Swipe Right, Wrong Number

Chapter 2

I stared at the message, hoping my brain would magically come up with a response that didn’t sound completely mortifying.

Did we just match?

The words hung in the air like a giant neon sign flashing AWKWARD in all caps. But instead of the full-blown panic I expected, a strange calm washed over me. Maybe it was because the absurdity of the situation was so unexpected. I mean, matching with your boss on a dating app? If this wasn’t a Friends episode in the making, I didn’t know what was.

I sighed and started typing, deciding that honesty—albeit light and casual—might be my best way out of this.

“Looks like it! Technology, huh? ”

Seconds later, his response appeared.

“I’ve seen worse tech issues. But this is... interesting.”

Interesting? That was an understatement. What were the odds that this could happen? I bit my lip, trying to figure out what he meant by interesting. Was he amused? Annoyed? I couldn’t tell from his perfectly crafted, cryptic message. He wasn’t giving me much to work with.

Okay, cool boss. Keep it professional, I reminded myself.

I typed back quickly.

“Yeah, definitely one for the ‘weird work stories’ file.”

There. Neutral. Harmless. I smiled to myself, feeling a little better. Maybe we could just laugh this off, pretend it never happened. Maybe everything would go back to normal.

But of course, Ethan wasn’t done.

“I’d say it’s more of a ‘small world’ situation. Or, you know, just bad luck.”

Bad luck. I could practically hear his smooth, commanding voice in my head. He always had a way of making everything sound so straightforward, like he had already analyzed every angle before speaking. But did he mean it was bad luck... for me? Or for him?

My fingers hovered over the keyboard. I decided to lean into it, figuring if he wasn’t going to panic, I shouldn’t either.

“Well, at least it keeps things interesting. This is definitely a first for me.”

His reply came fast.

“You’re not the only one. I don’t usually make a habit of swiping right.”

I blinked at the screen. Ethan Montrose, talking about dating apps. The image of him, sitting in his meticulously tidy apartment, swiping on Lovewave, was almost too surreal. It made him seem... human, in a way, I wasn’t used to.

Before I could reply, another message buzzed in.

“Though, in my defence, this wasn’t my idea. My sister signed me up. She’s convinced I’m ‘too busy for my own good.’”

I smiled, my fingers tapping quickly.

“Haha, sounds like my best friend. Lucy practically dragged me onto this app, too. Apparently, being a workaholic isn’t as ‘cool’ as I thought.”

There was a pause, then his response popped up.

“Smart friend. You should listen to her.”

I blinked. Was he... giving me advice? Ethan, who lived and breathed work, was telling me to take a break? The irony wasn’t lost on me.

“Right back at you,” I typed back, unable to resist.

There was a brief moment of silence, then my phone buzzed again. I glanced down, and my heart skipped a beat.

Meeting Request: Tomorrow, 8:30 a.m. — Ethan Montrose.

Of course. It was too good to be true. My brief moment of relaxed conversation with my boss was over, and now I had to face him tomorrow. And at 8:30 a.m., no less. Was this a professional meeting? Or... something else?

Before I could spiral into full panic mode, another message came through.

“Don’t worry. Tomorrow’s meeting is about the Q3 project. Nothing personal.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and smiled. He was always one step ahead. Always in control, even when I was losing my grip. There was something oddly reassuring about it.

“Good to know. I’ll leave my dating app at home, then. ”

I waited, half-expecting him to shut the conversation down, but instead, his reply came back, short and to the point.

“Probably for the best.”

I grinned at the screen. It wasn’t exactly flirty, but it was... Ethan. Cool, confident, and just a little mysterious. And despite the awkwardness of the whole situation, there was something strangely cozy about it. Almost like this wasn’t as bad as I’d first imagined.

The phone buzzed again.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,"

As I put my phone down and curled deeper into the couch, I couldn’t help but feel like something had shifted. It wasn’t just a silly dating app match—it was the beginning of something I hadn’t seen coming.