Page 5 of Mate Match: Curtis & Jae
Finally, he replied.
Jae
That’s awesome! Yeah, fall is a great choice. It’s cuddling up with a book or a movie weather. No allergies that I can think of. I don’t eat a lot of red meat. As long as there’s other options on the menu, I’m pretty easy to feed. Obviously, being Korean, I can handle a little spice.
Well, that made it pretty easy. There were plenty of places I could take him. Once I got home, I spent an hour looking at restaurants in the area before picking a place that I knew haddecent pheromone control and great food. I’d never left the place hungry. I called and was lucky to get a table.
Curtis
Our reservation is set. Looking forward to meeting you.
In the message I sent the pin for the place and included the online menu. I hoped he would like where I’d picked. It wasn’t the fanciest of places, but I wasn’t that kind of guy and I didn’t want to set expectations early on.
Luckily, Jae seemed to be on board with my choice.
Jae
Oh! That place looks nice. I’ve walked past it a few times and thought about eating there. I can’t wait to meet you, is that strange to say? We’ve only been talking for a day. I just feel like we’ll have a good time on our date.
Jae
Okay, this might ruin the vibe. A serious question for you. What are you looking for in an ideal partner?
I looked at the question for a long moment until I forced myself to shrug off the worry. Either Jae would like me for me, or we would have our date and it wouldn’t come to anything. I’d be disappointed, sure, but at least I’d have tried. Jae was way out of my league, still I couldn’t help thinking we could be good together.
Curtis
I’m looking to get to know you, not some image, so it’s okay to be real with me. What am I looking for? A guy who wants to spend Sunday brunch with myfamily, or a day picking out plants for our garden. I want someone to come home to. Someone to cook for and with. A guy I can share my life with. Who has interests, opinions, and thoughts he’s gonna share with me. A mate. I want a family at some point. If that’s not biological kids, I’m open to adopting, though I want children to feature in my future. I want a partner to navigate life with and to hold at night. Love. A long time of love, like my parents had.
Being vulnerable wasn’t easy. My knee-jerk response was to put down something more benign, yet that went against what I was hoping to build with Jae. Starting out with lies would do us both a disservice.
Jae
Kids, huh? Me too. Maybe Mate Match has some things right, because you sound exactly like the kind of alpha I’ve been looking for. Another heavy question for you. How do you feel about omegas working after they have babies?
I smiled when I thought of Marty. He’d worked his ass off to finish trade school, albeit a couple of years later than me. My dad had helped him out with childcare until Marty was working full-time and got Maddy into daycare.
Curtis
My best friend, who happens to work for me supervising his own team, is a single omega parent. I hope I’ve made it easier for him to work and raise his daughter.
Jae
Curtis, you might just be too good to be true. I can’t wait to meet you on our date.
Three
Jae
Bradytookaseatat the table opposite me, setting his full beer glass down. “Okay, I’ve changed my mind. I’m no longer supporting this. Are you sure it’s a good idea? This guy could be anyone!”
I leveled him with a look. “It’s a date, not a marriage proposal. Besides, using the app was your idea in the first place.”
He waved a hand. “I know, but I’ve had a change of heart after the last date. All week I’ve been worried about the whole thing. I’ve hardly heard a peep from you!” he muttered accusingly. He took a sip of his beer while he waited for me to answer.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. It’s just… well, we’ve been chatting, my match and me. He seems really great. Weren’t you the one who said it was time I got back out there?” Brady grimaced into his drink. “I can’t exactly hope someone will just fall at my feet ready to date me just so I have a convenient heat partner.”
There was more to me signing up for the app than just meeting someone to take me through my next heat, yet I wasn’t ready to discuss my growing feeling of loneliness with Brady. I had other troubles to worry about.
