Daniel and I were talking about my dream from last night while eating breakfast… in the afternoon… as you do right?

"Alright- So let me get this straight." Daniel said.

I nod.

"You had a dream about Cat where you two were having a good time during Christmas, then you had a pillow fight where you ended up on top of her… then she screamed at you?"

"Yeah- what do you think that means?"

Daniel just gaped at me, "Are you a moron? Your dreams are your subconscious, your subconscious is asking you why you left Cat." He takes a sip of coffee, "You're not over her despite how much you say you are."

I took a bite of toast, "Yeah but why now? I don't get it, I've never had this kind of dream even when we first broke up."

Daniel leaned back and thought about it, "It's probably just because we were talking about girls last night, you were reminded of it somehow right? So your brain starts thinking about it more and you come to a realization that you still like her." Daniel replied, finishing off his last piece of bacon.

"Yeah but I've never denied to myself that I liked her, I always have liked her but I've weighed out the fact that while I like her, our relationship would probably be really bad especially now that I'm college." I finish off my sunny side-up eggs, "I mean, considering everything that happened even before I was in college and while she was just doing music. Now she's constantly on tours too and doing interviews all the time… if we got back together it'd be worse."

Daniel picked up his plate and walked over to the sink, "Well, maybe your brain suddenly decided that after this long of being alone, you're willing to go back to her despite the shortcomings."

"Yeah but why? I don't feel particularly lonely."

"Because you're in love," he said, scraping off the food on his plate into the trash and rinsing it, "You said that you still like her even after all of this time, your heart will always yearn towards what you love no matter what you do."

I sigh, picking up my plate and walking up beside him to do the same, "But what good would it do at this point? It's been years. How do I even know she still likes me?" I pause, "I'm pretty sure she has a boyfriend actually…"

"Well I guess that's your queue to try to get back out there and date right? I'll even help you. I mean you hooked me up with Bethany last night and we really hit it off… I owe you a good bit now."

I felt a smile creeping onto my face, "You hit it off?"

Daniel sighed, "Yeah- it was great."

"HA!" I pointed at him, "I was right! I knew exactly what you needed!"

He waved me off, "Shut up dude, yeah yeah- you were right, you were right. But now you need to take your own damn advice and get back out there." He responded.

"You make that sound like it's easy." I replied.

"You make it sound like it's hard." he retorted.

"It is hard!" I responded quickly, "I'm not that attractive, I'm pretty lanky. At this point, it would be hard for me to pick a girl up y'know?"

Daniel put the dish into the drying rack, "So you've got confidence issues. Why not come to the gym with me then? That could really boost your confidence and you could get something to do while you have so much downtime. Get contacts too, you'd look better without those massive optics obscuring half of your face."

I touch the sides of my glasses, "But… I like my glasses, they're an integral part of my person…"

He washes his hands then dries them, "An integral part of why girls won't come flocking to you." Daniel walked to the couch with me trailing behind him, "You would be pretty attractive to women so long as you just tried a little harder, so go work out and get a better style." He said.

I sighed and plopped down on the couch with him… would I really look that much better if I were to just try a little more? I've always knew that I've always kind of looked dorky. Even when I tried to look better back in high school by straightening my hair and new clothes and thought I looked cool, I still got rejected the same way by girls.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive." Daniel responded quickly.

I stared at the TV for a bit thinking, then looked over at him, "Okay… then how do I start?"

Daniel got up and grabbed me by the arm, dragging me out of the apartment and closing the door behind him, "Contacts and new clothes. Then we're going to the gym!"
"W-wait! Shouldn't we talk a little more about a game plan?!"

"Nope. Plans are for chumps, people who want to get things done will do them first then figure out complications later."

"That sounds- really irresponsible!" I said as he pushed me into the elevator.

"We're making you look better, not arming a nuclear bomb. Let's go!" he said, pressing the button with vigor.

…

…

…

"This is a bit anticlimactic…" I said slowly.

"Yeah…" Daniel responded.

"So uhh… your stocks are doing okay right now?" I asked Daniel,

"Oh yeah for sure, I invested in a few new companies after I pulled money out of my index funds. Hopefully they will go up within the next few days." He responded, business majors really know their stuff.

"Oh that's good, man I really need to get into stocks, I kind of need of the money right now-" *DING* and I don't even finish my sentence as Daniel drags me out of the elevator, into the lobby, out of the lobby and into his car, slamming the door on my side and getting in on the other.

"Alright let's go-" he stops and feels in his pockets, "...I forgot my keys upstairs when dragging you down here."

