Unarmed

Chapter 29

Chantelle's POV

I unpack the last of my boxes and take a look around my apartment. The space is a bit smaller than I expected but I guess that comes with the San Francisco territory.

I drove down 5 days ago and start work in 2 days. My goal was to get unpacked as fast as possible to make the transition into work easier.

My apartment is kind of divided in two, even though it's a studio. On one side, I've set up my bed, a nightstand and a few pieces of art on the wall. On the other side of the wall, I've created a bit of a living space. There's a loveseat and my flatscreen. Behind the loveseat, I've set up a small desk area. The kitchen spans the length of the apartment and has plenty of counter space. There's a door that leads to a bathroom and another that leads to a closet that houses a washer and dryer.

I sigh as I plop myself down onto the loveseat. As tired as I am, I want to talk to someone. I've definitely been keeping to myself these last few weeks. I could call Graciela from work but I don't want to burden her with more of my emotions. She has been there for me throughout this whole ordeal and it's kind of unfair to bother her some more. I think about texting Lucas just to say hello but I push that thought out as quickly as it entered my mind. This move to California was all about starting fresh, not reliving the past.

Before I know it, I'm downloading Tinder. It's not my most ideal way of meeting new people but it will at least keep my mind occupied until I go to work in a couple days. It will also push me out of my comfort zone as I've never dated online.

As the app is downloading, I scroll through my camera roll to find the cutest pictures of me that I have. The first one I choose is one that I took a year ago while on a trip for Cosmo. It's me in front of the Eiffel Tower in a bright yellow sundress and floppy sun hat. I have an ice cream cone in one hand and am totally cheesing it in the photo. Graciela actually took this picture after we had spent the day exploring the city. Not gonna lie, I look pretty hot in the photo. The dress stops right above mid thigh and the angle of the photo shows off my butt perfectly. I make that photo my cover photo then choose a couple more photos, one selfie I took at a friends wedding a couple years ago and one of me sitting poolside in a floral bikini.

After uploading my photos and typing a quick bio, I start swiping on the app. At first, I'm not super impressed. I notice a recurring theme of engineer, Asian and works in tech. While I'm sure they're pretty well off, I am not attracted to any of them.

After swiping left for nearly 20 minutes, I stumble across a profile that catches my attention. The guy's name is Elliot and he's white. I roll my eyes at my not so subtle attraction to white guys before continuing to look through his profile.

The first photo is what caught my attention. It's him behind the wheel of a boat on some lake and he's shirtless. He's holding a beer as he smiles at the camera. His eyes are hazel and his hair is dark brown with a ring of ginger. He's super handsome and his body is gorgeous.

I scan through his bio.

New to SF. Looking for someone to explore the food scene with and make memories.

Cute. It's the first non-sexual bio I've read and maybe my standards have dropped but I'm intrigued. He has his height listed as 6'2 and his career says that he's in finance.

I swipe right and as soon as I do "It's a match!" flashes across my screen. He must have swiped right on me too. I think about messaging him first but instead sit back and wait. I'll let him do the chasing.

I don't have to wait long before I get the first notification.

Elliot: Hey Chantelle, I see you're new to SF too. I'm Elliot