This is the sixth and final installment of a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to catch up on Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V.
Josh was taken aback by the question. He wasn’t sure which surprised him more: that she had been profiling him, or that she admitted to it. It took him a moment to recover and he was afraid of looking like a fool while he floundered for a response.
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” he said eventually. “It just seemed like the kind of thing someone on a dating site would post.”
“Yeah, it did seem pretty generic.”
“So what kind of a class makes their students sign up for a dating site?”
“Gender studies.”
“Ah. So you’re, what? Studying how men and women interact with each other? Is this date really part of an experiment?”
She laughed. “No. We were just supposed to look at the differences in the ways men present themselves to potential mates vs. women. But the sites won’t let you even look at other profiles without creating one of your own, so.” She shrugged, as if that concluded her statement.
“So what made you reach out to me?”
“My roommate.”
Josh nodded slowly. “Ah, yes. The bane of everyone’s existence.”
Siobhan giggled. “It’s not like that. Jessica’s really great. She’s actually my best friend.”
“Ugh!” Josh made a face. “Living with your best friend is the worst.”
“Why? Who are you living with?”
“My best friend.”
Siobhan balled up a napkin and threw it at him.
“All right, all right. I surrender.” He said, holding up his hands. “Your turn. Why did you pick that profile picture?”
“Because it was the first one I saw on my phone that I didn’t hate.”
“Fair enough.”
“You mentioned your parents made you create a profile. Why?”
“They’re afraid of dying grandchildless.”
Siobhan cocked her head to one side as she surveyed him. “Mind if I ask how old you are? Because you don’t look old enough for that to be a concern.”
“I’m 24, but they’re of the persuasion that it’s best to harass your kids for grandkids early and often.”
“Yeesh. And I thought women had it bad.”
“Why? Have your parents been harassing you lately?”
“Constantly. I’ve never dated much and I think they’ve always been afraid that there’s something wrong with me. Every time I talk to my dad the first thing he asks me is if I’ve met any cute guys lately.”
Josh almost spit out his coffee. “Your dad is the one getting on your ass?”
“Yeah, I mean my mom does, too, but he’s definitely the worst. Why?”
“I just can’t imagine having your dad asking you about meeting cute guys. That’s so weird.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty weird. What about you? I take it your mom is the one bugging you?”
“Yeah, but she never asks me if I’ve met any cute girls. She just goes straight to the ‘when are you going to make me a grandmother?’ line.”
“So she doesn’t care how she becomes a grandmother, so long as she can claim that status?”
“Oh, no, she cares. It’s just assumed that I will go through all the proper steps before that. I guess she just doesn’t want me to forget about the end goal. Make no mistake, if we ever make it to the meet-the-parents stage, she will judge you relentlessly.”
Siobhan cocked her head to the other side. “Are we going to make it to that stage?”
Josh was taken by surprise as he was taking a gulp of his coffee and he almost choked on it. “What?”
“You just mentioned the meet-the-parents stage. Do you think there’s a chance we’ll make it to that point?”
“Jesus, I don’t know. I said ‘if’.”
Siobhan nodded. “Good. Because I was still trying to decide if we’re going to make it to the second date stage.”
Josh thought about that for a minute before saying, “So? Are we?”
To be continued…