"Oh boy, a good start." I responded.

"Shut up, stay right here, I'll be right back."

I let out a breath as he ran back into the apartment building, letting myself relax in the warm car I started to think.

So I still want to be in a relationship with Cat.

Yeah, that's pretty much no surprise, she was my first girlfriend and the only one I've ever experienced a sense of love with. After this amount of time of solitude from a relationship it would make sense that my brain would gravitate towards her again.

But even so, it's likely not healthy if we were to ever get back into a relationship together. The reason we broke up was because she got way too busy for me and we lost the connection with each other. How would things be better as she's even more popular now than she was in college? It's a formula for disaster and heartbreak all over again and I really don't want to go through that.

Besides, she cheated on me and neglected me. Why would I want that back in my life at all?

I notice Daniel running back over to the car, he gets on the other side and opens the driver's side door to get in.

"That was pretty fast," I said.

"Yeah, I took the stairs down so I could get down faster." He said in between breaths.

He put his keys into the ignition and started the car.

"So where are we going first anyway?" I asked.

"Getting you fitted for contacts." he said, "When was the last time you got fitted for glasses?"

"I don't know, last year?" I said.

"Good, then you're practically good for a new pair, or in this case, contacts." He replied, taking a left at the stop sign.

"You know I'm not sure that the right way to say it is getting 'fitted' for contacts… wouldn't I just be getting my eyes checked?"

"Rob… shut up."

"Okay."

We sat in silence for the rest of the drive and got to the optometrist's office to get my eyes checked.

Obviously I needed a stronger prescription, that was going to be a given. Then Dan asked about contacts and the doctor had given mixed signals about it, he said that while it would be okay it would be like downgrading my prescription to something worse. It would look kind of blurry but I wouldn't be completely blind.

So while Dan looked up where to buy contacts, I ordered some new lenses for a new pair of glasses.

We thanked the people at the clinic and made our way out back into the car.

"Dan, do we really have to change everything about my physical appearance? What's going to the gym even going to do for me in one day?" I asked as I got into the passenger side.

"You're going whenever I'm going, not just today. But in terms of just today the answer is that the gym obviously does nothing for you physically, but going to the gym boosts testosterone which boosts confidence which will help you for going to the club after." Dan explained.

I did a double take in my head, "Wait what? We're going to the club?" I asked.

"Yeah Rob. I plan to repay that favor you did me last night in full, and to do so we need to get you a date ASAP."

"But I thought that would be more along the lines of like… a blind date or something!" I exclaimed, "I don't do well at clubs…"

"You seemed just fine last night when you embarrassed yourself to get the bartender to talk to me, you're telling me that you don't have the confidence to walk into a club?" Daniel said deadpanned as he pulled into the parking lot of a mall, "Alright, we could probably get you a haircut at the barbershop near the thrift store, then we can get you something to wear that's not cargo shorts and witty t-shirts." Daniel unbuckled and got out, but before he could fully get out of his seat I grabbed his wrist.

"Daniel, dude, are you sure about this? I'm not sure I'm ready to just change myself like this, it seems really sudden. Besides, how do you know so much about fashion and styling? How can I trust that you won't make me just look like a dork?" I asked.

Daniel sighed, "Rob. I'm a business major. I know a thing or two about appearances and style comes with that hand-in-hand. I won't make you look like a dork because I owe you; I can't let you sit here all sad and mopey over a girl when you just helped me get over that." he rested his hand over my shoulder, "Now bitch, get out of this car, because I'm going to make you look fabulous."

I groaned as I got out of the car.

Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate what he's trying to do for me, but you can't make a trainwreck look much better. You could clean up some of the rubble and put out a few fires, but in the end you still have a trainwreck.

The entire process took about three hours to do and was finished around sunset. By the end my afro was gone, instead I was wearing one of those trendy hairstyles for guys with curly hair where it was just buzzed off the sides with longer curls towards the center and instead of my star-trek shirt and cargo pants, I was wearing a white t-shirt with a navy blue blazer and pants that probably came from some dead guys closet. I looked ready for a business meeting, but I'm not sure how well that translates to the club.

"Alright Rob. Listen, I know it's been a little difficult getting used to a new style and all of that but dude just don't stress out. You're a really nice guy and you always have good intentions so as long as you're yourself in there you'll probably get a girl to like you. In fact, don't even think about specifically getting a girl, just let things ride out naturally okay?" Daniel patted me on the back.

"Dan, this place seems really busy and crowded…" I responded cautiously.

