On June 29, 2025, it all began…
It started like any other day. Nicol was disappointed after a date the day before, yet she didn't give up hope—though she no longer believed she could actually meet someone on the app. She decided to reply to a guy named Alex, ignoring the dozens of other chats waiting for her. When she looked at his profile, she instantly thought he seemed handsome and, somehow, smart. A few minutes later, Alex replied.
They began messaging and quickly discovered they understood each other. Soon, they moved their conversation to Instagram and realized they had quite a lot in common. Nicol was drawn not just to what he wrote, but to the way he wrote it—kind, thoughtful, someone she could talk to anytime. By the end of the week, they agreed to meet in person, not expecting to find love, but simply wanting to meet someone new and have a genuine conversation.
Nicol woke up, and it was the day they were finally going to meet. She was nervous, but also excited. They were texting about where and what time Alex would pick her up. She opened her closet and sighed—she had absolutely nothing to wear. Finally, she chose a white long-sleeve shirt, a pearl necklace, and loose black pants.
After doing her makeup and straightening her hair, she kept checking the time, counting down the minutes until she would finally see him after a week of messaging. Once she was ready, she looked in the mirror and whispered, "I hope he likes me." Sitting by the window, she waited.
Then she saw a green car pull up in front of her building. Her heart started racing. She grabbed her purse and went downstairs. She opened the car door and almost tripped from nerves as she climbed in. When she turned, she saw him—exactly her type: dark hair, a little mustache, and a tattoo. Nicol froze for a moment, thinking, "He looks even better than in the photos."
"Hi," Nicol said, smiling at him."Hi," Alex replied.
"So, where are we going?" Nicol asked."Well, we could go to the park," Alex suggested."Sounds good," she smiled.
During the drive, Alex suddenly said, "Almost forgot…"Nicol looked at him. "And what?"He handed her something in the car—a refill for her electronic cigarette. "Keep it. I don't like melon flavor," he said. Nicol laughed and said, "Really?" and started filling it.
The drive was quiet at first, with only music playing, but Nicol couldn't stop looking at him. She watched him drive, fascinated by every little movement. As they drove, Alex pointed out where she lived. "Nice little house," he said. Nicol smiled, but he stayed quiet.
At one point, Alex said they would stop by a store. Nicol asked if she should come in or stay in the car. "Up to you," he replied. She decided to stay in the car. "I'm fine here," she said. "Okay," he nodded and asked if she wanted anything. "No, thanks," she replied. As soon as he went inside, Nicol quickly pulled out her phone and texted her best friend: "I really like him, he's so great."
Her best friend had the location sharing on, just in case, so Nicol quickly put her phone away when Alex returned. "Ready?" he asked. "Let's go to the park," she said, smiling. They drove on, talking and laughing, and Nicol couldn't stop thinking how easy it felt to be with him.