When most people find out that my boyfriend and I met on Tinder, their response is usually, "Isn't that a hookup app?" So let's be real here: people do indeed use Tinder for "hookups" but it can also be used for so much more than that. My friends and I downloaded Tinder together as a joke, but I will always be thankful for the day I downloaded it. When using Tinder, I never really thought that anything would come from it. I would just swipe left or right and chat with my matches. If anything, I thought I could form a few friendships and that would be it. I never had the intentions of using the app for hookups, however, I would have never guessed that Tinder would help me find someone who is not only my best friend but also my boyfriend.
One day when I was on Tinder, I came across the profile of a guy from Penn State. He was cute and seemed interesting so I swiped right. I am really glad my finger did not accidentally swipe the other way for this guy. We had matched and I was excited, so I sent him a message. He responded shortly after, and then we began to tell each other about ourselves. Over the course of a week or two, we had become friends. We talked about maybe meeting up eventually but in my mind, I never thought it was realistic. He had stopped messaging me for a few weeks and I really did not think much of it. I figured that if he wanted to talk to me he would eventually message me again and he did.
The more we talked the more interested I became. He was not your average guy. He was sweet and funny and I really wanted to meet him in person; call me crazy but I formed feelings for someone I had yet to meet in person. On June 21, I drove to State College to finally meet him. We had a great time hanging out. We spent the entire day together watching a movie and talking about anything and everything. After we hung out, I was afraid that I would never see him again. However, we would later meet up in New Jersey. He was there on vacation and I was there for work so it worked out perfectly. The second time we ever hung out in person, which was July 29, 2015, we began dating. I know this may seem crazy and it is, but I do not regret it one bit. We may not have known each other for very long but we did know that what we had was more than a friendship.
It has been almost ten months since the day he asked me to be his girlfriend, and I must say that I am one lucky girl. Since July, we have spent so much time together and have created so many memories. He is my best friend and my boyfriend. So when people think that Tinder is solely a hookup app, I just point out to them that my relationship is an example of what else the app has to offer.
