. It's hard to judge what is and isn't allowed on this site when it comes to those parts of stories, so I'm just not going to bother. I did read a Zootopia fic that executed this idea perfectly, but it wasn't the core of the story. If I did write sex scenes for this story, it might get out of hand.

So, in case you're wondering what you might see, you'll get the date before the roll in the hay, the moment leading up to the roll in the hay, and then the morning after. Nothing more, nothing less.

The main things that sets this story apart from HuniePop itself are the locale and the main character. As I said above, the main character is not an template for immersion. This is not a Reader X Character story. (Be honest, there are enough of those out there already.) This is an OC story set in the universe of the canon, and for that reason, the premise and mechanics are very much the same. There's going to be a guy who needs some romantic guidance, and a love fairy is going to help him out. This time, however, that guy gets a name and a backstory in addition to a wingman, and the rules are slightly different.

Then there's the locale. This story is set in a place of my creation that was modeled after the setting of HuniePop. I wanted it to mirror the original game, but I also didn't want it to be an exact copy. Thus, while some things are the same, some things are new and different. Variety is the spice of life, after all. And, in case you're wondering, this is an OC story. I have created fifteen girls for the main character to date. There are fifteen characters that you can date in HuniePop. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this.

So, there you have it. An OC story that wants to make a story out of a dating simulator. I'm not really sure how this is going to go or how it's going to end. Maybe you guys can help me make this roller coaster ride more fun. Your input might change the outcome of a date, decide how a character reacts to a certain statement, or create new and interesting plot twists I never thought of! Don't be afraid to read, review, and leave suggestions. Everything you say will be taken into account, especially if it's constructive criticism or suggestions for the story's plot line.

I'm pumped! Are you pumped? Yeah, you're pumped! Let's go!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own HuniePop.


Chapter 1:

The End


This isn't the beginning of a story. It's the end of another story, a story where I had a girlfriend...back when everything in my life made sense.

My name is Dan, and her name...was Eveline Masters.

She was as beautiful as a girl could be, with long walnut-colored hair and hazel eyes. I'd been dating her for almost two years. I thought we were perfect for each other. I even asked her to be my wife. But two nights later, before I could even think about where my life was headed or where I would be without her, I came home early from work to our—I mean, my—apartment to find her sleeping with another man.

I was shocked. It was Jerry Carter, my roommate from my junior year of college. There he was, lying next to my fiancée in my bed.

Needless to say, I was pretty upset. I chased Jerry out of my apartment with a broom and had a very heated argument with Evie about our relationship, my proposal to her, her betrayal, everything.

After several minutes of listening to her try and make excuses and blame everything on me, I told her to get the hell out; out of my apartment, out of my city, and out of my life altogether. She didn't hesitate. She didn't even bother to say goodbye. She just packed up her stuff and ran off with Jerry to Las Vegas, leaving me and Lake View behind just like that.

That was nearly a month ago.

I don't hate Evie for what she did. I'm not that kind of person. I am the kind of person who can be emotionally hurt very easily, though, and I have a bad habit of blaming myself for things that I didn't do. I've been tossing and turning in my sleep since that night I found her with Jerry, wondering what I could have done differently.

I kept telling myself that I wasn't handsome enough, that I wasn't really her boyfriend or her fiancé, that I was just too blind to see what she really was. It took me a while to realize that this whole thing wasn't my fault, but even then, I still had doubts.

Was I wrong to send her away? Could I have done anything to prevent this from happening? Will I ever love again?

These were the questions that were stuck on repeat in my head as I sat in Jessie's Bar and Lounge late one Wednesday night, fiddling with the black plastic straw jutting out of my glass of ice water. The vintage jukebox wedged behind the bar had gone through about half of its records, and was currently letting a particularly sad song filter through the air.

I tried my best not to listen. The last thing I needed was an insult to go along with my injury. I didn't even want to drink my water, or anything else. I was perfectly fine with poking at my straw, wasting away under the dim lighting of the lounge, invisible to anyone who happened to glance my way.

Well, invisible to everyone except D, that is.

I've known D for a long time. We grew up together, and we've been best friends for as long as I can remember. I knew D as Danny when we were kids, but when we got into high school, everything changed.

See, D and I have the same first name: Dan. Before freshman year, I had made a point to be called by my legal name, which is Daniel. D stuck with Danny so no one would get confused, including the two of us. Everything changed when one of our teachers, who arbitrarily gives nicknames to everyone that comes through his classroom, shortened both of our names to simply D.