"Yeah so what? You used to be at a performing arts school, you never went to dances?" He asked.

"I did, but they were normally with a large group of friends and were never typically this crowded." I responded.

"You'll get used to it quickly, trust me." Daniel replied.

He got out of the car and I followed with, noticing the itch that was presenting itself behind my neck where the tag of the t-shirt was.

I was still really nervous going in, even after Dan's speech about being myself. What am I even going to do here? I don't drink, I don't dance, hell, I'm not even sure how to start a conversation with someone at a club. What do you do? Walk up to them and say, 'Wow, crazy night huh?' like, how corny is that?

…

Actually it sounds exactly like something I'd do back in high school in order to talk to a girl.

I take a deep breath as we get into the line to get in the club… what? We're not celebrities or anything, we wait like everybody else.

Everyone seemed so dressed up, not in any way that was too formal but a casual kind of style that you could tell they spent at least an hour on.

All I could do while sitting in the line was fixate around everything surrounding the area. The air was starting to become chilled and cool as the sun set and the sky changed from a warm orange to light violet. The street started getting more busy as more and more people got off work and either came to the club to party or went out to drink and eat with friends. Everything seemed to light up brighter at night than it did during the day.

All of my zoning out was in my favor as it wasn't long before we were at the front of the line.

"ID?" The bouncer asked.

Daniel and I pulled out our IDs and walked into the club with a curt nod from the bouncer.

It was really crowded.

"Sheesh- there must be a celebrity here today, it's not normally this packed." Daniel said, although I could hardly hear him with the blaring music, "Rob, let's make our way to the bar, I'll give you a game plan to get a girl tonight."

"Dan I'm not trying to just hook up with someone, that's not my goal."

"Can't hurt to at least try right? If it works out then you also have a girlfriend on top of a nice night!" He responded, leading me to the bar, "Really the worst thing that can happen is that you experience what it's like to be at a nightclub."

We finally make it to the bar and I catch glimpses of people who are likely strangers to each other making out on the seats and groping each other in places I'd rather not mention.

I felt someone elbow me in the ribs as they passed me, giving a quick, 'sorry!' as they ran off.

"Yeah… loving it so far." I said, rubbing my ribs.
"What do you want to drink?" Dan asked as we sat down.

"Water." I responded.

"What?" Dan said, "What happened to Whisky Sours?" He asked.

"I took a drink that night because it'd make you feel better, I don't want to get into a habit of drinking." I said.

Dan just shrugged in defeat and called over the bartender, ordering himself some kind of strong liquor and getting me a mocktail.

"No alcohol in mocktails, you'll be fine." He said as I was about to remind him that I wasn't going to drink.

I slumped back down in my seat and the reality of the situation was really setting in. I didn't want to do this, it felt wrong and I'm way too nervous right now. I don't want to meet a random girl and at best get some kind of one-night stand. That's not how things should work, things should grow naturally and slowly in order to build a healthy relationship right? I mean, if things are rushed then what happens if you don't like the person as you get to know them more? What if-

I was pulled from my thoughts as Daniel tapped me on the shoulder and averted my gaze to a redhead on the dancefloor.

"You see her? Shoot your shot on her, she's been dancing alone which means she doesn't have a date and nobody has approached her yet."

My face embodied my reluctance, "I don't know Dan, what if she just wants to spend the night alone partying? Some people do that…"

"Come on Rob, who comes to the club and wants to be alone? What kind of backwards logic is that?"

"I don't know, someone who's social but sad?"

"Stop making up excuses for yourself and get in there! I'll be watching, if things go wrong just come back to the bar and we'll talk about it." Dan gave me a shove, "Now go!"

I awkwardly balanced myself and walked towards the girl currently shaking every limb on her body on the dancefloor, hair lashing around her head like some kind of whip and eyes closed as if she was dancing in her room.

How do I even talk to her? Do I just poke her and start up a conversation? This isn't some kind of meet and greet, people are here to do what they want to do, not cater to the needs of the people around them.

As I was approaching her though, she opened her eyes and noticed me looking at her, smiling and beckoning me to come over.

So I awkwardly shuffled my way through the sea of people to be standing in front of her, still dancing.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked.

"W-what?"

"You're stiff as a board on the dancefloor and just staring at me, what are you some kind of stalker?"

"I-uh- no. I- I just- uh-"

She laughed a little, "Not the best with words are we?"

I sighed, "No."

"Aw- well it's okay, my name's Liv, what's yours?"

"Robbie." I responded, looking up at her.

