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My finger was alert and ready to select “Neither; they weigh the same.”
“Way to use your brain! That was a tricky one,” my friend said.
Hoping she was being sarcastic, I replied, “Your encouragement always lifts my spirits.”
As we answered a series of equally banal questions, our emoji avatars moved closer to a virtual door.
If you multiply all the numbers on a telephone keypad, what will be the answer?
I started to use the calculator on my phone to multiply the numbers before realizing the obvious. By the time I tabbed back to the Connect App, my friend had already entered zero.
Our avatars were shown in a new room filled with balloons and confetti.
“Way to use your brain! That was a tricky one,” I sent.
“I appreciate your valuable contributions,” she replied.
Despite the inanity of the test, I had to chuckle. The whole thing was ridiculous, from the questions to the predetermined responses. Had that been the whole point, to bond us over a stupid game?
I watched the plant stalk representation of our friendship emerge a little bit further from the ground and was about to select the option to start the next activity, a word association game, when my work phone buzzed about a potential case of babesiosis in the ER.
I put my phone away and sped out the door. I couldn’t know if my new friend would want to go on the cruise with me, but for the first time since Mom told me Grandma expected me to bring a girlfriend, I thought maybe things would work out.
As I sat in the beautifully designed Connect office on a sunny Friday afternoon, I couldn’t help but wonder at how I’d ended up there, waiting to meet a stranger I’d been matched with through an app. Ellie, the person who’d convinced me to do it, hadn’t even made it this far in the process—she kept getting distracted halfway through the initial questions.
I couldn’t ignore a twinge of excitement. I’d spent the entire weekend thoughtfully answering the matching questions, then we’d breezed through ten levels of virtual friendship and agreed to meet in person. The meet-up felt a little bit like being set up on a blind date, although I was trying not to have romantic expectations. For all I knew, I’d be matched with a sweet old lady who’d want to show me pictures of her grandkids.
I looked around the room, made to look like a field, covered in turf and with potted trees, and with walls painted in a moody blue that suggested the sky. Live-edge tables and chairs were placed around the room. The other nine tables each had two people, one on each side, but the chair across from me was still empty. The gentle butterflies in my stomach started flapping with nauseating speed as I wondered if my match had changed their mind about wanting to meet.
As if he could sense my anxiety, Luke, a Connect employee with blond hair and a soothing voice, took my match’s seat. “How’s your day going so far?”
I shifted the plant I brought as a gift just a smidge. “Not bad. How about you?”
“Me?” Luke blinked in surprise. “I’m great. Uh, we have a charcuterie board.” He pointed to a table in the back of the room. “Would you like me to get you anything?”
It was kind of him to ask, but I couldn’t possibly eat with my stomach tied up in knots. “No, thank you.” I wished for a second that Luke was my match and then chided myself for being disloyal to a person I’d never even met.
When a chime announced the office door opening, I couldn’t help shifting slightly so I could get an unobstructed view.
“Oh, that has to be your match.” Luke quickly stood and moved away.
Unfortunately, seeing my match didn’t make me feel better because I recognized him at once. Dr. Adam Donaldson, Infectious Disease, Beaufort Hospital.
Davis Hardcastle waved an arm in my direction, and I immediately shifted my gaze, not wanting to be caught staring when Dr. Donaldson looked over.
My was racing fast enough to set off a monitor. How had I been matched with a doctor from Beaufort? Not dating someone from work was one of my only absolutes. I had to get away before it was too late.
But there was nowhere to flee except the entrance that Dr. Donaldson and Davis were talking in front of, not unless I wanted to push through the only other door, labeled with “Emergency Exit: Alarm Will Sound.” Maybe I could walk past the two men, claim I was going to the bathroom, and wait there until the meet-up was over.
Right, that wouldn’t be weird at all, leaving for the bathroom and then never coming back. What would happen if I ran into Dr. Donaldson again at the hospital? He’d assume I had either hated him on sight or had severe issues with my digestive system.
I forced myself to take a few deep breaths. Connect was supposed to be about finding a meaningful relationship, not dating, and I had no reason to think Dr. Donaldson would be interested in me in that way. And if, for some absolutely fantastical reason, he was, I could always refer him to my no-dating coworkers policy.
But even a friendship between a man and woman was risky if I wanted to avoid rumors at work. Maybe I could just tell him I really wanted to get to know people outside the medical field?
He was at the table before I could think further. “What are the odds?” He motioned between us. “Did Davis tap everyone at Beaufort to beta test his app?”
That’s right. Davishadworked for the hospital for a few months. Why hadn’t I thought about that? Of course, I’d be more likely to match with someone we’d both worked with.
