“God, or whatever thing that runs the universe…I pray that you give me a girlfriend, or at least make the finding part easier…” Sam whispered with both hands clasped together, and his knees planted firmly upon the stone-laden temple grounds with pressure pressing against the slightly cranky knees. But whatever drinks that now filled his stomach seemed to have done the trick of soothing the pain and tricking the mind.

Well, his mind must have been tricked, or there’s no way he would ever find himself being, let alone kneeling in front of a temple that closed after a day’s business. Having just slammed a plate full of meat and downed a jug or two, or three, of beer, he is now here to repent and to ask.

Truly, he had exhausted all options. He had tried to be social, be polite, and even cleaned up himself a bit, but it was easier for him to get into one of the best universities in the world than to have someone to share a blanket with. 

And now here he was, doing exactly what his mom had told him would work, praying to the entities that were probably created in the minds of some ancient saint, asking for them to do the impossible.

But like…the instructions were unclear. How long did he have to stay here? Was a prayer supposed to be phrased a certain way? Does Buddha only work the day shifts, and will he have to return the next morning when the grumpy monk opened the door and collect the ticket price again? He couldn’t even see the slightly rusty statue from here…

Should he check his phone? Would that be sacrilegious? But he’s pretty sure they got a TV in the temple…

“Yeah… I am going back to bed.” Sam lifted his hands away from touching the phone in his pocket and rose up, “See ya later, Buddha, or not…”

Before he fully turned around in his current state, there were a series of rustling sounds coming from the side of the road followed by the crunching of leaves. Sam felt his body tense up, and his heart rate shot up to 220 minus his age as sweat filled his palms. He’s getting robbed, and he needs a weapon. He need to fight back and guard the valuables with everything he had…or at least make a decision about which of his valuables to give up.

His fingers fumbled towards his left pocket, and there was a wallet. On his right, there was his phone. With both hands dipping into the pockets that were somehow soggy and wet, he faced the direction of the sounds as a shadow slowly emerged from the woods.

He pressed his eyes together, the blurry images slowly starting to clear up as the outline of the person appeared from beyond the darkness. 

“Stop right there! I already saw you!” Instantly, his hands flickered, and the flashlight function of his phone came alive without him even needing to look as the light illuminated the shadow, purging the darkness and along with it, all doubts he had about the Buddha.

“Hey, Sam.” 

Standing there right across from him was a beautiful girl with long black and golden hair wearing a black winter jacket, a pair of tight jeans that’s been stretched to the max, and a pair of white running shoes that somehow managed to stay clean through the woods. Her hair was left running at the back, with smooth curls by her ear with a curtain bang right above her thin yet dark eyebrows. Her eyes were emerald green, and they were looking at the messy Sam as he took half a step back.

“I am not wearing my name badge, am I?” Sam asked, feeling for the sides of his chest as the girl smiled lightly with amusement, “How do you know my name? Who are you? Are you…a stalker? Why…? I am literally the least interesting person to stalk…”

“Will you believe me if I said the Buddha sent me?” Her eyes widened slightly as she watched Sam closely, “You have been praying about getting a girlfriend, right?”

“Buddha works at night too?!” Sam’s jaw dropped, “That turnaround is way too quick…too quick to be true, and I would have to be stupid and ignorant to believe something like that. I mean...there are other reasons, but no, I don't believe you. Why would I?”

“Good. In due time, I will tell you everything, but before that…there’s something we have to do first.” She stepped forward, and that was when Sam realized how tall she actually was when she stepped up to the level of the roads, and their gaze met with his going at a slight incline. With a hand reached forward, she continued with a warm smile, “My name is Belle. Would you like to be my boyfriend?”

“So what did you end up saying?!” Ted, Sam’s work buddy, slammed his fist into the desk and pressed on, his name badge dangling over the separation to Sam’s own desk, “Don’t you dare leave me hanging there bro!”

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“I said yes, of course.” Sam laughed, “She’s hot, after all.”

“You stupid and ignorant little boy…” Ted palmed his face and sighed, “Show me, or I won’t believe you.”

