Authors Note: This is a full stand alone story in one upload. It is a slower build than some of my other stories, and there is potential for a sequel if people want that. I really hope you enjoy it, if you are here for a quick fix, I get it - the start of the proper raunchy stuff is the end of Chapter Four onwards, you're welcome ;)
Chapter One - Congratulations
Elliot felt a flutter of nervousness as he looked over his dating profile one last time. He had spent his time picking his photos, and flicked through to be sure they were all in the right order. The first was with a couple of friends at Glastonbury. He was mid laugh, glitter making his dark brown hair sparkle in the Golden Hour glow, beer in hand, relaxed and happy. Another was at a family wedding, he was wearing a suit and the photographer had caught him in a candid shot, his bright blue eyes were prominent and he knew he looked good. The following three continued to show his life like a reel of greatest hits, and of course a selfie with the dog to finish.
His bio was short and sweet, and he had included a reference to his favourite TV show hero Michael Scott.
He had to be sure it was perfect. This dating app wasn't like the others, Matched was special. Once the profile was submitted there was no changing it. After that, there was no swiping through different girls of various beauty and brains, it was (or so he had been told) a short quiz and then nothing. You wait. When the app finally finds you a match, you you are alerted to their location. You meet, you are matched.
It has a 100% success rate.
He thought about his friends, all happy with their new girlfriends. Some were getting engaged, others having children. He had wanted to do it the old fashioned way, but here he was the last single friend, and he was sick of the constant nagging to download the app and get it done. He was only 25 but then, he didn't want all the good ones to be gone.
"It's like nothing you have ever experienced," one of his friends said, his new girlfriend clutching his hand, both of them smiling like they had only just learnt how. "The only way I can describe it is how, you know when you're in a dream, it feels real? But then when you wake up, the dream feels false and obviously flawed? That's what it feels like when you get your match. Like your whole world view shifts."
"How does that even work? It doesn't make sense," he had scoffed and his friend had only laughed and shrugged his shoulders.
"See for yourself and download the app already!"
So he did. He wondered about his possible match. Was she out there right now, filling out her own profile? Or had she been sat waiting for him all these years? Or maybe she was not yet on the app herself, maybe Elliot would sit waiting for the app to chime forever, never getting a suitable match.
"Fuck it," he muttered and pressed the big red submit button.
The screen loaded into a multiple choice quiz.
"Please respond with the first answer that comes to you" the app said.
"Question 1, the bee or the butterfly?"
Elliot frowned, and pressed the small image of the yellow and black bee.
"Question 2, lightning or thunder?"
The questions continued like this for a long time, long enough for Elliot to begin to get bored. The minutes ticked into hours.
"Question 143, feather or stick?"
Elliot almost felt like he was in a trance as he answered the questions, not even taking note of his answers anymore.
Finally the screen went dark and a small message appeared beneath the purple flash logo.
"Thank you for your submission, we will be in touch if we find your match."
He shook the dazed trance like stare from his head and blinked down at the message. He locked his phone and stood up, looking around him. He felt different, anticipation weighed in his stomach, excitement tightened his chest and he couldn't help the small smile on his mouth at the idea of meeting his future wife, hopefully soon.
*2 Months Later*
Elliot was sat at work, filling out never ending piles of paperwork, one eye on the clock as it inches closer and closer to the 5pm finish. It was 3:27 when he heard it.
An unfamiliar tinkling noise came from his phone that sat by him on his desk. Absentmindedly he glanced down and his heart dropped. The phone had lit up with a small simple notification beside the familiar purple flash.
"You've got a match!
Swipe to see their location ->"
With shaking hands he took the phone and opened the app. A map appeared on his screen and he was delighted to see the familiar streets of London, he had worried they may be in another city, maybe even another country. But the map showed his little purple coloured dot blinking in his office building, a small purple dotted line stretched south from him, he scrolled to follow it and it ended at a Purple Heart. The little symbol shimmered and pulsed, letting small translucent hearts float up his screen. His match.
He zoomed in to see she was near Clapham Park, and it looked like she may be at home from the buildings aerial view. He gulped and looked at the clock. He would have to wait until 5pm, he only hoped she wouldn't try to find him first. He didn't like the idea of his whole office meeting her at the same time he did.
A small pop up message read: "when you meet your phones will sync up via Bluetooth to confirm your match!"
As the minutes ticked by he left the app open, watching the little pulsing heart, it moved slightly a few times but it stayed resolutely in the building. Elliot felt relieved and a little nervous. She wasn't coming here, so maybe she was a girl that wanted him to make the first move. Should he take something, maybe some flowers?
When it was finally time to go home he headed to the tube via a Tesco Express, picking up the least sad bunch of flowers available and a box of chocolates. He wished he hadn't worn his fatty jacket to work today, but there was nothing to be done about that now. And besides, if she really was his match it shouldn't matter what he looked like anyway right?
He stood in the tube, feeling annoyed as his flowers slowly became limper by every passing minute, the passengers around him bumped into him in the cramped conditions, the heat rising, making his already agitated state worse as sweat began to trickle down his neck and back.
As he went further south the congestion eased slightly, and he was able to take a look at himself in the black windows, reflecting like a mirror. He looked ok, a little sweaty and ragged, but the excitement has lightened his bright blue eyes and his hair, recently cut, was having a surprisingly good day. He smiled at himself slightly, then saw an older lady chuckling at him and looked down.
When the next stop came she shuffled past him and with another chuckle said, "don't worry, I'm sure she'll think you're very handsome indeed."
Gratified slightly by the words, he waited the final two stops and then ascended back onto the streets of London. His purple dot and the little heart were sharing a screen now, so close to each other his own heart began to beat faster than the symbols pulsing. He followed the small purple line up the roads until finally his purple dot was overlapping the heart, he had arrived.
The building before him was an apartment building.
"Great," he thought. He climbed a small set of steps and looked at the doors, unsure what to do.
