Where Did All the Single People Go?

A Letter to the Ones Down for a Tuesday Drink That Turns Into Seven

I think I’ve entered that era people warn you about.

One day, you look up, and suddenly your go-to single friends are in committed relationships. The group chats get quieter. You need to buy a wedding guest dress. And then another one.

It feels hopeful. If everyone around me is finding their person, surely I will too.
But you also start bracing for the shift.

You’ve lost an ally. Someone to laugh about Hinge with, someone to commiserate with after a bad first date, someone to drag out with you on a Tuesday night for no reason. The group chat is still there, but slowly, you become the second call instead of the first.

I know this sounds dramatic.

But lately, I’ve been asking myself what I atually want from dating.

The idea of a relationship doesn’t feel entirely right.

Neither do one-night stands.

If I had to name what does feel right - it’s the idea of smoking a cigarette with a stranger at 3 a.m., sharing a moment, and never speaking again.

So why, at 27, do I feel so uncertain? Shouldn’t I be ready by now? To settle down. To find “my person.” To start the next chapter.

But here’s what I’ve come to realize: being single in your late twenties feels uniquely strange.

We lost our early twenties to COVID. The years “meant” for chaos, fucking up and being completely unhinged were replaced with face masks and moving back into our childhood bedrooms.

By the time the world reopened, we weren’t in the same phase of life anymore.
But the urge to make up for it? That stayed.

There’s a reason cigarettes are back. Why "brat girl summer" became a thing. It’s not about rebellion, but about reclaiming something. There’s a pent-up energy and a kind of reawakening happening. A refusal to go quietly into a relationship without living a little louder first.

This newsletter doesn’t really have a point.

Maybe it’s just a quiet manifesto for the other single readers. The ones who want to stay single a little longer. Who aren’t ready to settle down, but who still feel conflicted about it.

Maybe it’s a reminder that life is fucking short, and one day we’ll have someone beside us - for good.

But right now? Maybe this is the chapter for truly embracing singlehood instead of trying to escape it. For being spontaneous. For living out the stories your coupled-up friends can’t. For making the most of this in-between time, even if it’s very messy and confusing.

And if it feels lonely… maybe that’s just your sign to find more single friends to do it with you.

Here’s to us. The ones down for a Tuesday drink that turns into seven.

Let’s find each other.

Let’s enjoy it while it lasts.