Chapter Two
Weeks went by, and suddenly it was spring. Love was supposed to be in the air. And one day Ray suddenly realized he couldn't remember the last time he had been on a date. When had he become so comfortable coming home and just hanging out with Neela?
That should have been a sign.
But he had chalked that up to being lazy. It was easier to come home and hang out with his best friend (he could call her that now) rather than dragging himself out to some bar to try and impress the ladies. He found that the bargirls that he normally would have found attractive were somewhat vapid and young now. He figured that was the side effect of hanging out with Abby and Neela all the time at work. Hitting up the more attractive and smart girls took effort. And when he went out (don't get him wrong, he still liked to knock 'em back on a weekly basis), he just didn't bother to try.
Which kind of freaked him out.
So he had gone out that night and met a girl named Ashley that he wanted to cook for. He pulled out all the stops, trying to impress. He must have come off like a stalker or a nerd who was trying too hard as she never showed up. He was a Doctor with a capital D for chrissakes – he thought that guaranteed him an instant pass. Apparently not.
He had drowned his thoughts and sorrows in Ghost, only to turn the channel when Neela turned up, not wanting her to see his sad state of affairs (or the fact that he was watching such a chick flick). He thought about lying about Ashley coming and going, but gave up the minute he realized a) he didn't care, and b) it took too much effort. She, of course, ragged him for being stood up.
Recording her television shows came kind of naturally to him then, along with picking up her cereal and snacks at the store. She did the same for him, though she tended to always throw something fun into the grocery pile knowing that he would appreciate it. Back then it was Peeps. He had inhaled them down, leaving only one for her, which she had waited a week before eating, tormenting him. She called them "American marshmallows."
But all of that still didn't light his lightbulb.
