“Not just an apology. I’m swearing off men for a while.”
At that, Gali let out a full-on laugh, loud enough that heads turned five people deep to stare back at them. Minh noticed that most of the men’s gazes lingered, observing the pair appreciatively.
Some of those men were pretty good-looking too. Not like it mattered. She never, ever dated men she met at bars. It was one of her rules. It was hard to have a conversation at a bar, and too difficult to find out whether a guy was acceptable dating material.
Of course, she hardly went to bars anymore, but still.
“You? Swearing off men? You don’t have any men to swear off of! That date last night was your only date in the past year.”
“Galatea Melina Gianopoulos. Enough with the only-date-in-a-year thing.” Minh crossed her arms and drew herself upright to her full five-foot-nine, even though she knew that Gali wouldn’t be intimidated one bit. Even if they hadn’t been best friends, they were still roommates, and Gali wasn’t the type of woman to be afraid of someone who hung her bras to dry on the shower curtain rod.
“Okay, okay. No need to bust out my full Greekness in public. Simmer down, Skinny Minnie. I was just teasing you.”
“I hate that nickname,” Minh practically growled.
“Damn. Maybe you need a break from everything.”
Minh pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. She had to get herself together. She usually didn’t mind when Gali teased her with her childhood nickname, but lately, it felt like the universe was against her.
It was true that she hadn’t gotten out much in the past year, ever since she’d broken up with her last boyfriend, Nick. He had fit almost every quality she required in a guy, and he’d been supportive of her career. They’d had such a promising, sweet relationship, but in the end…it just wasn’t working. There wasn’t enough of a spark between them to keep her brain or her body burning for him. She needed stimulation. Challenge.
Something that only rule-breakers and risk-takers have. But you’ve been down that road before. It destroyed your sister’s life and nearly tore your family apart, remember.
Exactly.
If the right guy was out there, Minh certainly wasn’t finding him.
Her date last night had been perfect on paper. A sweet-faced, jock-type software salesman who wore chinos and a button-down shirt to dinner. Clean-cut, check. Gainfully employed, check. He had a college degree, lived in a nice part of town, and appreciated classical music—even if he’d admitted that he didn’t listen to it often. He’d brought her flowers, held the door for her, and did all the things that her perfect man should do.
She’d even been considering letting him kiss her good night before he’d managed to destroy her evening with that ridiculous, small-minded comment about her mixed-race heritage.
One of the items on her list was Doesn’t fetishize me.
Back to the drawing board. Add that disaster to the two rejections she’d received from film companies this week, and she felt like she’d bottomed out. One of the e-mails had said that her work was “technically excellent”, but that she didn’t seem to be “living in the music.”
In fact, every one of the six films for which she’d auditioned this year had said the same thing. Highest praise for her technical merit, subtle disdain for her interpretive talent.
How was it possible? All she’d ever wanted—what she’d worked for her whole life—was to compose beautiful songs for movies. Hadn’t Dad always told her that someday she’d be famous for her music? And she’d believed him. She’d taken that dream and run with it, throwing herself into violin lessons, going to orchestra concerts, and playing in every local symphony wherever Dad was stationed as he worked his way up the Navy ranks. But here she was, twenty-seven years old, with no more than weddings and bar mitzvahs to point to as her greatest artistic achievements.
She was out of ideas and out of confidence.
Minh dropped her arms to her side and sighed. “I’m sorry, Gali. I think I need to go home. Do you mind?”
Gali gestured toward the stage with her chin. “Sounds like you won’t miss anything if you leave. But I’ll stay, if that’s okay. I want to stick around for the next band, just in case they’re worth another overpriced beverage.”
Minh hesitated for a moment. She didn’t like leaving Gali behind—the sad reality was that being a lone woman in a place like this always carried some risk—but she saw the decided look on her friend’s face and nodded, bending forward to hug Gali. “If you say so. Stay safe, okay? And thanks, Gali-girl. I’ll see you at home.”
“Oh, and remember we have someone coming tomorrow to see the apartment.”
She nodded. “How could I forget? We need a roommate, fast. Nicole’s old room has been vacant for nearly two months. Covering the extra rent is killing my budget.”