Page 3 of Blindly Yours

The car stops in front of Junie’s building, and she turns to me once more before hopping out. “Hey, maybe you need a different approach. I just heard about this new dating app. It’s really popular right now and it’s for elite singles. It’s called Bloom. Apparently, you can filter matches by income level.”

I scrunch my nose. “They’ve really thought of everything now, haven’t they?”

She waves her hand to clear my doubt. “I know, I know. It could be a disaster, but you should give it a try.”

I regard her suspiciously as she steps out onto the sidewalk. “What kind of superficial men are gonna use an app to find a match based on income?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know, maybe the ones who are being guilted by their parents to marry rich." She raises a brow and grins. “Just try it! Let me know tomorrow how it goes! Bye!”

She shuts the car door, leaving me alone to finish the short ride to my building. And a few minutes later, I’m kicking off my heels, slumping down onto the sofa, and flicking on my electric fireplace as I let my chin fall to my chest in exhaustion. I turn the dial on the remote until the projected flames match my mood; a deep shade of blue.

Running into my cheating ex was not in my Sunday night plans. And hearing him say he still loves me was the cherry on top that I never ordered.

A flash of white crosses my peripheral and I smile for the first time tonight as a familiar warm feline climbs up onto my lap and spins around three times, pressing her small paws into my legs repeatedly until she decides on a position and sinks down to curl up.

“Hi Daisy, did you have a good day?” I scratch gently beneath her chin as her green eyes fall closed in ecstasy.

She gives a small mew and then settles in again.

I pick up my phone and open the app store. What did Junie say the app was called? I think it started with a B? I type in “dating app B” and watch as a long list of results forms in front of my eyes.

Seventy-two to be exact.

“God, how many dating apps do people need these days?” I mutter to myself as I begin to scroll down the list. None of the names look familiar, so I swipe back to the top and tap on the first. Junie said it was popular, so I figure the app store must know that too, and would feature it at the top of their list.

It loads quickly and then displays a rich purple welcome screen with the name and tagline in a swirling serif.

I swipe through the introduction slides without paying much attention. Then I begin filling out my profile.

I tap my finger on my lips and devise a clever username.

Username:ASingleRose26

Gender:Female

Location:Minneapolis

Age:26

Are you looking to connect with men, women, or both?Men

Why did you join Blindly?Just trying something new. I’d like to say I’m here for fun, but I’m also open to something serious.

What three words would your closest friend use to describe you?Determined, loyal, approachable.

What is your ideal Sunday morning?A hot cup of coffee by the fireplace, curled up with my cat, and the latest edition of Vogue.

What is your ultimate comfort food?Pizza. All the pizza.

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?Last year, I went skydiving in Monterey.

What are you looking for in a partner?Honesty, like-mindedness, a sense of humor. But really, I’m just looking for my big spoon.

I advance to the next slide and am presented with my completed profile. A tiny green dot appears next to my username, indicating I’m online. I furrow my brow, realizing the app never asked me to upload a photo of myself. I also haven’t seen where I can select a preferred income level. I scroll through the settings, trying to figure out where to add either, and at the same time, a chime sounds. A small red number ‘1’ appears at the bottom of my screen.

“Well, that was fast.” I trace my fingers through Daisy’s fur and sit back, tapping the waiting message.

BigSpoon92

---