If you haven't already guessed it, my bestie very cheekily followed the guy from my phone, and now his phone's probably drowning in notifications with that follow request sitting there, mocking me. What if he thinks I'm a creep? And for crying out loud, he's a senior. I'm surely jumping way too high from my little zone.
"Should I just unsend the request?"
"Stop being anxious. It's just a follow request. No biggie."
"Yeah, but our eyes met when I was about to talk to him! What if he thinks I'm some stalker? I swear I'm gonna go drown in the sink."
"Stop whining like a baby and come here. Help me swipe through these profiles."
Confused, I tilted my head and shot her a look.
"You, out of everyone, are on a dating app?"
Ecstatic, I practically launched myself at her, hugging her tight.
"Oh my little Sam is finally ready to go on dates! I'm so jealous, though. You're supposed to be mine."
I messed with her hair, making her groan.
"Yeah, yeah. I figured since you'd be out and about dating this senior, I should find someone for myself. You know, since I'll finally be free from your clingy ass."
"Hey, that was mean! But I'm excited for you. And I'm still your half-girlfriend, okay? If any guy treats you less than I do, he's dead."
We spent forever swiping through profiles, judging guys based on their captions like the true FBI agents we were. And then, we stopped at one.
"He's so your type. Swipe right, NOW!"
We both squealed when it was a match, and the guy messaged instantly. I had to help her respond because, for someone our age, she texted like a middle-aged dad. No offense to millennials.
After a while, we got back to swiping—to keep her options open, obviously—and that's when I saw his profile. Blood rushed to my face as I scrolled down. His bio was witty and honest, and his picture selection was the cherry on top.
Jane, stop obsessing.
My thoughts were interrupted by Sam's voice.
"Looks like you can shoot your shot. He's very much single and ready to mingle."
And she had that look in her eyes again.
"No. Don't you dare swipe right. I'll kill you."
"Possessive already, huh?" she teased before giving me a sly smile and swiping left.
"He's not my type. And you're clearly interested in him. I wouldn't do that to you—now drop that murdery look, please."
That's when I realized I had my jaw clenched, ready to pounce. I exhaled the breath I didn't even know I was holding.
Wait. Am I... crushing on someone? It's been ages since I've felt this.
"Hey, Sam... what if my bad luck in love strikes again? I'm not ready to cry over another guy."
She's seen all my past encounters. Been there for every heartbreak.
"Jane, you've just met the wrong people before. Not everyone is alike. If you don't give it a chance, you'll never open the door for the right person. So chin up and try to look at things positively for once in your life."
She was right. I couldn't let my past define me forever.
"You're right. I can't keep running. I'll give it a shot, Sam. You're the best."
She pulled me into a hug. And that's when my phone dinged.
Talk about timing.