Despite our best efforts, the monikers stuck. Because everyone knew we were best friends, D and I got a lot of nicknames as a pair; Double D, DD, and D&D, just to name a few. Before long, I started calling him D and vice versa. It's been that way ever since.

Neither I nor D ever left Lake View. When I went to study at Slate Lake University, D started training to be a bartender. By the time I got out with a bachelor's in Art, English, and Art History, D had taken ownership of Jessie's. The rest, as they say, is history.

It had been a while since I had last visited D's workplace. Swearing off alcohol was part of that, but I didn't come to D's neck of the woods unless I needed someone to talk to. Considering I had been moping around for the last month or so thinking about Evie, I figured coming down to Jessie's wouldn't do me any harm. That didn't mean I wasn't reluctant to open up about what had happened. I just...hadn't quite gotten over it yet.

That didn't stop D from asking about it, though. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he approached, a confident air about him as always was the case. He hadn't changed at all since last I saw him. He was tall, just a touch taller than me, with dark skin and dark green eyes.

It was no surprise to see he was wearing the all-black uniform of Jessie's Bar and Lounge, nor was it a surprise to see him wearing his favorite black baseball cap, which was pulled tightly over his shaved head. His dark mustache and goatee were well groomed, and while he wasn't as lean as he had been in high school, he definitely made up for that with pure muscle mass.

Upon seeing me in my sad state, half-buried in my arms with a gloomy look on my face, he just shook his head and smiled. "Jesus, D. I haven't seen you this down in a while." He braced one of his massive arms on the polished mahogany of the bar and got comfortable. It was painfully obvious that he knew exactly why I had come here. "Hell, I don't think I've ever seen you this down. What, did someone somewhere kill all the cute dogs in the world?"

Despite myself, I let out a soft chuckle. D knew better than anyone that I'm a dog person. "No," I replied with a grim smile, "If that were the case, I wouldn't be here. I'd be curled up in a ball in my closet asking God why He'd do such a thing."

D laughed out loud. "Ain't that the truth!" He kept laughing. I sat up in my chair and went back to poking at my straw, my smile fading as quickly as it had appeared. Seeing this, D stopped laughing. "Who gave you that ice water?"

I didn't move an inch. "Kyle, just before she left." Kyle was how everyone referred to Theresa Kyle, one of D's employees. She worked the pre-graveyard shift every other weekday and the actual graveyard shift every Sunday to pay bills and try to help her son through college. Being a single parent was rough. "I ordered it about fifteen minutes ago," I added, my eyes glued to the bar.

"That explains why it's mostly water now," he said. "You gonna drink it?"

I shrugged. It was all the answer he needed.

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah. It's that bad."

D opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by someone asking for him. He gave me a hand gesture that said 'gimme a minute' and moved to make them a drink. After a few minutes, he came back, cleaning a dirty mug with the rag he kept on his belt. Neither of us spoke. I kept poking at my water straw and he stuck to cleaning his mug.

"What happened, man?" he said finally, setting down the now-clean mug. "And don't say nothin' happened, 'cause you wouldn't be here if nothin' happened," he added sharply.

I let out a long, miserable sigh. "She's gone, D."

D raised an eyebrow at that. "Who? Your momma? I didn't think smoking would kill her that quickly."

"No, not her. Evie."

"What happened?" he asked, this time with more feeling.

"I...I..." I couldn't bring myself to say it. Part of me still didn't want to believe it, couldn't admit it. I bit my lip. Hard. The truth hurt, but I knew holding it in would only make it hurt more. For a moment, there was only silence. Then I admitted it, the words leaving my mouth in an unforgiving rush. "I caught her with another man."

"Shit..." D folded his arms purposefully, mulling over my revelation with a cross look on his face. "No wonder I haven't seen you and her around lately," he said after a while. "When did this all go down?"

"Little under a month ago."

His head turned on a swivel. "For real?"

I nodded.

"Fuck," he said flatly. "And right after you proposed, too. You should have come to me sooner."

I shook my head. "I needed time to think things over. I've prayed about it, but...I'm still not sure what to do. I feel like the groom from that Panic! At The Disco song..."

D leaned on the bar again, bracing his chin on his fist. "You've read the good book. You know damn well that nobody's perfect."

