Finn

“I really can’t believe you turned down the breeder. A black card. Two villas. A future villa. Like hell, come and take my ovaries bitch, I’ll give you as many babies as you want,” Rory laughed as I groaned.

She was scrolling through my phone, after that disastrous date I’d refused to see the other four matches, eventually swiping left on the rest of them.

“A seventy-five percent match. Seventy. Five,” I whined. “That app is scary. I’m scared, Rory. Don’t make me do it again.” I tossed up my hands seriously feeling on the verge of tears.

She patted her bare thighs for me to lie down on. I did and sighed as she placed the cool face mask over me. We looked like cats, both of us. It was hilarious. And usually, I would laugh.

But I didn’t feel like laughing, Rory was being super pushy about another date, and I just wasn’t feeling it.

“Finn, you have to baby.”

Grumpy, I frowned as I looked up at her. “Give me one good reason why?”

I thought she would give me some BS reason like she always did. But she turned away from me, looking almost guilty and my stomach sank. I sat up, causing my mask to slip a little. I slid it back into place as I asked, “What aren’t you telling me?”

“I didn’t want to tell you this yet. But… I scored a campaign. A really big one. With Burberry.”

Okay, that wasn’t so bad. She’d leave for a few weeks, no biggie, she’d done it before. So why was I still feeling sick to my stomach?

“That’s awesome. So how long will you be gone this time? A week? Two?” At her silence, I squeaked, “A month?”

“A year,” she sighed.

“What?!” I shook my head, causing the mask to plop onto my thighs. “A year. But…but… why so long? You’ve never been gone that long. What? I don’t—”

Her lips twisted as she snatched her own mask off. “I didn’t want to tell you like this, I planned a nice dinner next week for us, but I got a call from Sam today. Her lease is up on her flat and she wants us to move into one together.”

Sam, I mouthed silently. So, Rory was taking my advice then? I plastered on a tight smile. “Sam, huh?”

“Mm. Yeah. You told me to take a leap of faith, so that’s what I’m doing.”

“Hah, I did, didn’t I?”

I clutched my stomach.

“But I won’t feel good going unless I know that you’ve found someone.”

I closed my eyes for a two beat before saying, “Why do I need a partner for you to feel free to leave? I’m not that fragile, Rory.”

Her hands gripped my face, forcing my gaze to her steady one.

“You’re right, you don’t necessarily need a partner for life. But you do need friends, Finny. None of us can survive alone. We need each other. Don’t you know that shit’s hardwired into our DNA?”

I chuckled and so did she.

Blowing out a deep breath, I turned my face so that she was no longer holding me. I felt too vulnerable when she did.

“There’s nothing there anyway. I deleted the rest of my matches last night.”

“Really?” She picked up my phone, opened the app, and grinned. Turning the phone toward me her grin only grew wider as my heart sank.

Because there in black and white was a new match and this one… “Oh god.”

99.9% match.

I groaned.

“Just swipe right, baby boy,” she said with a giggle.

Rory never asked for much. In fact, she was always giving me so much that I felt guilty denying her this.

I knew with every fiber of my being that this date would be one for the record books. I cringed even as I swiped right.

~*~

Daniel

I was just spraying on my pheromone suppressant when I heard a notification chime on my phone.

It was Fate and I had a match.

I’d almost forgotten all about my drunken lapse in judgment the other night. Reaching to delete it a sudden perverse curiosity overtook me, and I opened it instead.

I smirked. “So, Ninty-nine said yes, eh? This can’t be real though. Seriously. Ninty-nine.” I snorted.

The company was padding the numbers because there was no way in hell that my fated mate was not only in the City, but also less than five miles away, and a near perfect match.

Statistical improbability.

My nostrils flared as I licked my canines. A sudden flare of heat washed through me. For years I’d abandoned the idea of ever finding my match. Many people tried, but few succeeded. And me, someone whose life depended on finding them, I was afraid to even hope.

Eric would give me shit if he knew.

Gripping the phone tight I was tempted to delete the app and never think about it again.

I grabbed my chest and hung my head. I could have years, I might have months. At this rate, I couldn’t deny that was possible.

“Dammit.” I swiped right. Instantly a chat window opened.

Cutiepiesweetiebum is now in the chat.

“What kind of handle is that?” I scoffed, imagining a fuckboy on the other end of it. Not like I could throw stones.

A blinking ellipsis showed they were actively typing.

Cutiepiesweetiebum: Um, hi.

MyEggplantsBiggerthanUrs: Hi

Ugh…Had I really made that my handle? How drunk had I gotten?

Cutiepiesweetiebum: Eggplant, huh? *lol*

I groaned, feeling heat gathering in my cheeks.

MyEggplantsBiggerthanUrs: Yeah, I dunno what I was smokin’ that night

Cutiepiesweetiebum: Sure, let’s go with that. *wink*

Chuckling, I quickly typed back.

MyEggplantsBiggerthanUrs: Alright, sweetie bum

Cutiepiesweetiebum: Oh god, I didn’t give myself that name. My roommate did

MyEggplantsBiggerthanUrs: Yeah, mine too

Cutiepiesweetiebum: Riiiiiigggghhhhtttt *wink wink*

I grinned. So far so good, I guessed. This wasn’t so bad.

I had to leave in about thirty minutes to work, but there was something freeing about flirting online with a no-name no-face entity who didn’t know anything about me. Not really.

Cutiepiesweetiebum: Guy? Girl?

MyEggplantsBiggerthanUrs: Guy. You?

Cutiepiesweetiebum: Also guy. Problem?

MyEggplantsBiggerthanUrs: Nope.

Cutiepiesweetiebum: Me either. Can I be honest?

My brows dipped. Okay, this was where things got weird, right?

MyEggplantsBiggerthanUrs: Yup

Cutiepiesweetiebum: I had a really bad match last time and I’m hella nervous to meet up so soon

My lips pursed. Not as weird as I’d thought. Weirdly, I found myself suddenly curious about that date from hell.

MyEggplantsBiggerthanUrs: Now I’m curious.

Cutiepiesweetiebum: Maybe I’ll tell you someday

MyEggplantsBiggerthanUrs: Fair

Cutiepiesweetiebum: I would totally understand if you’d rather not do this but, can we, like, chat for a while and see if we even wanna meet?

Color me intrigued. Normally I had to fend off Omegas with a ten-foot pole. Save for one. An outlier and my adorable nemesis. But…

I grinned. I hadn’t known what to expect with this match but so far nothing crazy and I actually didn’t mind taking time to get to know one another.

MyEggplantsBiggerthanUrs: Actually, you took the words out of my mouth

Cutiepiesweetiebum: Good. I have to go to work now. But maybe we can chat later this evening? Say around 8?

Those hours matched mine perfectly and I didn’t have anything to do this evening.

MyEggplantsBiggerthanUrs: Yeah. Why not? See you then sweetiebum

Cutiepiesweetiebum: U 2 eggplant

Cutiepiesweetiebum has left the chat

It didn’t dawn on me until I was riding up the elevator to my office that I’d not stopped smiling all the way there.