COURTSIDE HEARTS

"I just don't understand it, Ava," Rihanna said, her voice breaking as tears welled up in her eyes. "I thought Natalie was the one. We had been together for four years, and I thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. But then she just up and left, without any explanation. It's like she never cared about me at all. And I feel like a fool for believing in something that was never real." Rihanna sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"You're not a fool, Riri," Ava said softly.

"I know you have a history of falling for the wrong people," Ava said, giving Rihanna's hand another squeeze. "But that doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. Sometimes we have to kiss a lot of frogs before we find our prince or princess. And sometimes we just need a break from all the kissing and the frogs to regroup and figure out what we want." Ava reached across the table and wiped the tears from Rihanna's cheeks. "I know it's hard, but don't give up on love. It's out there somewhere, just waiting for you to find it."

"But what if I don't have the strength to keep looking?" Rihanna said, her voice quivering. "What if I'm not strong enough to put myself out there again and risk getting hurt? I don't know if I can take any more heartbreak." Rihanna's eyes were red and puffy, and she looked so exhausted and beaten down. Ava felt like she had to find a way to lift her friend's spirits.

"I know it feels like you can't take any more right now," Ava said. "But you are so strong. You've been through so much, and you've come out the other side a better and stronger person," Ava continued. "So even though it might be hard, don't give up on love. Take a break if you need to, but don't give up. You are amazing, and you deserve someone who will love you for who you are, and who will appreciate you for the amazing person that you are." Ava reached across the table and took both of Rihanna's hands in hers. "And I'll be here for you every step of the way."

Rihanna took a deep breath and looked at Ava, her eyes full of gratitude, "Thank you," Rihanna said, a small smile starting to form on her lips. "I appreciate you, Ava. I don't know what I would do without you." She took another deep breath and then let out a sigh. "Maybe I just need a break from the whole dating scene. I'm going to take some time to focus on myself, to figure out what I want in life. I'll take things one day at a time." She looked up at Ava and smiled a little wider. "And I'll let love find me when the time is right."

As Rihanna and Ava sat chatting over their coffees, a voice came over the cafe's loudspeaker, announcing that the lunch hour was coming to an end. "It's time to head back to the office," Ava said, looking at her watch. "But we can talk more about this later, okay?"Rihanna nodded. "Yeah, of course. Thanks for listening, Ava. It helped to talk this through." She gave Ava a quick hug, then stood up and gathered her things. "See you at work!" she said, then turned and walked out of the cafe.

Ava watched Rihanna leave, feeling hopeful that her friend would be able to find the strength to move on and find happiness. As she sat there alone with her coffee, Ava couldn't help but think about her own love life, or lack thereof. She hadn't been in a serious relationship for a while, and she was starting to wonder if she would ever find the right person. She sighed and took a sip of her coffee, wondering what the future might hold.

She picked up her phone to check her messages and saw that she had a new text from an unknown number. Her heart started to race as she opened the message, not knowing what to expect. To her surprise, the message was from a coworker, inviting her to join a group of friends for happy hour that evening. She smiled, feeling a bit relieved that the text wasn't from a potential love interest. She texted back to confirm that she would be there, then gathered her things and headed out of the cafe.

As she walked back to the office, she thought about what her coworker had said about the happy hour being a good opportunity to meet new people. Maybe she would meet someone special, or at least make some new friends. She tried to push away her doubts, unlike Rihanna, who was trying to meet both men and women, Ava was mostly interested in men. But in her experience, many of the men she had met were either not very nice or just not interested in a serious relationship. She had started to wonder if there were any decent men left out there, or if she was just looking in the wrong places.

As she walked into the office, she thought about the upcoming happy hour. Maybe this time would be different. Maybe she would meet someone kind and genuine, someone who would appreciate her for who she was. She sighed and sat down at her desk and sighed, opening up her laptop and trying to focus on her work. But her mind kept wandering to thoughts of love and companionship. She tried to push the thoughts away, but they kept coming back, nagging at her. She felt restless and unsatisfied like something was missing from her life. She had everything she could want - a good job, friends, a nice apartment - but something was still lacking. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but she knew it was there.

She turned her attention back to her computer screen, determined to focus on her work and forget about her romantic life, at least for the moment. As she started typing, her phone buzzed with a notification from a dating app she had recently downloaded. She sighed, knowing that she probably shouldn't look, but her curiosity got the better of her. She picked up her phone and opened the app, scrolling through the list of potential matches.

She wasn't sure why she was doing this to herself, but she couldn't help but feel intrigued by the possibility of meeting someone new. Maybe she would find her perfect match, someone who would understand her and love her for who she was. She continued to scroll, telling herself that it was just a bit of fun, nothing serious. But then she saw a face that caught her attention. He was handsome and seemed to have a kind smile. She found herself looking at his profile, reading his bio, and checking out his pictures. Something about him seemed different, something that made her feel hopeful. She found herself swiping right, feeling a flutter of anticipation in her stomach. Had she just made a connection?

Just then, her phone buzzed again. A notification appeared on the screen, letting her know that she had a match. She couldn't believe it - she had matched with the man from the profile. Ava's heart was racing as she thought about what to do next. Should she message him? Should she just leave it and hope he messaged her first? She was completely torn. On one hand, she wanted to reach out and make the first move. But on the other hand, she was afraid of being rejected. After a few minutes of agonizing over what to do, she decided to take the plunge and send him a message.

She thought for a moment about what to say, then typed out a simple "Hello," and hit send. She waited anxiously for a response, staring at her phone, willing it to buzz with a new message. And then, after what felt like an eternity, it did. He had responded, with a simple "Hello back." Ava's heart leaped, and she quickly responded with a smiley face emoji. They exchanged a few more messages, and Ava found herself feeling more and more at ease with this virtual stranger.

The messages went back and forth, and Ava found herself growing more and more intrigued by this man. She couldn't help but wonder if this could be the start of something special. Could it be that she had found her perfect match after all?

When Ava arrived at the advertising agency, she was practically bursting with excitement. She could barely contain herself as she hurried to Rihanna's desk. "Rihanna! Guess what?" she exclaimed, her voice full of excitement.

Rihanna looked up from her computer, a quizzical look on her face. "What's up? You look like you just saw a ghost or something," she said with a laugh.

Ava shook her head and said, "No, it's not a ghost. It's something even better!"