“I will show you her picture one day when we get one.” Sam giggled while looking down at his phone as a reply from Belle popped up.

“She didn’t have a profile picture on her Utext?” Ted scanned the room for signs of the floor manager before leaping over the divider and joining Sam’s side, “Dang, this really is like a scam.”

“If so, the scammers certainly goes through a lot of effort.” Sam smiled and relished the good morning message, “Don’t worry, I will be dipping the moment money’s involved.”

Ted froze, and then, he grabbed Sam by the shoulder and yanked him towards him as the metal ring on his finger pressed into Sam’s collarbone, “Listen to me, brother. This is dating. Money’s always involved.”

“Shit…”

“Start small and simple.” Ted said, letting Sam go and leaning back, “Go on a date at a coffee shop or something. Have a chat, see what she’s about in person. You can pick up on clues quite quickly, like if she’s quick to call it love and commit to a relationship, or have few pictures across her social media platforms…”

Ted and Sam shared a glance, and Sam tumbled back with a pained grunt. 

Come on now, Buddha.

“Don’t despair.” Ted smiled, flashing his ring, “I converted a scammer, and now I am trapped in an unhappy marriage. But at least I am not broke.”

“That ain’t helping, buddy.” Sam hid his face in between his hands, “After all that’s happened, or not happened, this is what I am getting?!”

“I am telling you! Just go on a date! Consider it a…practice for the real thing, you know?” Ted said, “Watch out for yourself, go somewhere public, all that jazz.”

Sam looked down at his phone, and with his heart sinking, his fingers moved on their own before he suggested a coffee date at the corner shop from his work on the weekends. Belle replied instantly, raising another red flag as Sam despaired further. She even used an emoji…

It’s over…

The weekend came swiftly and smoothly, and Sam had to plunge himself into a massive coding project at work and an open-world video game at home to keep his mind from being taken away by Belle. She and he still texted on a semi-regular basis, exchanging nothing but trivial and boring small talk. Still clinging to the hope that something might come out of the date, Sam then unearthed some of the better clothes he had worn. 

The office attire was the typical business casual, but from their one in-person interaction on the night of his drunk adventure, it was clear that she rocked a typical New Yorker outfit. A black everything outfit that accentuates her natural beauty and smooth hair. 

Perhaps he should match the black jacket with black… Sam wondered, unfolding and dusting off the old jacket that his father had gifted him. With a long black jacket, dark blue jeans, and casual dress shoes, Sam then tossed on a hat before stepping in front of the mirror that he usually only flexes at. 

There stood the most generic human being with an average height, slightly above average build that cannot be seen under that jacket, lightly tanned skin with dark hair, and moderate pair of brown eyes with short black hair that’s cut due to economic concerns rather than aesthetics. 

“Baby, you are the most handsome guy in the world!” That’s what his mom’s always said.

“Don’t worry bro, you look good!” That’s what Ted said after Sam consulted him, “You look like a safe and reliable pick for a boyfriend.”

“Is that because there’s no way anyone’s gonna cheat on me?”

“Yes.” Ted said, “Now go, and keep me posted.”

With his heart pounding with every step, and the front side of his shoes pressing into his toes with the same rhythm, Sam made his way toward the cafe. He lived a fair distance away from his company location, though thankfully, the usual work commute that would have taken a while took only a fraction of the usual time on the weekends, and he was able to make it to the location of the date with little issue five minutes before.

And there she was, the girl with flowing long hair that was leaning against the window of the cafe, and her long flowing hair resting on her shoulders. From the moment that Sam appeared from the opposite side of the street, her eyes had fallen on him as she smiled lightly.

And now all Sam’s gotta do is the awkward little jog across the street, when she’s too far away to talk to but too close to ignore, especially now that they have made eye contact. After nearly having his dating life cut short by a bus and a bike, Sam finally came within arm's length of Belle. She wore the same clothes that she did on the first day, and she noticed the extremely similar jacket that Sam was rocking before pointing to it.

“Nice jacket~” 

“Yours too.” Sam said quickly before nodding towards the interior of the Cafe and trying to act normal while catching his breath, “So…shall we?”