Sept 25, 2020 | By Anonymous Writer | Illustration by Xixi Qin
Three swipes left, one swipe right, rinse, and repeat. Tinder is a game of mentally dissing other human beings while contemplating how long it’ll take for you to run out of people to swipe. That is … until you stumble upon someone that catches your eye.
We were two-and-a-half weeks into the 2020 fall semester at Colorado College when I found myself on Tinder. Swipe after swipe, I eventually crossed paths with the picture of a man in the military (these men always seem to find me somehow).
“He looks cute,” I thought.
For the purpose of anonymity, we will call this man Jasper (I love this name). As I swiped right on Jasper, a notification popped up announcing that we had matched. The next day set me down an irreversible path of heartbreak.
Initially, I was scared to take an Uber and visit this guy. You never know what could happen meeting up with a stranger. However, I finally went around 11:30 p.m.
Once I met Jasper, I was stunned at how handsome he was in person. Plus, our conversations were as smooth as butter. Despite the nitty gritty and fantastic conversations, it wasn’t until after we had fun that my heart was feeling something it shouldn’t have.
As Jasper held me, I rubbed his hair, and he asked if I would come back the next day permitting he was still in Colorado. He was only here for a week due to airplane maintenance at the base (he lives in Florida).
Instantly, I said yes, and a spark of happiness ran through me at the thought. After waking up (I stayed the night) he was getting ready for work and oh my. My heart stopped. Light poured through the window behind him and he glistened before me. The man looked like an angel! Unfortunately, Jasper had to go to work, but he hugged me goodbye and told me that he would update me on his plans for the night.
Despite the $50 fee I had to pay for an Uber, I was jumping in my seat. My mind refused to forget Jasper. All day the thought of him drove me crazy, so when he didn’t text me that night, I was upset.
After that, for an entire week, Jasper virtually ignored me, and, once in a blue moon, messaged me to apologize for not answering. He said work was busy. This didn’t make sense to me — we had met at 11:30 p.m. before. I doubted he was working that late, but I brushed it off. Eventually, I told him exactly how I felt, and he added me on Snapchat.
From there, he continued to ignore me and apologize. At this point, Jasper was the only thing my mind contemplated. It was insane how much of an effect this guy had on me. Jasper’s unknowing grip drove me wild, so when I heard Mathias Hall was getting quarantined, I panicked.
Genuine fear washed over me, and, in a desperate attempt to see him, I asked Jasper if I could stay with him. He said he wasn’t sure about the idea because he was leaving Monday (two days later). However, I found someone who could take me in after he left.
Messaging Jasper about the news, I waited to hear back. On Sunday, the last day to leave for off-campus quarantine, my heart shattered when I opened Snapchat.
Jasper blocked me!
Heartbreak is a brutal thing, and I shed a couple tears for this man. Sitting in my chair, dumbfounded, I looked Jasper up on Instagram. Surprisingly, I found him, and the shatters of my heart were crushed further.
The guy had a girlfriend! Plus, he posted a picture of her two days before! Sleazy man.
Eventually, I messaged him. What I said doesn’t matter, but either he blocked me again, or he made his account private. Either way, I had a heart that remained broken for two weeks. It was a stab to the heart, but after those weeks, at least I was more focused on starting my work study.
Was this the wisest decision I have ever made? Nope. Will I do something like this again? Probably. Will this forever be a story for the books? Most definitely.