"Yeah, me included."

"So? You can't keep baggin' on yourself like that, man. This ain't your fault."

I shook my head. "I know it's not my fault. I just can't help but feel like I did something wrong."

"You can't blame yourself for somethin' you didn't do! That's just askin' for trouble. You know what you can do? You can find somebody new."

I knew what D was going to say next, so I decided to say it for him. "There's plenty of fish in the sea."

"Exactly!" D exclaimed, involuntarily throwing his arms in the air. "Evie cheated on you, and I know that's rough, but you gotta look at the positives. You know what I think? I think that this is God's way of telling you she ain't the one. Things could have been a lot worse, man. Sure, you proposed to her, but you didn't marry her. If you had married Evie, it probably wouldn't have been long before you caught her cheating ass anyway. This is a sign!"

"Sure it is," I said dismissively.

"Don't give me that. You know, there are lots of ladies out there who could dig a handsome, smart, compassionate dude like you. Hell, I bet you could find a new soulmate right here in Lake View!"

"As if it'll be that easy," I muttered under my breath.

The words had barely left my lips when I was approached by a young woman with long jet black hair tied into a ponytail. She stood beside me for a few moments, which prompted me to turn back and look at her, though it took a lot of effort.

She looked to be about my age, with jade eyes and ivory skin. She wore black skinny jeans held up by a studded white belt, and a purple off-the-shoulder top that was practically falling off her left shoulder. The top had a marbled white and lilac graphic on the front that was shaped like a heart, and a pair of large gold hoop earrings dangled down from her earlobes.

I blinked. What could a woman like her possibly want with a guy like me? I couldn't think of a reason. Still, it didn't look like she was leaving anytime soon. Not wanting to let her just stand there, but slightly annoyed that my therapy session with D was being interrupted, I decided to do the polite thing and address her.

"Can I help you?" I asked, sounding more cross than I felt.

She gave me a smile before saying, "Not really. I was just wondering if I could sit with you."

I turned and looked around. It didn't seem like this was a prank or some kind of setup, not if the lack of people in my general area was any indication. I looked to D for help, but he merely gave me a grin before he walked off to help another customer. Thanks a lot, I thought. I looked back at the girl. She was very patiently waiting for me to answer, still smiling as she had been.

To my eternal surprise, I caved in.

"Why not?" I said finally, "It's a free country. Have a seat."

She thanked me and quickly took the seat next to mine. Seeing this, D meandered his way back over to us to ask her if she wanted anything. She ordered a gin and tonic, handing him the cash to pay for it immediately. D took a moment to count it before moving to the shelves to get what he needed to make her drink, motioning to the girl with his head as if to say 'talk to her' as he turned away.

It wasn't at all subtle, but my new friend didn't seem to mind him. Not willing to put in more effort than what was necessary, I opened with the most basic yet most important question you can ask someone.

"So," I began, "Do you have a name?"

"Of course," she said sweetly. "How silly of me. I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Vye."

This confused me. "V? Like the letter?"

She just laughed. "No, but I get that a lot. It's spelled V-Y-E, but it's pronounced like V."

"Interesting," I said with a flat smile. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but with a name like that, you sound like an anime character."

That got another laugh out of her. "I get that a lot, too," she admitted, returning my smile with one of her own.

Just then, D set Vye's drink down on the coaster closest to her. She thanked him and took a careful sip, mindful of the lime wedge that was perched on the rim of her glass. I took a sip of my water as D once again gestured toward Vye. I rolled my eyes and waved him away with my hand.

Geez, I thought, You didn't have to be so obvious about it.

Still, I had to admit, things were going smoothly. Surprisingly smoothly. The fact that I could get this girl to laugh was a good sign, but I couldn't help but feel like this whole encounter was a setup. Before I had a chance to dwell on it, however, Vye pulled me out of my head by turning my question around on me.

"So, who do I have the pleasure of sitting next to tonight?" she asked.

I blinked. "My name's Dan," I said, my composure returning in an instant. "Dan Hartigan." I held out my hand for her to take, and when she took it, I shook it gently.

"A pleasure," Vye said with a smile.

"Likewise." I retracted my hand. She took another small sip of her gin and tonic. I poked at my straw, still looking at her. It bothered me that she had come out of nowhere just to sit down and talk to me. Who was she? What was she after? Why talk to me, of all people? I could only hope that the answers to these questions would become clear as we continued our conversation. I didn't want to have to ask her directly.

