As a seasoned user of dating apps (Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, you name it!), a large part of me thought these apps were more for funny stories to tell your friends later than for real relationships. On August 3rd, 2021, I was proven wrong.
After so many bad dates, I matched with a guy on my self proclaimed “break from dating” so I really didn’t see it going anywhere. I thought we’d just text for a bit and after the Summer from Tinder Hell, I might have better luck back at school. One night, I went out for dinner with a friend, expecting to have a fun night out. Instead, we were done at 6:00 pm. Stubborn as I am, I wanted to stay out at least a little bit longer.
So, I took a step that was very out of character: I went to the hypothetical date spot this Tinder boy and I had talked about and called him up out of nowhere. “I’m here,” I proclaimed. “So if you want to meet up…that could be pretty fun.” He replied that he would love to but that he had an emergency roommate situation to contend with and asked if I would be willing to talk on the phone later that night.
After two hours of finding out how much we had in common and laughing until we cried, I felt a movie moment welling inside of me and I knew I had to meet him. We decided to see each other at 2:00 pm two days later (three days before he was slated to go back to school). Within an hour, it was clear that this was no ordinary boy. This was a special boy. A boy who really cared about me, respected me, a boy who wanted to be my friend, regardless of anything else happening. For the first time ever, I had a first date that didn’t end in so much as a kiss. Four hours of laughing, three YouTube videos shared, two lunches at Whole Foods, and one great walk later, we both really didn’t want to say goodbye. Avoiding eye contact, he nervously asked if we could talk on the phone again before he went back to college.
“Talk on the phone,” I asked in horror. “I’m seeing you again!!” He agreed and we planned to have a cooking and dinner date two days later. I came home, completely enchanted, and told my mom, “I didn’t know a boy could be my best friend.” I was so amazed. I was never friends with anyone I’d dated. This was pure magic and I thought it was too good to be true, so I eagerly awaited a second date.
The evening of the second date arrived and he greeted me shyly. We cooked together and caught up on our days as if we were old friends, complete with inside jokes from the other day about our shared hometown. As we talked more, I truly couldn’t believe how many ways I could have met him – I’d been to his high school countless times, we went to the same music school for eight years, and we had a few mutual friends to boot! After we finished cooking, I asked where we were sitting and he led me to a dining room with a stunning table, complete with every seasoning and cheese you could ask for.
Just when I didn’t think this night couldn’t get any better, he grinned and told me softly, “you, uh, you look really pretty tonight,” in a smooth, calming voice. A switch went off in my brain – maybe this could go somewhere, even if he’s leaving tomorrow, I thought. He walked me out to a beautifully lit deck and we toured his backyard. I am never one to make the first move but something told me tonight was the night. So, I extended my hand and asked if he wanted any help navigating the dark. He took my hand and neither of us let go the rest of the night. We turned on The Emperor’s New Groove and I laid on his chest. I felt his heart going a million miles an hour. I inched closer, feeling oh so comfortable with him. Again, I thought, I must be dreaming, this is too magical. He must have felt the same because he put off going back to school in favor of spending a week with me, going on fun adventures and getting to know each other even more. I can honestly say, almost nine months later, that those first two dates were no fluke. In fact, they were only the beginning. Every moment, every talk, every laugh with him just gets more magical.
I wrote this article because I was talking to a wonderful friend of mine, who asked me how I found magic on Tinder of all places and what made me know Alex was special. I think it was the combination of him being a rare, authentic gentleman and him being such a wonderful person and friend that the boyfriend piece is almost a bonus. My point is, even if you feel like dating apps are a waste of time or you’ve been on a million terrible dates and had awful relationships (trust me, I relate!), your boy(best)friend could be just around the corner.