Swipe Left for Love
like it. Moments like this, they could. “What looks that?”His father’s face brightened. It didn’t matter if it had been fifteen years, anybody could see he still loved her. Zac had no doubt that he’d leave Amanda in a heartbeat if his mom miraculously showed up on the doorstep.
“There’s a girl,” Zac began. He wasn’t really sure where to go from there. How could he explain to his father that he’d never met her, but he thought he was already falling for her? Or was he falling for the idea of her?
“There’s always a girl.” His dad shook his head as he cut his bland chicken into minuscule bites.
“This one’s different.” Zac sighed and pushed his half-eaten plate away and leaned back in his chair.
His father stared at the plate, then met his son’s gaze. His eyes widened. “I can see that. So what’s the problem?”
Zac’s gaze shift to the window and the perfect lawn outside. He would’ve loved this backyard when he was a kid. A large kidney shaped pool, a huge swing-set, and a trampoline dotted the lush green grass. Amanda refused to live in the old house, the one his parents shared. Zac couldn’t really blame her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t resent her for it. The old Victorian had been his mother’s dream home. This place, while beautiful in its own way, would’ve made his mother sick.
“She doesn’t feel the same?” his father prodded.
“I honestly don’t know,” Zac said, turning back to face his father and admitting the issue out loud. “I haven’t exactly met her.”
His father never judged, but he rolled his fork in a circle to encourage Zac to continue.
“Ford and Lauren created this app called Blind Friends.” Zac tried to keep his shoulders relaxed as he talked, but it was hard. His dad believed in love at first sight, but would he believe love at first write? “It’s designed as a way for people to get to know one another without knowing who the other person is. Ford and Lauren had a theory that it’s harder to make friends as you get older. There are a million dating sites, but none for people just looking for other people to hang out with.”
“Sounds dangerous, son.” His dad set his fork down and stared at Zac.
“Yeah, there’s always a risk, but they kept it strictly to campus. Ford helped Lauren create the psychological profile pages. A person fills them in, and then there’s an algorithm that calculates who you’d get along with.” That was the very basics of it, and Lauren’s explanation was much more in depth. Most of what she’d told him shot over his head. “Anyway, I exchanged messages with a few guys and a handful of girls in the first month. Then I met this one girl.”
“Met is a questionable word choice.” Dad held up his hands so Zac wouldn’t defend himself.
“Fine, I started messaging her.” Zac sighed and stared at the ceiling. “I wake up every day and check the app for a new message. If there isn’t one, I’m... crushed. If there is, I read it immediately and respond just as fast. Then I repeat the entire cycle. I ... need to get this out of my system. It can’t be real.”
“Why can’t it?” His father sat back in his chair and patted his stomach. There was no way he was full. Zac knew if he left him alone, his father would find the cookie stash. Amanda and the girls would be back from ballet class soon. They could stop him from rummaging through the pantry for the sweets.
“What if she’s really a horrible person? What if she’s not interested in me? What if she doesn’t want to even meet me?” Every question played through his mind.
“What if she does?”
Zac closed his eyes. He confessed the one thing he’d kept even from himself. “What if she meets me and runs the other way?”
“You’re not that bad looking, Zac.” His dad leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “Did I ever tell you your mother rejected me at first?”
His eyes snapped open. “What?”
“Yep.” His father leaned back in the chair again, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared out the windows. The setting sunlight hit his irises, making them Caribbean green. Zac knew his father was lost in the memory. “We had English comp one together during our freshman year at Lafayette. The first day, I knew. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.” He chuckled and shook his head. “She had other ideas. I asked her out once at the beginning of the semester. She told me no. And she wasn’t very nice about it.”
“Seriously?” Zac had never heard this part of their story. “What about the New Year’s party?”
His dad shrugged. “Still true, but with the context of the previous semester, it means more, doesn’t it?” A flash of darkness scattered across his face. “I don’t know what happened to her over winter break. She never shared that with me. I wish she had.” His arms fell to his sides. “Whatever it was drove her into my arms. When she stormed up to me on New Year’s and kissed me at midnight, I wasn’t letting her go.”
Zac watched the water in the pool lap against the side. His mom and dad had fallen in love fast and furious after that kiss. But adding in the information that his dad asked her out four months beforehand was depth he hadn’t known. His father had always been a practical dreamer. He never went after what he couldn’t have. He never gave up. If his target shifted, he shifted with it. Once a deal was in sight, he’d get it. He also dreamed big.
“Son, the moment I met your mom, I knew she was my end game. I knew I wanted to spend my life with her.” His dad leaned his elbows on the table and gave Zac a hard look. “I