She looked to me with concern in her jade eyes. "How are you doing tonight? You seem a little down," she said, no doubt noticing my tired countenance, my slumped shoulders, my sad eyes.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked almost jokingly. Vye's silence was enough of an answer. The ghost of a smile I knew I was wearing faded instantly. "To be honest, I'm not exactly peachy," I admitted with a sigh. "Things have been really...difficult for me lately."

Vye nodded. "I understand. Is that why you came here? To drink your sorrows away?"

I chuckled, despite myself. "No. Not unless drinking ice water at the bar counts as drinking one's sorrows away. I swore off alcohol before I was even old enough to drink it."

"Then why?"

"That big guy behind the bar is a buddy of mine." I nodded toward D for emphasis. "I thought I'd come by and talk to him about the problems I've been having."

"What kind of problems?"

I shook my head. "Personal problems. I don't want to get into it."

"That's fair, I suppose." Vye took a moment to finish her drink before turning back to me. "Do you have a girlfriend, Dan?"

"Why do you ask?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

She just shrugged. "I'm curious."

I braced my chin on my fist and took a moment to gather my thoughts before answering. After a while, I said, "I did have a girlfriend. I almost had a wife. I don't have either, now. Such is life."

"Ah, so that's why your friend was gesturing toward me like that." She nodded her head the same way D had before to make sure we were on the same page.

As soon as I understood what she was talking about, I laughed the hardest I had laughed in what felt like ages. Vye laughed too, our voices strangely loud in the relative quiet of Jessie's. I had to force myself to stop laughing so I could catch my breath. "You saw that?" I said, unable to stop myself from chuckling.

"Oh, yeah," she said with a giggle.

"Jeez." I breathed out a sigh. I knew for a fact that I was smiling like an idiot. I felt like an idiot, but, strangely, it wasn't an unwelcome feeling. Instincts kicked in, causing me to reach back and rub the back of my neck with my hand, all but admitting my embarrassment. "I guess the jig is up, then." I threw my hands in the air for emphasis. "I'm single!"

"But, you're not ready to mingle?" she grinned.

"What, are you kidding? I haven't had an engaging discussion like this in weeks."

"So...you are ready to mingle."

"I guess so. Why? Does...does this count as mingling? Is that what we're doing right now?" Vye chuckled, which I took as a sign to push the joke as far as it could go. "Am I mingling with you? Hold on, now, I have to know. How does one mingle? Is there a guide I can read about methods of human communication with a chapter on mingling? It's a...very curious term. Mingling."

When I started exaggerating the syllables of the word 'mingling', Vye just lost it. I smiled. It was getting to that point in the night when tiredness acted as a comedic crutch, when even the simplest of statements could trigger fits of uncontrollable laughter.

Vye quickly became the victim of a late night giggle attack, so much so that it took her a little under five minutes to settle down. I used the time to drink my water, adjust my collar, and fix my hair with my hand. You know, just to make sure everything was in order. I would have straightened my glasses, too, if I hadn't left them at home.

"Are you having fun, Dan?" she said, still somewhat out of breath.

"Why? Are you?" I said with what I knew was a cocky grin.

"Why, yes. Far more than I thought I would, actually."

It was then that I remembered my original concerns with Vye. We had talked for a while, but I still couldn't figure out what her angle was, why she was here talking with me. I decided to stop being indecisive and finally find out, though I didn't ask her directly.

"What were you expecting?" I asked. "I wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows earlier."

"I didn't know what to expect," she said with a shrug. "But I'm glad I decided to sit next to you."

There. The perfect opportunity to ask the question that had been on my mind since Vye had first approached me. I didn't miss a beat. "Why did you decide to sit and talk with me? Was it a dare? Prank? Pity party? Help me out here."

Vye smiled, but didn't say anything. She looked me up and down, considering me. Then she leaned into the bar and braced her cheek on her fist, drumming her fingers on the wood as she retracted into her thoughts.

I watched as she played with the lime on the rim of her glass, as she swayed in time with the music emanating from the jukebox, as she sighed and brushed her hair out of her eyes. Eventually, she turned back to me with an energy that suggested she had just come to a decision.

"You know, Dan," she said with an earnest look in her eyes, "You're not like most guys."

