Chapter 1
Today’s Horoscope for the Inquisitive Gemini
Letting your guard down during a lighthearted exchange might spark an unexpected shift in your mindset. A passing remark could inspire you to see an old situation from a brand-new angle, revealing possibilities you’d never considered before.
Lila lifted her head from her phone, scanning the bustling café as the scent of roasted beans mingled with warm pastries. Outside, autumn leaves danced in the breeze, casting vibrant reflections across the wide windows. Who would she make small talk with today?
Maybe the young guy in the sleeveless tee, braving the cool autumn morning.
Or perhaps the polished gentleman who had been sending winks in her direction since she arrived.
Both were undeniable eye candy, but Lila knew better than to trust a glossy cover. If her track record had taught her anything, it was that a shiny surface didn’t always mean there was something substantial underneath. She opened her dating app, only to find that her digital options were just as bleak as her real-world prospects.
She scrolled past ‘Brad, 28,’ whose profile pictures showed him holding various dead fish, and ‘Greg, 30,’ who had confidently listed his main hobbies as “extreme couponing” and “winning arguments with strangers on Reddit.”
Then she paused on her last conversation with a guy named Julian—a male model lookalike who had seemed wonderful for the first ten messages, right up until he asked if she wanted to join his multi-level marketing scheme for organic protein powder.
She let out a defeated sigh, her thumb hovering over the delete button. The dating scene wasn’t just dry; it was a string of dead ends.
“Why the long face?”
Lila turned around to find her best friend, Ethan, raising a quizzical eyebrow. His unruly brown curls, overdue for a trim, fell across his forehead as he balanced a tray with their drinks and a generous slice of blueberry cheesecake.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself about,” she said, snatching the tray from his hands and setting it on the table.
Her mouth watered at the sight of the cake, the blueberries glistening, the crust a golden brown beneath the cake’s pale yellow glaze. She raised her fork and was mere millimeters from piercing the crust when Ethan, with a practiced, lightning-fast reflex, smoothly rotated the plate out of her reach.
“Get your own, Bennett,” he murmured, his face deadpan.
“Sharing is caring, Hayes,” she retorted, shooting him a pointed look.
Ethan let out a scoff, his hazel eyes flickering up to meet hers. Her lower lip pushed out in a pout, and he smiled despite himself. Shaking his head, he slid the plate back into her space. “Fine. Eat.”
“Thank you,” she said, beaming as she carved out a berry-topped corner.
Ethan Hayes was her best friend, confidant, partner in crime, and therapist all rolled into one. They met at the tender age of five, when life was all snacks, naps, and playground politics. The moment he offered to trade half his peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the bruised banana in her backpack, Lila knew they were bonded for life. Neither of them could have guessed that a childhood bargain would carry them through school, university, and eventually into adulthood as business partners.
A romantic at heart, Lila launched her career in the wedding industry to turn bridal dreams into reality. Nothing thrilled her more than watching the notes and photo scraps on her vision board become actual weddings. By her side was Ethan, whose photography hobby had blossomed into a talent worthy of a full-time career. Joining forces was a no-brainer.
Together, they made the dream team.
Starting out, they took any client they could get, even if the pay was dismal. The basement of Ethan’s parents’ house became their homemade office.
The room was cluttered with mismatched furniture salvaged from yard sales and hand-me-downs. A weathered sofa with frayed edges served as their brainstorming station, while a rickety wooden table, stained with coffee and buried under scattered sketches, acted as their planning hub.
Dog-eared bridal magazines, bursting with sticky notes, towered precariously on every surface. Overhead, fairy lights bathed the space in a warm, inviting glow. The air was thick with the rich aroma of coffee, mingling with the faint scent of paint from Ethan’s photography backdrops.
They spent long nights there, fueled by takeout and caffeine as they bounced ideas off one another. On a nearby shelf sat Ethan’s camera, resting next to a small cork board covered in polaroids. Each picture captured a favorite moment—candid smiles, quirky poses, and silly faces—chronicling their years growing up together.
Lila fondly remembered huddling over a laptop, their faces illuminated by images of bridal gowns and floral arrangements as they excitedly discussed potential concepts.
That basement was their sanctuary, a creative haven where dreams took shape. It was the place where their journey was just beginning. Soon, word spread about their dedication, and the steady stream of positive reviews they earned over the years firmly solidified their place in the industry.
Their newest clients, Georgia and Elliot, came as a referral from a previous couple. The first meeting took place over Zoom, allowing both sides to introduce themselves and share a glimpse of the wedding the couple envisioned.
“What did you think of Georgia and Elliot?” Lila asked, savoring the bite of Ethan’s cheesecake she’d just won.
Ethan chuckled as she chewed, her cheeks puffed out. He wiped a crumb from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. “They seem nice, I guess.”
“Did you see the way Georgia lit up when she talked about her vision for the wedding?” she said, her eyes sparkling. “She’s so passionate about every detail.”
Ethan nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. “And Elliot? He’s really laid-back, but he knows exactly what he wants.”
