Tyler was the silent type of audience member at a comedy show, displaying his amusement through smirks and small huffs of air from his nose. Max, on the other hand, was a snorter. In Tyler's opinion, it was almost more fun to watch the boy's reactions than the show itself.

Tyler could tell he was trying to contain himself, but with each punchline, Max had to slap a hand over his nose and mouth and sink lower into his auditorium seat.

The place was packed, so he was elbow to elbow with Max to his left and a stranger to his right. He was a little disappointed. A large part of him hoped that he would've been seated next to a pretty girl that he could chat up, but the ushers had directed him down this row with instructions to leave no empty seats. He didn't think the bulky male next to him would enjoy being chatted up nearly as much. Certainly not as much as he was enjoying their shared armrest.

Tyler wasn't going to bother battling for that armrest, despite the discomfort of keeping his arm in a weird position, because quite frankly he was intimidated by the stranger. He had a glower on his face and thick eyebrows that reminded Tyler vaguely of a gorilla. He hadn't laughed once. Nor smiled. Nor even clapped.

He could have that armrest.

Max snorted again, pulling Tyler's attention back to his left. He smirked at the blonde boy before letting his eyes wander across the rest of the crowd.

They were seated about three quarters of the way back from the stage, and in a room of around a thousand people, that gave him quite the vantage point.

He was looking for one thing.

Girls.

Not in the creepy way.

You see, Tyler never had a girlfriend in high school. He was too awkward to actually ask anyone out. Too terrified of rejection. And it always felt weird to him, the idea of dating someone he practically grew up with. Not that he wouldn't have if the opportunity presented itself, but it never did. And maybe that was his fault for never trying.

Nevertheless, he was willing to now. He felt inexperienced compared to his peers, and that irrational part of his brain told him he would die alone if he didn't change things soon.

This was the best time for him to try to get a girlfriend. He was surrounded by girls his age that were all in a new and exciting stage of their lives. He was also in an environment that encouraged mingling, so that should be the perfect formula for finding a girl, right?

Fuck. He felt creepy. He felt like a predator scanning for prey. Except he wasn't a very good hunter. How do people do this?

Max snorted again and Tyler found his eyes on the boy once more.

He's attractive, Tyler thought. Maybe he can give me some advice.

He resolved to get his roommate's thoughts on the matter later and continued perusing the fish with which he now shared a sea.

Unfortunately for him, there weren't really plenty of fish here. At least, of the variety he was looking for. The university was well known for its poor female to male ratio. This year was apparently one of the best they've ever had and it was still one girl for every three guys.

It would be a challenge, that much he knew, but at this point he was even willing to take on one of the girls his dad had warned him about. The ones that were only here to get their M.R.S. degree by marrying an engineer.

He sighed, leaning back against his chair as he attempted to stretch his legs a little in the confined space. He wasn't able to discern much from the back of people's heads, but he was able to glimpse a few faces he wouldn't mind pursuing if they ever surfaced again.

His heart beat a little faster at the thought of a girlfriend someday sitting next to him in these seats. What would she look like? How would her laugh sound? Would she make his heart ache with her presence?

That's the kind of love he wanted. The kind that was so pure and strong that it hurt a little.

Fuck, he was so lonely.

Would that ever change?

-----

It was dark out by the time the show ended, and Tyler and Max followed the crowd out of the building and down the brightly lit sidewalk paths. Tyler was on his phone, scrolling through his app store and debating on which dating apps to install. He had no idea which ones were any good, so he was reading reviews for the ones he at least recognized.

It took him until they reached their room for him to make his final decision.

As Max opened up the door, Tyler's thumb descended onto that unassuming little button.

Install.

-----
A/N

Dun dun duuuunn. The dreaded dating app.

Who has first date or dating app horror stories? Tell me about them here and they may inspire portions of this book!

Sorry for missing last Wednesday. I'm traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Until next week,
-Mora Montgomery