Single Pringle by Stacey June

Author:Stacey June
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2021-05-04T00:00:00+00:00

What did I have to lose? It was free—the girls I lived with had wi-fi. I was #blessed. I became open to the idea. I could still flirt and play, but with a cheap glass of wine in my hand and the comfort of knowing my bed was right next door. Well, outside. Also, no-one would see me. I could stick to sharing the parts I was comfortable sharing. I was safe.

I downloaded the app on a cold Friday night after starting at a new yoga studio. I’d become a yoga jumper—I’d sign up to a studio’s 30-day challenge to utilise their cheap introductory offer and then jump to the next when it was up. It was cheap but I had no sense of community. I was surviving, not thriving. And I needed a laugh.

That night, a guy who very quickly got the nickname The Italian came up on my screen. Super cute, he looked like a traveller, which was perfect for a random flirt. My approach was very much to chat and laugh on the couch. I wasn’t looking for much more. I wasn’t looking to find The One. But I needed to fill something at that moment.

Once we take the expectation off dating, apps and people, we give ourselves the space to see what they can offer, even if it isn’t what we’re looking for.

Fast-forward two weeks. After many great conversations and some of my best flirting, The Italian and I met up and hit it off. Over the next few weeks, we had some real fun, light moments and exciting conversations. Dates without the hangover of ‘what is this?’ One night, we walked through the entire city, talking about our lives, and when we stopped at the lights to cross the road, we found ourselves looking up at a sky full of lit-up lanterns. It was a balmy summer night in Melbourne and happened to be Chinese New Year. It was incredibly beautiful, and in a jam-packed area full of tourists, families and commuters, he leaned in and kissed me, making it one of the most romantic dates I had ever been on. That and the time he sent me links to Disney songs sung in Italian on YouTube. My favourite was ‘Under the Sea’.

As we got to know each other, he mentioned that he wanted to take me to an Italian restaurant to show me ‘real’ Italian food. I wasn’t sure. I didn’t have a lot of money to go to fancy restaurants and never expected someone else to pay for me. I was also nervous about saying what I was doing with my life and where I lived and WHAT IF WE WERE OUT AND HE ASKED ABOUT WHERE I SLEPT?! So far, we had covered all parts of our lives but danced around the present, like a holiday romance.

I was incredibly insecure about my situation, but I reminded myself that I had started these conversations to have fun. And thanks to the serious self-care work that I had been doing, I owed it to myself to continue to explore.

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