Matched with my boss

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Daphne.

"I never thought a simple dating app would lead me to my boss’s table."

Sofía couldn’t stop moving around the apartment, full of energy as always. It was a quiet Sunday, the kind of day I would normally use to rest and avoid thinking about anything remotely related to my personal life. But my best friend had other plans for me.

"Daphne, enough. It’s time for you to open up to the world," Sofía said, crossing her arms as she looked at me from the other side of the room. "You promised yourself, remember? 'I won’t have a boyfriend until I get my degree,' you said. Well, you’ve got the degree, with honors even! What are you waiting for?"

I sighed and sank into the couch. Sofía had always been the enthusiastic one, the one who made impulsive decisions without a second thought. I, on the other hand, had always been more cautious, more focused on my professional future than any kind of romance. But I couldn’t help feeling that she was right. I had said that when I finished university, I would be ready for love. So why was it so hard to keep that promise now?

"I know, I know..." I murmured, running a hand through my hair. "But what if I’m not ready? I mean, university was one thing, but this is real life, Sofía. It’s not like a boyfriend is going to magically appear now that I have a diploma in my hand."

"That’s why you need to download a dating app." Sofía smiled mischievously as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, while at the same time making me take out mine as she approached the couch. "Come on, just try it. I’m not asking you to get married tomorrow, just have a little fun."

"A dating app?" I laughed, though I wasn’t sure if she was serious. "Sofía, those things are full of guys who only want a quick fling. What could I possibly find there that’s worth it?"

"Much more than you think." She plopped down next to me, flashing a smile I knew I couldn’t resist. "Look, it’s just a way to meet people. You don’t have to marry the first guy who matches with you. Besides, you’re too focused on making a good impression on your first day at work. You need to get out a little and relax."

I sighed, knowing I wasn’t going to win this battle.

"Alright, alright." I raised my hands in surrender. "But don’t get too excited. I’m not expecting to find the love of my life on a dating app."

Sofía was already downloading the app on my phone before I could back out. In a matter of minutes, she had created my profile, selecting photos that, according to her, "perfectly captured my essence" (whatever that meant) and helped me write a simple bio: Passionate about finance, coffee lover, and professional dreamer.

As I waited for the first matches to appear, I watched Sofía swipe left and right with a speed that unsettled me.

"Let’s start off easy." She handed me the phone and left me alone to start exploring.

My first conversations were exactly what I feared. One guy sent me a message consisting of three fire emojis. Another didn’t take more than two messages before suggesting a "casual meet-up." I felt frustrated immediately.

"See?" I said to Sofía, covering my face with both hands and letting out an almost agonizing sigh. "This is what I mean. They’re all slackers, they just want to hang out. Nothing serious. I’m never going to find anything real on a dating app."

Sofía approached with a mischievous grin.

"That’s because you haven’t found a decent one yet. You need to have patience, Daph. Not everyone’s going to be like that. Let me see..."

I raised the phone with a huff, ready to close it and give up. But just at that moment, a notification lit up the screen.

New match with Jake Sidle!

Sofía squealed with excitement before I could even process it. I was about to mock her enthusiasm, but when I opened Jake’s profile, I found myself intrigued. His profile picture didn’t reveal much: he was wearing ski gear, covering part of his face, but you could see enough to catch my attention. He had a strong jawline, and his eyes sparkled with an intensity that intrigued me. And best of all, his bio was simple and clear: Finance professional. Adventurer. PhD in Financial Economics from the University of Edinburgh.

I felt a little impressed. A lot, actually. There was something familiar about his approach, something that made me want to know more.

"Look at this," I said to Sofía, showing her the profile. "At least this one seems decent."

Sofía looked it over, nodding approvingly.

"Good, good. A man with brains and a career. That’s more than most of these slackers offer. You’ve got to send him a message, right now!"

I hesitated for a moment, but I finally decided to go for it. If I didn’t try, I’d never know if there was something interesting behind that half-hidden image. So I wrote something simple, but pretty nerdy, or at least that’s what my best friend said when she read it:

"Do you know what my favorite kind of relationship is? The one that always offers a good return on investment."

"You’re such a nerd," she yawned, bored, until I burst out laughing when I read the response, and she quickly looked at the phone screen.

"As long as it’s not a high-risk investment... though with you, I think it’s worth the risk."

I smiled, feeling like, for the first time, someone had thrown me a conversation that was actually worth it. Or at least one that I understood because Sofía was looking at me like I had grown three heads.

"Oh my God, he’s just as nerdy as you... He’s perfect!" she said as she wandered off to the kitchen.

"That’s not nerdy, I just wanted to break the ice with something I knew he’d understand."

Sofía watched me from the kitchen as she opened the fridge as if it were hers, smiling with satisfaction.

"See? I knew you wouldn’t regret downloading the app."

"Alright, I admit it," I said. "This guy doesn’t seem so bad."

Sofía came over and sat next to me again, and together we read the rest of his profile. He talked about his love for extreme sports, mentioned that he had lived in several cities due to his job, and that he often traveled for international financial conferences. Everything about him sounded professional, interesting, and with a touch of adventure that I hadn’t expected.

"Plus," Sofía added, "he looks super handsome, even with that ski thing covering his face. Don’t you think?"

And to my dismay, that was the only photo he had of himself, the others were of different landscapes.

I smiled, though I couldn’t help but think that all this seemed too good to be true.

"I guess so. We’ll see what happens," I said, not wanting to get too excited.

I spent the rest of the afternoon exchanging messages with Jake, discovering that we had more in common than I had initially thought. We talked about the challenges of working in finance, our professional goals, and, though we avoided getting into personal details, I felt there was something authentic about him. Jake was different from the other guys I had spoken to on the app. He was direct, but not invasive; smart, but not arrogant.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of conversation, I said goodbye to go to sleep. But before I could close the app, I received one last message from Jake.

"I’ve really enjoyed talking with you, Daphne. How about we meet in person one day? We could keep talking about finance... and maybe other things too."

I felt a knot in my stomach. Was I really considering going out with someone I met on a dating app? It seemed ridiculous, but at the same time, something about Jake made me want to take the leap.

"So?" Sofía asked, leaning over my shoulder to read the message. "You’ve got to say yes!"

I laughed, nervous.

"I don’t know, Sofía. What if he turns out to be another jerk? Or worse, a psychopath?"

"Oh, please. Just make sure you meet in a public place, and if it doesn’t work out, send me a message and I’ll come rescue you. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Besides, he seems decent. Come on, what do you have to lose?"

After thinking about it for a moment, I replied with a simple but decisive message:

"I’d love to."