Life is all about choices. Six months had passed with Jack, and I was happier than I had been since moving to Los Angeles – maybe even happier than I had been in five years. I was choosing to spend my time with someone I cared deeply for, and with that relationship I also inherited a slew of new, amazing friends that I was thrilled to see every day. However, though I was having the time of my life and though my feelings were strong, I wasn’t letting myself become waylaid by the “details” of what Jack and I were. We had our thing together, and it made me happy. And no one had to understand it but us.
Though, as in all relationships, both friendship and romantic, there comes a time for progression. People become closer and relationships jump to the next level. While Jack and I were becoming closer, we were also stuck in a bizarre kind of limbo that was like walking a tightrope. At any moment there was a chance to fall into new territory; on the left, the friend zone, and on the right, something more.
I was becoming restless. Obviously I wanted something more, but we weren’t there yet. And at the same time, I didn’t feel like I was being fair to myself to wait around for him to see what an awesome person he was missing out on being in a relationship with.
So I made a choice. I downloaded Tinder.
Each day, when I became bored with work, I’d log on and mainly swipe left because of the absolute dogs I’d come across. However, one day, someone attractive flashed across my screen. His name was Aiden. He was devilishly handsome and from what I could tell from his diminutive profile, had a good job and seemed, dare I say, normal.
As we began chatting, I told him about my newly broken foot because I thought it was a great ice breaker, and he told me he owned a strip club and invited me to come in to perform on amateur night. Just as I was amping myself up for a new way to earn some extra cash that I, admittedly, always kind of had a fantasy about, he confessed that he worked in corporate fashion retail instead. He had a sense of humor. Perfect.
After exchanging numbers and a few more days of chatting, I made another choice. To meet him.
Click here to read about Kyle & Aiden’s first date
