RB: Does your job involve numbers?

JD: Trying to break the rules, Zebra Cakes?

JD: In a way, yes. But not in a purely mathematical sense. What about you?

RB: What a cryptic response.

RB: History. There’s something romantic about different time periods in history. Regency England. Paris during Impressionism. It makes our world today seem almost dull.

JD: If you could live at any point in history, what would it be?

RB: I think when art was in it’s heyday. Monet. Van Gogh. Ugh, he’s my favorite artist and has such a tragic past.

RB: I’d like to exist when he did, just so I could tell him how beautiful his work is.

JD: You strike me as the kind of person who likes to let others know they’re loved.

RB: Hitting the nail on the head, JD.

RB: It’s one of my biggest flaws. I put others first at an alarming rate. Sometimes I forget about myself.

JD: Can I ask you a personal question?

RB: Sure.

JD: Past relationships. I’m assuming you’ve had a couple?

JD: I think I’m the only thirty-something who is woefully abysmal in the dating category.

RB: Yes, I have.

JD: What happened? When were they?

JD: I don’t mean to pry, but everything I’ve learned about you has been, well, pretty incredible. You seem like such a wonderful woman.

JD: I guess I’m confused why you have to do this instead of having an actual relationship.

RB: It’s only fair I share some of my past with you.

RB: For starters, I don’t do this for the social aspect. It’s a nice perk, but not the driving force.

RB: As for my personal life, I have some tendencies others have found difficult in the past. I obsess about things. Sometimes I have depressive thoughts.

RB: It’s easy for you to see this fun, friendly side of me on your screen. There’s also a portion that’s not pretty. It’s ugly. It’s flawed. It’s dark. And a lot of people fear the darkness. They’re afraid of what might be lurking beyond the shadow of light.

RB: My dad left when I was younger. For a while growing up, I blamed myself. Maybe I was a taxing child, or a burden and cried too much. I think that lingering hesitancy has haunted me in relationships.

RB: I never want to appear like I’m too much. Or, on the flip side, not enough. Finding someone who accepts me, exactly as I am, is a scary dream.

RB: And a dream I’m not sure will ever happen.

RB: One of my ex-boyfriends cheated on me. The most recent one didn’t see a future with me. He said I was too difficult to handle.