[For the sake of this topic, I will use names just to help distinguish characters] My story is a romance novel that follows two characters as they fall in love, start a family and yada yada (Not going to delve too much into this as I don't want to give anything away). Jen, my main female character is 19 (will turn 20 in the book) and Alex, my male main character is 26. So Jen has just moved to Dallas and is a newly licensed real estate agent. At the agency where she works, she meets Emily who's older brother is best friends with Alex, who is a CEO. Now Emily thinks Jen is the perfect match for Alex and conducts this plan to try and get them together naturally without feeling like it's forced. So it needs to be a place that feels natural like "hey, josh, alex and I are going to the movies, do you want to come?" However, I don't believe it should be like a "we're getting together for dinner" kind of thing. There is a very important scene a few chapters after they meet that takes place at Emily's parents house that really establishes their attraction to each other so I don't want it to feel like it's happening to close together. Any suggestions are much appreciated.
could be a work function. My job has "staff bonding" days where they purchase tickets to a sports game in bulk and then give them to staffers and a plus 1 or 2. If Emily works with Jen, they both can get tickets to a game or a movie or whatever event their agency is endorsing at the time. Emily can ask Jen if she's using her second ticket (she's not) and then Emily can invite her brother who gives the other ticket to Alex. Another natural way is a conference. What exactly is Alex a CEO of? and does it relate to Real Estate? if so, Emily urges Jen to go to this conference thing with her where either Alex is a speaker, or Alex is there at the conference, too. Emily recognizes him and initiates the meeting between Jen and him. And after the conference, Jen and Alex run into each other again at social hour (conferences always have social opportunities after conferences, be it in the hotel bar/lounge or on an outing), and they get a chance to hangout without Emily there
A CEO at 26, unless it is some kind of tech startup, seems young. If it is some kind of startup, then maybe he was looking for a house, and the young real estate agent is doing an open house. Other than that, running into each other at a store, or coffee shop.
Is there a reason why any typical acquaintance activity wouldn't work? Rock climbing gym, normal gym, local parade/fair, bowling, tennis, dilapidated mental asylum etc...
A chunk of my coworkers went to check out a 'haunted' one once. (So, yes, in the spirit of the thread, something acquaintances can casually embark on) I wasn't invited. I experienced whatever the opposite of envy is.
Not for me to say (that's Not the Territory's job), but maybe it was relief? ("Phew, I won't run into any ghosts in some dilapidated old mental asylum.") Or, maybe ... sour grapes? ("Rass'n frass'n so-called friends! Who cares about their stupid outing to a crummy old mental asylum? I bet there's nothing to see anyway!") Or maybe ... schadenfreude? ("Ha-ha! Those guys didn't invite me, and when they went, it rained and the place was clo-osed! Nyah nyah!") Or, it could even be ... surliness? Or, dare I say ... revenge? ("Some friends! They go off and have fun and leave me behind. They don't deserve me as a friend! I'll show them all! Mwa-ha-ha!!") Massive over-reaction, I know. But hey, why can't I be melodramatically evil, just once in a while?
Most certainly age the characters up a bit. What are Jen's interests? What are Alex's interests? For instance, if both characters like to hike, have Emily ask Jen if she can come along and bring her friend, Alex. Maybe she knows this really pretty place that she wants to show both characters. Or, if both characters like art, have them go to an art expo. Anything that can establish the initial chemistry between two characters.
Maybe have multiple times where they cross paths, all in the same vein. Like in the 3 weddings and a funeral movie, it took a while as the romance built up. They're all young professionals, maybe they see both have to suffer through the same training seminars month after month. Maybe she's the one listing the homes he's lookng to buy. But they have something in common, and as she confides something to him, it turns out he's the epitome of what she loathes, such as he's the president of the local NRA chapter. But something happens and she realizes there's a spark and she can't live without him, or vice versa.