“Yeah! They balance each other so well. The perfect match…” Her voice trailed off.
As her eyes wandered to her reflection in the window, Lila thought of all the couples she’d worked with, envying their happiness. She could almost hear the echo of their vows, feel the warmth of their stolen glances, and picture the loved ones gathered to witness their joy. A sharp pang of longing pierced her.
Maybe it was time to find that special someone, she mused.
Despite being constantly surrounded by people in love, Lila hadn’t had much luck with it herself.
It wasn’t a matter of appearance. In fact, she considered herself fairly attractive. She stood at five foot four—maybe five, if people would just let her measure her own height. Her shoulder-length, caramel-blonde waves contrasted starkly with her steel-blue eyes.
Getting a date was easy; finding a real connection was the hard part. Her dates were undeniably handsome, but they either lacked substance, leaving them to people-watch to fill the dead air, or seemed wonderful initially, only to prove utterly unhinged the more they spoke.
Still, she believed there was someone out there for everyone. Maybe she just needed to change her approach.
Just then, her phone lit up with a notification from one of the many horoscope sites she subscribed to.
She’d turned to astrology during a rocky period in her life, back when she was questioning her career path. Reading horoscopes had given her the reassurance she craved. Now, looking to the stars for answers had become a habit. If only astrology could guide her to her soulmate, too.
The thought hung in the air until a brilliant idea began to take shape.
“Ethan,” Lila said, resting her chin on her clasped hands. Her solemn expression suggested she was about to address a matter of life and death. “Instead of sitting on my butt waiting for ‘the one’ to appear, I’m going to go out and find them.”
“Okay, but how?” he asked, his eyes clouded with both curiosity and concern.
“I’m going to date a guy from each zodiac sign! You know, to discover my ultimate match.”
He raked his fingers through his curls. “Hold on. You mean, like, actually date them?”
“Exactly!” Lila’s blue eyes sparkled. “Think about it—every sign has strengths and weaknesses that might complement or clash with mine. I’m looking for total cosmic compatibility!”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Oh, because you’re a Gemini or whatever, right?”
“Gemini sun and moon, and Libra rising,” she corrected, scandalized that he’d forgotten such a crucial detail. “Here, look, it’s simple.” She pulled a clean paper napkin from the table and a pen from her bag. “I’ll map them out as I go: a fiery, intense sign one week, a deeply emotional water sign the next, then a stubborn earth sign—total opposite energies back-to-back to truly test the limits of compatibility. I’ll add columns for personality scores out of ten and a section for immediate red flags,” she said. Her fingers moved rapidly as she sketched a messy, impromptu table on the napkin, filling in the rows and columns.
Ethan leaned forward, his eyes following the messy circles and ink lines she was drawing across the thin paper. “You’re making a literal dating inventory chart on a café napkin.”
“Of course I am,” Lila said, blowing on the wet ink with a proud nod. “How else am I supposed to make a fair comparison?”
“Lila, you’re not seriously considering this, are you?” He pinched the bridge of his nose at the absurdity of her latest scheme.
He knew Lila was unlike anyone else he’d ever met; she always marched to the beat of her own drum. He could never predict her next move, but even for her, this was her wildest scheme yet.
Lila paused, her excitement faltering. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, isn’t it risky to look for a partner based entirely on a birth chart? You might end up settling for someone just because you think your signs are supposed to match.”
She scoffed. “Come on, Ethan. It’s not like my love life is a roaring success. Up to now, I’ve only gone out with guys because they were hot, and look how that turned out. This is just adding some structure.”
He remained silent, fingers tented in front of his face. He obviously wasn’t convinced. Ethan had always been the practical half of their duo, the one who cleaned up after her messes. And maybe this plan was a little crazy, but at this point, Lila was desperate enough to try anything.
Reaching across the table, she clasped his hands and squeezed them earnestly. “I want to explore this. You never know. My future husband could be out there among the guys I’m about to date!”
“I’m not sure about this, Lila. Don’t you think—” He stopped short, the words dying in his throat. Lila tilted her head, her eager smile dropping into a confused frown. Seeing her happiness slip away shattered his resolve. With a sigh of defeat, he relented. “I-I just… I don’t want you to get hurt. That’s all.”
She rolled her eyes at him, her sunny energy returning at full force. “That’s exactly why I have you! You’ll help me pick the good eggs from the bad ones, won’t you?”
He had always been susceptible to Lila’s whims. Denying her was simply impossible.
“Of course.” He forced the words past the tightness in his throat.
Launching herself forward, Lila enveloped him in a tight hug. She knew she could always count on him, and she was dead-set on proving her plan was more than just talk. She was going to make it work.
“I promise I’ll keep an open mind,” Lila murmured. She pulled back to cup his cheeks, his short beard tickling her fingers as she smoothed away the anxious line between his brows.
She refused to settle for any ordinary man. Lila was determined to find a partner who aligned flawlessly with her soul and her needs, confident that the stars would show her the way.
“Trust me.”