That remark made me raise an eyebrow, but it didn't stop me from responding. "How do you figure?"

"You're careful...patient...hesitant, too, but only at first. You care deeply about the company you keep, but you're polite enough to accept anyone's company for any amount of time, even a woman you've never met before. It wouldn't matter who I was or what I was after; you would treat me with the utmost respect, just as you have been."

Okay, now things were getting weird. All kinds of alarms started going off in my head, mostly because I had never encountered anything like this before. What was she, some kind of fortune teller? I couldn't tell if she was complimenting me, hitting on me, complimenting me in order to hit on me, or if she was luring me into some kind of trap. Never did I think a chance encounter at a bar would take such a strange turn, which was all the more reason to think this was something other than a chance encounter at a bar.

My heart started beating faster of its own volition. I tried to look away from her, but her jade eyes locked mine in place, forcing me to focus on her. Half of me wanted to run away. The other half was too curious to leave. I suddenly found myself unable to speak, unable to do much more than simply tilt my head in what I can only describe as utter confusion.

"You also know what it means to connect with someone," she said, apparently unconcerned by my lack of understanding. "You know what it means to go beyond simple conversation. You go out of your way to make others happy; their happiness makes you happy, even if it's in the tiniest of gestures."

All at once, my days of dating back in college suddenly came flooding to me, all the times I managed to make a girl I was even minutely interested in laugh, all the times I opened a door for them (or, failing that, apologized for missing my opportunity to do so), all the times I had complimented them for no reason other than to see them smile. I could see each moment clearly in my head, almost like I was experiencing them all over again. To my chagrin, a lot of those moments involved Evie. The point still remained, though. She was right.

But she was far from done.

"You're easily hurt, though, "she continued. "Betrayal cuts deeper than any knife, and while you can handle criticism, the worst things said about you often come from your own mouth."

I began to see scenes from my life like I was watching it in a theater, moments from weeks past. I saw myself chasing Jerry Carter out of my apartment with my broom. I saw the anger on my face as I chewed out Evie for cheating on me just after I had asked her to marry me. I saw myself sitting on my bed, crying, throwing pillows at the wall in frustration.

From there, I jumped to about a week previous, when I ran up my water bill standing in a scalding hot shower having an existential crisis. After that came what I could only guess was little over an hour ago, when I walked into Jessie's and ordered my glass of ice water. Then I saw myself talking to D, saying things like 'She's gone, D' and 'I caught her with another man' and 'I just can't help but feel like I did something wrong'. I could hear my own voice so clearly I almost thought it was a recording.

"You were hurt by someone you cared about." Vye's eyes were filled with sadness and sympathy. I was still stunned beyond speech. "That's why you came seeking counsel from a friend," she nodded toward D for emphasis, "That's why you sit at the bar with a glass of water you ordered just so you wouldn't look out of place. That's why you're the only man that isn't looking for a woman to cling to his arm in a place that's full of potential one-night lovers."

It took my brain a moment to recover from what I had just been hit with. I had so many questions, but I only had enough processing power to get out one word.

"How...?" I trailed off uselessly.

Vye just shook her head and gave me a tired, familiar smile. "You're easy to read."

With that, she got up, waved goodbye to D, adjusted the waist of her skinny jeans, and made for the closest exit.

She didn't get far before I got up and ran to catch up to her, calling out for her to wait. I was almost full-sprint by the time she stopped and turned around. I had to stop myself short in order to avoid running right over her. I was suddenly fully aware that I was sweating profusely, my hands shaking, my legs full of pins and needles. I ignored all that and focused all of my attention on her.

"Yes?" she said with a amused lilt.

"Who are you?" I all but blurted out. "Who are you, really?"

She just smiled. "Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough. Good night!"

And just like that, she was gone.

I took a moment to slow my breathing, run my fingers through my hair, and get my feet back underneath me. My mind was buzzing with questions, but I didn't let that freak me out any further than it already had. A few deep breaths later, I finally felt like myself again. I was still beyond concerned with what had just happened, but for the moment, I was alright.

Of course, that's when D had to shout from the bar, "Hey, D! You get her number, or what?!"


When I got home that night, I felt like I had run a marathon. That, or played one too many rounds of Overwatch Competitive in a row. I almost didn't take a shower just because I was so tired, but one quick sniff of my shirt convinced me otherwise.

