The date was over and, once again, William returned home alone. It was late, so he tried to be quiet as he sifted through his keys. Not stealthy enough it would seem; that or the universe had cursed him.

“How did it go, dearie?”

A familiar nasal tone grated against his delicate ears and he suppressed a shudder. Old miss chatterbox next door always seemed to pop up whenever he had a date and it was starting to irritate him. Couldn’t she understand that not everyone wanted a spectacle made of their private lives? Still, he didn’t want people thinking of him in a negative way, so he humoured her.

“She was a very nice young lady, Mrs Fletcher.” He shrugged. “But she does not want to see me again.”

William gave her a small smile as he found the key and slid it into the lock.

“Ah, poor thing.” She clutched her hands over her heart and shook her head, grey hair bobbing in its curlers. Her face displayed such melodramatic sadness and sympathy that William resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He assumed the only true sadness she felt was about having to wait until morning before spreading fresh gossip all over the apartment complex.

“Don’t worry sweetie,” her voice trilled down the hallway, “this is only the sixth or seventh girl since you moved to the city. There’s plenty more out there!”

He winced. Sixth or seventh…ugh, maybe it was time to move.

“Ah, thanks Mrs Fletcher…” He pushed the door open.

“Oh my pleasure dear!” Her voice was only getting louder. “You know it took me years to find my precious Gerald, God rest his soul, but it was worth the wait. Young ones today are just too impatient. Once that special lady takes the time to get to know you, she’ll definitely fall head over heels!”

She nodded along to her own words as William scraped the bottom of his patience barrel. There was a stain on his shirt from dinner that he really wanted to start soaking. He ground his teeth but reminded himself that it was important to get along with his neighbours, especially the ones who insisted on involving themselves in his life.

“Maybe having them for dinner is where I’m going wrong.” He offered.

“Nonsense.” She flapped a hand at him. “Feeding times are important you know. A sweet, traditional way to show a woman you care about providing for her,” she winked, “and your future family.”

William almost groaned out loud. Children were impossible for him, but he was not about to explain that to the gossip banshee. His lack of response was irrelevant though, as she was more than happy to carry on the conversation without his input.

“In fact, you should charm the next girl by cooking the meal yourself. I’d be more than happy to give my assistance if you’re not sure what to make. I’m no stranger to the kitchen!”

More than happy to snoop around my apartment too, William thought to himself.

“I promise I’ll think of you if I’m ever stuck for a meal, Mrs Fletcher.” Who knows, maybe he would get desperate.

She beamed at him and the volume of her shrill voice increased again.

“You make sure you do! And keep that chin up, sweetie, the perfect girl is out there waiting for you!”

Finally, an opening to end the conversation.

“I’m certain you’re right Mrs Fletcher.” Surely that would satisfy her hero complex. “Goodni-“

“Oh, of course I’m right, love.” He died a little more inside. “Never been wrong about a thing like this. In fact, when I was a young girl…”

She kept talking but William gave up on listening. The irony was that her “dating advice” was actually the thing keeping him from jumping online right now to search for the next potential woman in his life. Thankfully, a random neighbour also seemed offended by this, and a loud banging sounded from the floor below, accompanied by a disgruntled, “Shut up you old bat!”

“My goodness!” She glared at the floor near her pink slippers. “Don’t they realise what time it is? No respect these days. What a racket!”

He gripped the door handle and forced himself to breathe in and out slowly.

“Very rude indeed, Mrs Fletcher. I’m also sorry for disturbing your sleep this late at night. I guess my mind was still on that girl.” He sighed loudly and she clutched her heart again. Before she could impart any more wisdom, he stepped inside with a quick “Goodnight!” and locked the door behind him.

If freedom were tangible, he would have hugged it at that moment.

Instead, he pushed the encounter to the side and strode over to his laptop, determined to stay positive. Six or seven women wasn’t too bad, right? He gave a half-hearted chuckle. Nobody outside of the apartment complex thought of him as William the One-Night Wonder yet, so surely he still had one or two more dates in him before he had to abandon the city. His chuckle turned to a sigh and he poured himself a glass of wine.

“Don’t give up yet, Will!” he whispered to himself while the latest dating site loaded on his screen. According to this ad, there were indeed thousands of singles in his area, and all of them were desperately seeking a night out with him specifically. He was shocked to see how many big-busted beauties there were nearby who were willing to publicly flaunt their assets. Social butterflies made him nervous though, so he kept searching.

As he clicked through the profiles, he couldn’t help but imagine what life would be like with someone by his side. How wonderful it would be to share every meal with the person he loved. To spend each night with them too would be a dream come true. He pictured them travelling the world together, experiencing one place after the next, never slowing down. He grinned like a fool just thinking about it.

The next sip of wine brought reality crashing back as he glanced around his sparse apartment. Relationships were difficult for him. No photos of friends or family decorated the walls, and not even the stray cat that roamed the complex came to him for scratches.

“How could you do this to your own family? You’re no son of mine.” His father’s final words to him came floating back and his shoulders slumped.

His loneliness was his own fault really. His family couldn’t forgive him. His childhood friends had long since moved on and he hadn’t put in the effort to make new ones. Plus he worked from home and found it uncomfortable to leave his apartment, especially during the day. Never keeping up with social trends made him feel awkward around others, and he was always anxious that people would turn on him once they got to know who he really was.

William reached out to refill his empty glass. Yes, being alone was the easiest option, but sometimes he wished for more.

Ping! He straightened at the sound. Was the universe finally giving him a sign?

It appeared that Angela had sent him a wave.

“Would you stand by me Angela?” he asked her photo.

He scrolled down her profile, mentally calculating how many of the right boxes she ticked.

New to the city, just like him. He could choose one of his favourite places to take her. That already made him feel more comfortable.

Looking for friends as well as romance. So she was alone here too. Well, a friend could still say yes to dinner!

No pets. So they would have the whole night to themselves if he got lucky. Just thinking about that possibility made him warm inside.

Loved movies and books, making her a homebody as well. It was like fate had connected them.

As an added bonus, her body definitely had him drooling too. Not that appearance was the main thing, but he really did like the way her rosy cheeks seemed to glow under the pair of trusting green eyes in her profile picture.

She seemed perfect!

He sent a smiley face back, grinning again as he thought about how to win her over.