By noon, the group chat had already named my future husband.
Coco: tonight 7pm. wear something that says “i read books & also your mortgage”
Tari: and don’t argue. the last two “not-a-dates” were crimes
Me: define crimes
Tari: the accountant who called you “ma’am” and the DJ who brought his own ring light
Coco: anyway… we found you a human. meet-cute time
Me: i’m busy. soup.
Coco: soup isn’t a reason, it’s a lifestyle. 7pm. Ray’s on Amina. I’m outside your office at 6 with makeup.
I stared at my screen, then at Coco over the divider. She waved like a flight marshal guiding me into a bad landing.
“Absolutely not,” I mouthed.
“Absolutely yes,” she mouthed back, then typed: we already confirmed with him.
“Who is ‘him’?” I asked, out loud.
Coco only smiled and held up a garment ba
