Left Swipe

i.

“Shit!” he said to himself, as he lay on the couch alongside his faithful terrier.

He fumbled with his phone, trying to undo his costly error.

But he knew better.

He was fucked.

He didn’t pay for the premium service. Which meant nothing could be done. This was reason enough to pay premium.

Lesson learned.

He had been in the midst of a prolonged left swipe streak. When you don’t pay premium, you only get so many allotted right swipes a day. He was judicious. He had to be.

On auto-pilot, he accidentally swiped left on someone he knew was an absolute super-like (which are also limited without the premium).

In both the immediate and long-term aftermath, he obsessed over it way longer than necessary.

Who was to say she even would have matched with him anyway?

And even if they did match, who was to say anything would come out it? Like the vast majority of matches. Even if they actually met, it would likely join the cesspool of awkward, disastrous one and done dates.

Even with rational thoughts such as these in mind, he still continued to obsess over it.  

  As he continued to do so for as long as he was single.

Which was for the rest of his life.

ii.

Of course, had he met her, he would very much realize how much he missed out on.

Because if they did meet, they would have hit it off instantly.

Their chats would be the most satisfying.

Their first date would be absolute perfection.

Their first kiss would be amazing.

Their sex beyond anything they had ever experienced.

They would be happily married ever after.

They would have beautiful children and grandchildren.

And they would die in their sleep.

Holding hands.

As they did for most of their life.

iii.

Across town, another local single was making the biggest mistake of her life. She accidentally swiped left on someone who she could she would vibe with like no other.

But then she tossed it all way…to the left. If only she hadn’t canceled her premium membership just last month. She never once used any of its perks, including the coveted rewind button.

So, she canceled.

Go figure.

She never obsessed over a missed connection in her life.

Or, really, anyone period.

That is, not until now.

She knew obsessing over it wasn’t going to get her anywhere.

That it all in her head.

But that still didn’t stop her.

Deep down, she knew.

A feeling that would grow even deeper for as long as stayed singe.

Which was for the rest of her days.