It wasn't my fastest shower. A lot of the time was spent letting the hot water rush over me as I let the last few hours run through my head on repeat. When I finally did get out, I stepped into a world of steam. Not willing to try and brush my teeth and shave when I could barely make myself out in the bathroom mirror, I slipped on my pajama pants and flopped unceremoniously into bed.

After trying for several minutes to get comfortable laying atop my covers, I gave up and actually crawled under them, making sure to keep one foot out so I didn't get overheated during the night. I rustled around in my sheets, trying to find the most comfortable position. After a while, I turned over so that I was flat on my back, my eyes on the ceiling.

It suddenly occurred to me that I was somehow too tired to fall asleep. I looked to the clock on my nightstand. 1:06, it read. I looked back to the ceiling. Still blank. I closed my eyes tight, hoping they'd stay shut. No use. I breathed out a long sigh.

It was going to be a rough night.

That's when I remembered that I hadn't said my prayers in a while. Part of me didn't want to expend the energy it would take to express my thoughts and concerns with God, but the rest of me knew that that was just me being lazy. With a sigh, I got up and got myself situated. It took a lot of fidgeting and adjusting, but I eventually got into a position I could call comfortable. I sat up and slumped back into my headboard, my pillow cushioning the small of my back.

Perfect. I closed my eyes and collected my thoughts before I began.

"Dear Lord," I said tiredly, "Please grant me a good night's sleep. I think I'm going to need it," I added with a yawn. I blinked. There was only silence for several minutes. God and I both knew I had something on my mind. Someone on my mind. For once, it wasn't Evie, rather it was a girl with straight black hair and piercing jade eyes. That didn't make it any less difficult to articulate with words.

I breathed a long sigh out through my nose. This next part was going to be difficult. While I knew it was pointless not to voice my feelings to someone who knew my feelings better than me, I was still hesitant to admit what about tonight was bothering me. To make it easier on myself, I decided to make it into a question.

"What the hell happened tonight?" I asked the ceiling, my voice sounding as frustrated and weary as I felt. "Was it...was it some kind of test? Was that your way of telling me it's time to move on? What am I supposed to do? Who was that girl?"

In the aftermath of my divine questionnaire there was only silence, as was to be expected. It wasn't like God was going to speak to me through my ceiling. His answer would make itself clear soon enough, I knew that. Even so, it was driving me insane. The fact that my fiancée had been cheating on me with my old college roommate was hard to swallow, but the fact that God might be telling me to pick up the pieces and find someone else was just as daunting.

Was D right? Is He really telling me that Evie wasn't the right person, and that I should find someone else? Do I even have it in me to find someone else?

These were the questions I was asking myself as I lay awake in bed at one in the morning, after what I would come to call the strangest night of my life. Satisfied that I had asked all the questions I needed to ask, I closed my prayer and tried my best to fall asleep. Little did I know that the strangest morning of my life was right around the corner, and that my questions would be answered all too soon.


Author's Note: Before you ask, Dan is a non-denominational Christian. There are several reasons why I made him a Christian, but the primary reason is because I thought it fit the character well. Why Christianity as opposed to another religion or belief system? Easy. I'm a Christian. This might seem short-sighted, but as I explained to my Betas when they questioned this decision:

"Making Dan a Christian wasn't a stylistic or thematic choice. It was a character choice. It gives Dan something to weigh his choices against, and considering what will happen later...well...he's going to be asking God a lot of questions, some for comedic effect, some for dramatic effect. Character development is important to me. I could have made Dan any religion. I only really know non-denominational Christianity, so that's what I made him."

So...yeah, Dan's a Christian. While this does impact Dan as a character and the choices he'll make as the story progresses, it shouldn't impact you as the reader all that much. This isn't going to get preachy. I'm not trying to convert anyone here. I'm just making this story as realistic as possible. After all, religions play a role in the real world as much as they do in the world of a dating simulator. Or at least, they do in my book.

Bottom line, while you as the reader will have a role in deciding how the story progresses based on your suggestions, Dan's religion is the one thing I will not change. As far as the other characters are concerned...we'll see.

UPDATE: I changed some things, but they're small things. You'll notice that Dan actually refers to Evie as his fiancée now. That's important. Originally I wasn't sure whether or not to have Evie engaged to Dan in the story, but now they are. There's a reason why I did this. It'll become apparent in the next chapter.