Arthur only downloaded the Tinder dating app because his flatmate, Francis, was addicted to it. It wasn't because Arthur was curious, he simply had to try it out for himself just so he could understand what Francis was always talking about.
The concept was simple enough. You specified the age range and gender you were interested in, and Tinder would find matches for you based on the distance within which you wanted to search. Once it had found some appropriate people, the app would show you someone's profile: a few pictures and a short description, and any mutual interests and friends you shared on Facebook. If you weren't interested, you swiped their picture to the left and the profile would disappear forever. If you liked them, swipe them to the right. Eventually they'd see your profile in their collection of matches. If they happened to swipe your picture to the right as well, it would announce that you were a match, and a conversation would be opened. Since a mutual attraction had already been established, there was no need to wonder if the other person liked you back. You could have a chat on the app and then decide if you wanted to organise a date in person.
Of course, Arthur didn't intend to use the app to meet anyone, he just wanted to have a look. To test the app, he decided to look for men between the ages of 18 and 28, within 50 miles of his flat in London.
And Tinder delivered.
Arthur was actually stunned at the results. The men on Tinder were bloody gorgeous! Thank God for living in London! In such a big, bustling city he had a very nice collection of profile pictures to look through: showing handsome, well-travelled, accomplished young men from all over the world who were living in his area and looking to meet someone. It was such an incredible collection of handsome single men that Arthur couldn't quite bring himself to uninstall the programme once he'd finished figuring it out. It seemed a shame to waste such a treasure trove of opportunity.
Not that he planned to use it to meet anyone.
First off, although Tinder had become a viable dating app recently, it seemed to have started its life as a way to find quick hook ups. And although many men's profiles claimed they were "looking for love," Arthur didn't feel comfortable pursuing a relationship through Tinder. What if he went out to meet someone and they expected more than he was willing to offer on a first date?
But more importantly…these men were just too handsome. They would never go for someone like Arthur, and he didn't want to show any interest when he would get none in return. He could swipe a thousand of these men to the right, and get no matches in return. It would be humiliating and soul crushing, and he didn't want to put himself through it.
So Arthur spent a few days scrolling the profiles Tinder provided for him. He was shown some of the most attractive men he'd ever seen, and yet he swiped them all to the left, to save his own pride. They wouldn't have been interested in him anyway.
But then one day Tinder showed him a new face, and Arthur just couldn't bring himself to send it away into the ether. The person's name was Alfred, he and Arthur both liked David Bowie, and his profile showed him and Mickey Mouse outside Disneyland California. And that was all Arthur knew about him.
Also, he was the most beautiful man Arthur had ever seen.
It wasn't simply that he was handsome (though he was plenty of that) – there was just something about the blonde hair, blue eyes, and bright genuine smile that made Arthur desperate. He ached to know this man.
But he still didn't dare swipe him to the right. If he did, and when he got nothing in return…Arthur was sure he would break. He felt like he needed to have this man in his life somehow (as ridiculous and creepy as it sounded) and when the man didn't feel the same way, Arthur would be left empty and incomplete.
Arthur left the Tinder app untouched for seven days. He couldn't move on to the next profile until he had decided to swipe Alfred left or right, and he didn't dare do either.
But then one night he was gazing longingly at Alfred's face on his phone screen (as he had been wont to do during the past week) when the device was suddenly whisked out of his hand.
"Honhonhonhon! Arthur, I didn't know you had Tinder!" Francis smirked at him, victoriously. Arthur could only sit there frozen in shock, his face turning slowly purple. "Looking for a quick hook up? You dirty boy!"
"You had Tinder first! You're the dirty one!" Arthur countered quickly.
"I know, I never denied that. But you on the other hand, always pretending to be a gentleman…Anyway, who is this 'Alfred?'" Arthur jumped in his seat, and Francis's eyes flashed mischievously at the reaction. Oh, he could have some fun with this.
"Let's see," the Frenchman drawled slowly, tilting his head as if to examine Alfred's photo critically. "Do we swipe him left or right? If you have to sit there and think about it there's obviously no real attraction. I'll swipe him left for you." He hovered a finger over the screen, and even though Arthur knew this was just a ruse to rile him up, he couldn't help but react.
"Don't you dare! Give it here!"
He grabbed his phone from Francis and swiped Alfred purposefully to the right. He looked up instantly to rant at his flatmate about touching other people's property, but Francis was pointing at his phone with a wide grin on his face.
"You have an instant match, Arthur."
Arthur's mouth hung open for a second, confused. Then he glanced down at his phone to see something he'd never seen before.
He had a match on Tinder.
Alfred had liked him back.
Alfred had liked him first.
And suddenly a chat box was opening and a messaged appeared. Alfred must be on his phone checking Tinder right now, and sent Arthur a message as soon as the match came through.
"Hey Arthur! Its great to meet you! (well kind of XD ) I was afraid you wouldn't swipe me back! I swiped you like a week ago and then got nothing in return. :'( I thought you weren't interested and I was really sad. But I'm so glad you swiped me today! I've been really hoping to talk to you."
As Arthur was reading, another message came through, and finally a third.
"Urgh sorry! I hope that didn't sound too weird! I knew I would say something dumb even though I've been trying to plan what to write to sound all cool. I just really liked your profile and was hoping I'd get a chance to talk to you."
"I hope I'm not being too forward! I know you don't me at all, but I was hoping we could change that? Would you like to maybe go – "
Arthur stopped reading to look up from his phone and stared, dumbstruck, at Francis.
"He likes me back…" he said slowly, disbelieving.
"So it would seem," he smiled, happy for his friend even if Arthur was being more oblivious than usual. "Why don't you send him a reply? He seems very eager to talk to you, don't leave him waiting."
"O-of course!" Arthur turned his attention back to his phone, eyes bright and cheeks rosy like an excited child. He walked off to his room, typing frantically the whole way and only narrowly avoiding walking into a few walls.
Francis smiled to himself, leaving Arthur alone to fall in love in peace tonight, but planning a barrage of teasing for the morning.
(He ended up having particularly good fodder when he found out Arthur slept with Alfred on the first date, and he could taunt him about using Tinder for a casual hook up like the dirty boy Francis had always said he was.)
(He would also bring that up at Alfred and Arthur's wedding six months later, but the happy couple was too blissful to care about Francis' antics on that particular day.)
A/N: Written for the 365daysofusuk drabbled calendar on tumblr. Posted on June 13th, 2014.
The beginning of Arthur's experience with tinder is based on my own: I downloaded it because my housemates were obsessed with the app, and then I realised there were a shit tonne of hot guys in London and I was like 'wow, I'm living in such a great town!'
Sadly, I did not go on to meet my Alfred F. Jones on tinder, but I let Arthur live the dream.