“How’s the book coming along, doll?”
Izzy saw movement under the bathroom stall wall beside her. Fingers wiggled at her. Black polish with yellow smiley faces adorned the nails, and a tangle of beaded bracelets clattered on the thin wrist. She recognized Audie’s voice, but she’d know the accessories anywhere.
“Don’t ask.” She pulled toilet paper off the roll. The backs of her thighs were numb from sitting so long. She’d been done for several minutes, but she’d been sitting there absently, trying to figure out the next chapter of the book. This little project was starting to be a major pain in the ass in more ways than one—one being Audie’s nearly constant check-ins.
“Oh, but I just did.”
The flush of the toilets prevented Izzy from answering right away, which was good, since she might have used a few choice words with her persistent friend. She opened her stall door at the same time as Audie, and she had to laugh.
“Are you stalking me?”
Audie waved her hand dismissively. “Please. I’ve been stalking you for years now. Are you just now noticing?”
“Just checking.” Izzy followed her to the sinks. She washed her hands and hissed at the temperature. She glanced at Audie’s reflection in the mirror. “Typical. Just when it’s warming up outside, the water comes out boiling, after being ice cold all winter.”
Audie wiped under her eyes and adjusted a few spiky locks of hair over her eyebrows. “I think it’s to counteract the arctic air-conditioning.”
Izzy dried her hands. “Hello, springtime colds.”
“So, how’s the book coming? I know you’re writing it.” Audie wiggled her fingers next to her head. “I can see the cogs and wheels spinning behind your eyes.”
“I still haven’t decided to do it. But I have been thinking about what I would write if I were to.”
“And?”
“I don’t think I can. At least not a guide. All I know is how to give advice to people about relationships they’re already in. A guide has to start at the beginning—how to find love in the first place. I don’t know the first thing about finding love, let alone keeping it.”
“It’s easy. I can help you there. Or at least get you started.”
Izzy laughed. “I’m not sure you’re the right person to give this advice.”
Audie put a hand on her chest and raised her eyebrows. “Should I be insulted right now?”
Izzy wasn’t sure if Audie was actually hurt or just acting like it. “No insult intended. What I mean is, you aren’t the typical example of a person who’d read this book. You can find a date just by walking to the bathroom.”
Audie swung her head proudly and used her ring finger to smooth her eyebrow. The hurt, if it was real, was gone. “As a matter of fact, I did spot a tasty morsel hanging around Hector’s office.”
Izzy rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. One of the new interns.”
“I’m not sure, but I intend to find out. She’s a little older than the normal crew. She might teach me a thing or two, if you know what I mean.”
Izzy pointed at her. “See? You’re definitely not the audience for the first part of the book.”
“But I can share some thoughts. I haven’t always been the confident huntress you see before you. I had to learn some moves.”
“I am so far out of my comfort zone here.” Izzy sighed and leaned her hip against the counter.
Audie patted her on the arm. “Not to worry. You’re in good hands.” She intertwined her hands and rested her chin on them as her eyes drifted to the ceiling. Seconds later, she bounced and looked at Izzy. “You have to let people know it’s not always obvious. You gotta take chances. You need to put yourself out there and accept that it’s not gonna just fall into your lap.” She winked. “At least for everybody. And it can get messy sometimes. But it’s worth it, right? They need to know it’s worth it.”
Maybe Audie could help, after all.
* * *
Are you ready for romance?
You might think the first step to finding lasting love is getting out there to find it.
It’s not.
The first step to finding love is opening yourself to the idea of being in love. Most people think if they’re out there trying to find someone, naturally, they’re open to it, right? Wrong. Going through the motions of looking for love and opening yourself to actually being in love are two very different things.
Some lucky individuals find love without any effort at all, while most of us have to work at it. And for some people, no matter how often they look, they never seem to find it. Why? Because they’re not really open to it. They’re cynical. They’re skeptical. They’re afraid. Whatever they are, they’re disappointed in their efforts to find love. They grow increasingly frustrated, sometimes even bitter, when they meet person after person, but something always seems to be off. Things don’t click. So they keep moving, looking for that special something, and never seem to find it.
They never find love because they have barriers around their hearts. Barriers they might not even realize are there. Not finding love becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Opening yourself to love means introspection and understanding what love really means to you. It means figuring out what you need from another person. It means finding your barriers and taking them down. In some cases, the barriers are so solid, they can’t be removed. They’ve become a part of you. But being aware of them will help you figure out how to navigate around them.
The point I’m trying to make is, looking inside and finding out what makes you the person you are is a good start to finding love. And once you figure it out, finding love will be a whole lot easier.