Yes, I admit it; I was once a Tinder app user. I joined while traveling through Europe last summer because there were so many hot guys to swipe through. I could tell you all my Tinder horror stories, from guys who used fake pictures to the French model/drummer who stood me up at a music festival after promising to get me backstage. But I’m not here to tell you those stories; I’m here to tell you about how I met someone amazing.
I was casually swiping through pictures of random guys, as you do when you’re bored and possess Tinder, when I came across his profile. His pictures were dorky to say the least, but I could tell he was kind of cute. His profile said “I bet I can make you laugh.” Ehhh, I thought, I guess I’ll give the guy a chance. I swiped right and it was a match!
We started talking; he was from Southern California, on a road trip to San Francisco, and he went to school on the East Coast. Once we passed the small talk, I realized he was actually pretty cool. A few days later, he wanted to FaceTime. WHOA -- his pictures did not do him justice; he was a water polo player with a face as handsome as that of any prince charming. He told me he was actually a little nervous to talk to me – aaaa, so cute!!
The summer went on, and we FaceTimed almost every day. Then, it was time to go back to school. We talked less; he was captain of his water polo team, and with the three-hour time difference, it was hard to find a moment to chat. One day, he told me he had a girlfriend. I congratulated him and then proceeded to cry. A girlfriend?! I knew we’d never met in person, but that didn’t stop me from having feelings for him. He felt guilty talking to me, even just occasionally, but said he didn’t want to stop.
Months later, they were over. We started talking more again and planned on meeting over summer, when we would both be in LA. School was out when the day came to finally meet. We both drove to Venice Beach and spent the day doing cheesy things; we went to Santa Monica Pier and rode the Ferris wheel, got matching henna tattoos, and picnicked on the beach. Later that week we went to see a movie, and again a week later. He even met my mom.
We fantasize about the future – where we might live, how we’ll have three dogs… How much more relationship-y can it get than me saying white isn’t my color and him saying, “Of course it is; all angels wear white?” We both know we can’t be together – neither of us is willing to try long-distance – but we also both hope that one day we’ll have the chance. In the meantime, though, we are best friends. And if it doesn’t work out romantically... well, I like to think I’ll either be at his wedding or in it.
