“You called me a Chihuahua,” Elise shot back.
“Because you’re small, Elise,” Harper blurted, throwing her arms out, wondering why she was bothered by the label. But a pug? What good had a pug ever done? Surely not scale Mt. Everest. Most definitely not kayak through the fjords of Norway. “Why on earth would you think I’m a pug?”
“Because you’re very cute,” Elise said, smiling. “And full of energy. Pugs basically vibrate with all that energy.” Her smile turned into a toothy grin, and her eyes sparkled in the sun.
How could Harper stay mad at that face? She couldn’t. It was impossible. Harper wrapped an arm around Elise’s waist and kissed her shoulder.
“For future reference,” she said. “I’m an Australian Shepherd.”
Elise laughed. Harper did too. Then they walked the rest of the strip in silence.
Harper hoped that the next time they talked, the conversation would shift to more serious things, like what the hell they were actually doing. Or what was going to happen once the season was over? Would Harper move to Los Angeles? Would she move in with Elise or get her own place? Would they make the drive to Santa Monica Pier and rent bikes for the morning? Or would they swing by the farmer’s market for fresh bread and figs, or spend the afternoon wandering the murals in the Arts District, or lounge on a blanket at Elysian Park? Or would they escape for a weekend to Joshua Tree or hike up Runyon Canyon?
Or would the season end and everything else too?
They reached the end of the beach. Elise touched her fingertips to the rock before turning around. Harper did the same. They were still walking in silence. Only when they reached the hairy man and fuzzy blonde lady did Elise clear her throat. “We’re doing a U-Haul compatibility test for the next group date,” she said, staring ahead.
“I’m not even sure what that means,” Harper said truthfully. Wasn’t U-Haul an American moving company? What did that have to do with compatibility?
“It’s a test,” Elise explained. “Well, two tests in one. First, the contestants answer a series of questions designed to see how compatible they are with Megan. Then the three contestants who score the highest get to do the U-Haul portion with her. You know, loading moving boxes and furniture into a packing truck, all while racing against the clock. The couple with the fastest time gets the one-on-one date.”
“Oh,” Harper said. Whoever came up with these challenges should either be commended or deserves to be fired. She wasn’t sure which.
“Do you think we’re compatible?” Elise asked, though it was crystal clear she’d already asked herself the same question and couldn’t decide if the answer was yes or no.
But Harper knew the answer. “Yes,” she said confidently. “I think we are.”
Elise didn’t speak for a while. At least not for a minute. “Will you do the compatibility test with me?” she finally asked, glancing at Harper with a completely unreadable expression on her lovely face.
Harper was a little taken aback, but not shaken. Or maybe she was just a little. “Sure,” she said, though she didn’t mean it. Frankly, she’d rather wade into the water fully clothed than answer a bunch of questions. Especially since she had a sinkingfeeling that Elise wanted to base their entire relationship on a silly little test. “When do you want to do it?”
“Now,” Elise said, pulling her phone out of her back pocket. “We can sit over there.” She pointed to a stretch of beach with more sand than pebbles. Harper lowered herself first and smiled when Elise cuddled up beside her.
Elise swiped quickly across the phone screen and cleared her throat. “It’s only twenty-five questions.”
Twenty-five questions, Harper thought, already mourning the evening. Harper was in the mood for a plate of fresh spaghetti alle vongole with clams glistening in garlic and olive oil. She’d been secretly hoping they’d wander to one of the nearby beach bars, possibly grab a bite to eat before retreating to Elise’s place. But a small, very realistic part of her knew that wasn’t going to happen. Not after this.
Elise scooted even closer. “Don’t look so stressed,” she said. “It’s supposed to be fun.”
This wasn’t Harper’s idea of fun. In fact, it was the complete opposite. She’d rather be hunched over a laptop in a dim office, going through hundreds of slightly out-of-focus shots than determine the fate of their relationship based on a silly internet test. Or situationship. Or whatever they were calling it at the moment. This was torture.
“Okay,” Elise said, tapping the screen. “Question one: On a lazy Sunday morning, would you rather sleep in with a coffee on the balcony or go for a hike outside?”
That was easy. Too easy. “Hike outside,” Harper said, wondering what the catch was, if there even was one. “There’s really nothing like a long hike up a mountain before breakfast.”
But then Elise tilted her head to the side and gave a look that made Harper immediately doubt herself. “What would you pick?” she quickly asked, frowning.
Elise waved her hand in the air as if it didn’t matter. But it did; it really, really did. “Let’s do the next question.” She flicked her gaze down to the screen and read, “Question two: How do you handle arguments or conflicts? Do you talk it out immediately? Or do you sleep on it, then revisit it, or do you avoid confrontation altogether?”
Harper’s marriage to Harry had only succeeded as long as it did because they’d established a very clear let’s not talk about it until we’re both cooled off policy. But she had a feeling that was the wrong answer. Or at least not the answer Elise would choose for herself. So Harper lied. “Talk it out immediately.”
Elise looked satisfied, if not a little elated. “I agree. It’s always best to get it out in the open. My grandmother always used to say, ‘Never go to sleep angry or without kissing your husband on the lips.’” She flicked on her phone’s screen, which had gone dark. “Next question.”
Harper felt her stomach tighten.
“It’s a rainy evening, and you and your partner are snuggled up on the sofa. What’s your movie mood? Rom-coms that will make you laugh, or action thrillers that keep the adrenaline up?”
Harper had enough thrill in her life and didn’t need to get it from a television screen. “Rom-com,” she said truthfully. “I love laughing together.”