I let out an unexpected chuckle as I think about how to answer that. “If you think staying up until two in the morning multiple nights is good, then I’d say, you have a winner on your hands.”
I start to run, and he quickly jogs to reach my side.
“You’re being serious right now?”
“As serious as I can be with a girl who I don’t really know.”
“What’s her name?”
“Jenelle. She works downtown, which is cool.”
“What do you guys talk about?”
“Everything. It’s like I’m in high school again, only I don’t have to sneak around on my phone late at night.”
He laughs—I’m sure he’s remembering those nights when his parents would yell at him to go to bed as well. “That’s awesome. I’m glad to hear it’s going so well.”
“We’ll see. I think I’ll be able to get her number on Monday. How will that work?”
“If Monday is the seventh day, then she’ll get a message on her phone, asking if the app can give you her number. If she clicks Yes, then you’re in. It will notify you, and then you can take your conversations off the app from there.”
“And what if she says no?”
He pauses his thoughts but keeps his running pace, only turning his head to face me better. “Are you worried she’ll say no?”
I nudge him slightly. “No. I’m just wondering.”
He laughs, then faces forward. “If she clicks No, then the app will ask if she wants more time to get to know you before giving you her number. From there, she can decide when or if she wants to give you her number. The rules still apply, like no photos or things like that. But then it’s up to you if you want to continue talking to her on the app or move on.”
“Can you tell how many matches are connecting and actually talking past the first day or two?”
“Yeah, we have a good handful so far that have made it past a day or two. You might be one of the first to hit day seven. I’m not sure how many matches we had on launch day.”
“We’ll see. I hope this girl is who she seems to be. The unknown is killing me.”
Now it’s his turn to nudge me. “You’ve never had to work this hard for a girl. I get it.”
“It’s not like that. It’s just … different.”
“When you take sex out of the equation, things change. The question is, at day seven, can you keep it that way, or will you jump in bed with her, then move on once that challenge is over?”
“I would hope that’s not what’s going on.”
He looks in my direction. I can feel the way he’s staring at me, like he’s trying to figure something out. When he doesn’t say anything, I turn my head to stare back at him.
“You really like this girl?” he finally asks, like he’s shocked to even think it.
I nod. “I do. But what if, when I finally talk to her, her voice is something I can’t stand?”
He laughs out loud. “How many people have a voice you can’t stand?”
“They exist,” I say, defending my concern. “Chad said she was hot, but I have to think there’s something wrong with her.”
“Why? Because she’s single? Don’t forget, you’re single too.”
“Yeah, but I have unique circumstances—you know that.”
“I do. But who knows? Maybe she does too. Or maybe she’s not the bar type. Or maybe she just keeps meeting absolute douchebags. You never know why.”
