Accidental Swipe on a CEO

I wasn’t supposed to be here. That thought had been looping in my head for the past ten minutes, bouncing between panic and disbelief as I sat in the backseat of a ride I could barely afford, staring at my reflection in the darkened window. This was insane, completely, utterly insane. I tightened my grip on my phone, my thumb hovering over his contact like I could undo everything with one tap. I should cancel. I should tell the driver to turn around. I should go home, crawl into bed, and pretend the last two months never happened because what kind of person agrees to meet a man she’s never seen before? No pictures, no video calls, nothing. Just a name, Ethan and a voice that lived in my head like a song I couldn’t stop replaying. I exhaled slowly, pressing my forehead against the cool glass. “Almost there,” the driver said casually, like he wasn’t transporting me to what could very well be the worst decision of my life. “Okay,” I murmured, even though my voice didn’t sound like mine. My heart was beating too fast, the kind of fast that warned you something was about to go very, very wrong. I glanced down at my outfit for the hundredth time. Simple black dress, nothing fancy. My hair was pulled back in a low bun, a few strands framing my face, I only applied minimal makeup which was safe, forgettable, normal, because that’s what I was. Normal, not the kind of girl who did reckless things like meeting mysterious men from dating apps who refused to show their faces. I huffed out a soft laugh, shaking my head. God, if my friends could see me right now…Actually, no. If my friends could see me right now, they’d physically drag me out of this car and lock me in my room and honestly? They wouldn’t be wrong. It had started as a mistake, a stupid, careless, end of a long day kind of mistake. I’d downloaded the app after a particularly exhausting shift at the clinic, my feet aching, my brain fried, my bank account screaming at me. It wasn’t even something I’d thought through. Just one of those impulsive decisions you make when life feels too heavy and you want a distraction. Swipe left, swipe left, swipe left. Faces blurred together. Smiles that looked rehearsed, bios that felt copied and pasted, then I’d seen it or rather, I hadn’t. A blank profile, no face pictures, no bio, just a name. Ethan. I frowned, my thumb hovering. I looked through the pictures, dinner, a park, a dog? Who even does that? I should’ve swiped left, any sane person would have. Instead, my finger slipped, right. I froze. “No way.” I stared at the screen like I could will it to undo itself, like the app would suddenly go, just kidding, let’s pretend that didn’t happen but it did and before I could process it, It’s a match. I actually laughed out loud, right there on my bed. “Of course it is,” I muttered. “Because why wouldn’t the one faceless man on this entire app match with me?” I was about to unmatch immediately because obviously, then my phone buzzed. A message, from him. Ethan: That was fast. I blinked, what? Ethan: Either you’re very decisive, or that was an accident. I stared at the message, my lips parting slightly. Okay, that was unexpected. I hesitated for a second, then typed back before I could overthink it. Me: I could ask you the same thing. No face pictures? No bio? That’s bold. The reply came almost instantly. Ethan: Or efficient. A smile tugged at my lips despite myself. Me: Efficient at what? Scaring people away? There was a pause this time. Just long enough to make me think maybe I’d pushed too far. Then my phone buzzed again. Ethan: The right person won’t be scared. Something about that made my stomach flip in a dangerous way. “Miss, we’re here.” The driver’s voice pulled me back to the present so abruptly I almost jumped. I blinked, sitting up straighter as I looked out the window and then I frowned because this was not what I expected, at all. The building in front of us wasn’t a café or a casual restaurant or anywhere that made sense for a first meeting between two people who had never seen each other before. “Are you sure this is the right place?” I asked, my voice quieter now, the driver checked his phone. “This is the location you entered.” I swallowed, right, because of course it was. I paid quickly, my fingers slightly unsteady, then stepped out of the car. The night air wrapped around me, cool and grounding, but it did nothing to calm the chaos in my chest. I looked up again. Tall, sleek, expensive. The kind of place where everything from the lighting to the silence felt intentional. Suddenly, every instinct I had was screaming at me to leave. I could still do it, turn around, walk away, block him and pretend none of this ever happened. Easy, simple, safe. I shifted my weight, taking a small step back. “Jana?” My breath caught. The voice, I knew that voice. Even without turning around, I knew. Slowly, too slowly, I turned and then I forgot how to breathe because standing in front of me was him. No. That couldn’t be real. He looked like something out of a dream I didn’t belong in. Tall, effortlessly so. The kind of height that made you instinctively tilt your head up just to meet his eyes. His face, God, it was unfair. Sharp, defined, like every feature had been carefully carved with intention. Dark hair, slightly tousled, like he hadn’t tried too hard but it still fell perfectly. His jaw was strong, his lips curved in the faintest hint of a smile that felt knowing and his eyes, they locked onto mine like they had been searching for me, like they had already found me. My heart slammed against my ribs. Run, that thought hit me hard and fast. Run, Jana. This is exactly how bad decisions start, but my feet didn’t move, of course they didn’t because he took a step closer and then another. And suddenly, he was right in front of me, too close. Close enough that I could see the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw, close enough that I could smell something subtle and clean and distracting, close enough that my brain completely stopped functioning. “Hello,” he said softly, like he wasn’t fully sure how I’d react, like he was the one taking a risk. That didn’t make sense, nothing about this made sense. “You…” I started, then stopped, because what exactly am I supposed to say? You’re ridiculously attractive? You don’t look like someone who hides behind a blank profile? You’re definitely out of my league and I should leave immediately? Yeah, none of those sounded right. His lips curved slightly, like he could hear every chaotic thought running through my head. “Are you a little shy,” he asked, his voice warm, teasing, “or am I just that breathtaking?” I stared at him and then, despite everything, laughed because that? That was bold. “You’re very confident,” I managed, folding my arms loosely, trying to regain some control over the situation. “I like to be accurate,” he replied smoothly. I shook my head, a small smile slipping through before I could stop it. Dangerous, that’s what this was. Not just because he was a stranger but because something about him made it very, very easy to forget that he was. He studied me for a moment, his gaze softer now, more focused. “You almost left.” It wasn’t a question, I hesitated. “I thought about it.” “Why didn’t you?” I could’ve lied, said something casual, but for some reason, standing here in front of him, that felt pointless. So, I told the truth. “I wanted to see if you were worth the risk.” His expression shifted slightly at that and for the first time since I’d met him, he looked genuinely intrigued. “Am I?” he asked quietly. My heart skipped, I held his gaze, forcing myself to stay grounded, even though everything inside me felt like it was tilting. “I don’t know yet,” I said, something in his eyes darkened. “Good,” he murmured. Then he stepped back slightly, gesturing toward the building behind him. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s find out.”