She is really pretty. Red hair with green eyes and light freckles, a slim face with pale skin, she might as well be a viking princess.

"Well it's nice to meet you Robbie!" She responded, sticking her hand out to shake hands.
I obliged and shook her hand, trying my best to not be nervous and hoping my hands weren't too sweaty.

"So what brings you to the club? You don't seem like the type, no offense." she said.

"None taken. It's-uh… well it's kind of complicated… a little personal y'know?"

"You wanna talk about it?" she asked me.

"I don't want to bother you with my sap." I responded.

"Nonsense, I don't have anything better to do. Besides I'm getting light-headed with how much I've been throwing myself back and forth all night." she said, "Come on let's get a table and talk."

I followed her to one of the tables in the back of the club, glimpsing over at Daniel who was giving me a thumbs up as I walked away.

Liv sat me down and propped her head in her hands, looking over to me, "So what are you here for?" she asked.

"I-... I'm here to try to find a girlfriend." I responded.

"Oooooh- good thing we had this talk then, I'm taken so that would've been really awkward for you to find out any other way." She said.

"Oh my god- I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

She cut me off with laughter, "No it's okay! It makes sense why you would think I was single, not many people just go to the club by themselves unless they're looking to hook up." her laughter died down, "So why are you looking for a girlfriend?" she asked.

"It's… been a while at this point. Really it was a suggestion of my roommate. Last night I had a dream about my ex-girlfriend and since I helped him get over his ex, he wants to help me get over mine. His idea of doing so though was making me dress up and go to the club to meet girls."

Liv cringed a little, "Yeesh, your roommate ain't the brightest bulb in the lightshow then huh? Coming to the club to get a girlfriend isn't really ever a good idea, at best you can get one night stands." She said, "One night stands only make you feel worse since you feel as if you can't get an emotional connection to anyone else other than who you were originally thinking about. Really just like dowsing water on an oil-fire."

"Well personally I don't really have any better ideas. I just don't want this feeling to persist for much longer, I want to finish my college years without having to worry about my love life or thinking about my ex." I responded.

"Well then why not work on yourself? If you do enough work that should eventually help you forget that you had an issue to begin with." She said, laying her hands down onto the table.

"I've been just doing work for the past year to stop thinking about it, in fact I'm about two weeks ahead of the rest of my class, but now I'm just back thinking about her."

"Hmmm… well… that's a bummer. I feel for you though, I went through a rough break up and felt as if I could never move on from that girl." She said, "Took me a whole year to stop texting her asking for a second chance."

"Oh!" I said quickly, "You're lesbian?" I asked.

She snickered, "I'm pansexual," she said, "I have a boyfriend right now but if I were single I wouldn't really care what the gender of a person, just if I like them or not." Liv took her phone out of her pocket to check the time, "I gotta go, my boyfriend is about to get out of class and I want to meet up with him to go get something to eat tonight." she said quickly, "Here, give me your number, I could probably help you get a girl that wouldn't just be there for one night."

"Oh yeah, sure!" I said, handing her my phone to put her info into as she also copied my number into her phone.

"It was great meeting you Robbie, I'll see you later." she said quickly, rushing out while mumbling about being late.

"Great meeting you too!" I called out behind her, sitting back down as she got out of sight.

As I sat back down I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.
I take it out and check the message that was on the screen.

Bethany wanted to meet up tonight, let me know what happened tomorrow, I took the car so you should probably just take a bus, I'll see you later bro!

I sigh as I stuff my phone back into my pocket and take a seat.

Why am I so hung up over Cat again after all of this time? It doesn't make sense.

Probably because I don't have any more work to stuff my brain with now that I'm ahead.

Yeah that would make sense.

Since I broke up with Cat I've just been doing all the work that I could physically handle, from applying to colleges to writing papers, to sorting out my finances to doing classwork, I've been keeping myself busy, and now that I'm not: I miss her again.

I let out a deep breath that I didn't even realize I was holding and leaned back in the chair, "ahhh… why do I still love you Caterina Valentine?" I asked myself.

…

"Robbie?"

I felt my veins run cold with ice. Every nerve in my body seemed to flare and short-circuit as my skin felt as if it were on fire. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. My heartbeat sped up like a drum banging against my head and my brain could hardly even think.

I didn't dare to move a muscle.

I only moved my head slightly to look over to the voice…

And there she was…

Caterina Valentine.

Still five feet tall but now a little more tan and without her red hair.

I hardly even managed to process what she was wearing before I followed the only word that was running through my mind.

RUN.