Thank you! 😊

"Here Comes the Bride" played for the third time. I felt my heart sink and felt a tear on my face because I knew she wasn't. I was in a tuxedo staring at a priest who was suddenly too engrossed with his bible to look up and see me. "I guess the wedding is off. Sorry everyone" was all I could say as I walked out.

As I got to my car I saw downtown erupting into a brawl. Celestia was battling Mistress Magic again. Luckily they usually kept things away from this part of town so I drove home and watched an entire season of Chopped while drinking cheap beer and eating ice cream before I finally passed out.

When I woke up the hangover reminded me why food network and Coors lite are a terrible combination but I got up and checked my phone. "I'm so sorry" was all she could bother to write me. I replied "you left me at the alter. Again. This relationship was over a long time ago but I'm finally done thinking it could be saved. You can save the world but something has to give. Goodbye" and hit send before I could chicken out. Then I turned my phone off and got ready for work.

A few months later, I had been going to the gym and had lost enough weight to fit back into my college pants so I felt like I was ready to get back into the dating scene. I looked at the apps mostly at work since it was close by a major university and the chances of finding someone I actually wanted to be with were a lot better. Right before my lunch break I pulled up my phone and saw her for the first time. Beth. She had a huge smile and was holding a small dog by the river. I swiped right and for the first time the app immediately sent me to a message screen. She had liked me first! I went back to her profile and took note of anything that might make for an interesting opening line and wrote "cute dog! What breed is that?" Then immediately deleted it. Then wrote "where did you take that picture? I'd like to see the view in person" and barely got the message typed before I deleted it too. Then I saw her typing and froze.

"So, are you writing me a novel or do you keep second guessing yourself? 😅" I looked around to be sure she wasn't there next to me. "lol yeah. Every line I came up with was too cheesy and didn't want to mess up a first impression" I replied. "I like cheese. Wanna go to a wine tasting?" She wrote. I almost dropped my phone. "okay. What time?" "Downtown at Le Fromage. It starts at 8:00. See you then!" I took a moment to gather myself. A gorgeous woman had liked me first and THEN asked me out? Was this real life?

I arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early and got a table. Beth arrived right on time wearing a stunning red silk dress and matching heels. Her photos didn't do her justice at all. I stammered "hi Josh, I'm Beth, nice to meet you" and she laughed. I felt my cheeks light up which made her laugh even harder. "Not very good at this, are you?" She chuckled as she said it. "Let's get some wine and see if it helps you remember who you are."

A bottle and full board of cheese later, it was like I'd known her for years. "so how did you find your way onto the app? Most of the guys on that app are either in college or on their third divorce." I sank a little in my chair. "I was with someone right out of college. She had a great job but it always came first. We even tried to get married but every time the world suddenly needed to be saved and I would have to wait. It happened again this winter and she left me at the alter." I tried to hold it back but I felt a tear run down my face. Stupid wine. "That really sucks. You didn't deserve that" she said as she hugged me. Then she looked me in the eye and said "that's the thing with people who put their careers first. The world will always need saving and you always take a back seat to it. For me, there is nothing that comes before the guy I'm with. I'd watch the whole world burn to save him. This place is nice but let's go somewhere a little more private. Before we do I have to get a selfie for my Instagram. Smile!" She said as she held her phone in the air. "let's get out of here" she said as she took my hand. As we were walking out I noticed a text on my watch. "What the FUCK are you doing with HER?!?!?" I ignored it. I was ready to be saved.

Optimus Prime Rib

Part 2 pls