"Nice guy, Nice Try"

He'd been a little depressed lately, had indulged a little too often.

He hadn't gained much weight exactly; still, Mum had commented on his face becoming rounder.

But he was ready to get out of the rut and back on the saddle.

He'd created a profile on a famous dating app and made sure to use pictures from the trip to Scotland last year, where he had looked his best.

He'd written a short and sweet bio that mentioned his love of music and deep conversations and had spiced it up with a clever joke.

Then he waited.

Well, not quite. First, he swiped and swiped and swiped.

He got a few matches but they had seemed so vain. Even with those who had decent photographs that were not too revealing, the discussions turned dull very quickly.

Until She popped up on his screen.

She was smiling at the camera and holding a ukulele decorated in such a way that vibrant red flames seemed to flow out of the sound hole.

What a ukulele, he thought. And what a smile...

His thumb stopped in its track from right to left. He pressed the picture, right where the flaming instrument was, to open her profile.

By the time he'd read her longer-than-usual bio, he was sold. Swipe right.

There could be something there.

To his delight, they matched and engaged in an uninterrupted banter over several days.

He laughed out loud more than a few times and the more she told him about herself, the more the thought came back:

There could be something there.

When she told him she was a songwriter, he started to feel something more.

He urged her to send him some of her songs, and when the answer came back negative, he felt disappointed.

There was a chance she wasn't ready to share everything with him. It surprised him. Their in-app chemistry wasn't lying. There was something there.

Most likely she was just being modest, and he loved her all the more for it.

Later, she confided in him that she regularly struggled with anxiety. He told her he would be there for her, her knight in shining armor.

And that she was worth it.

"You don't even know me", her answer popped back on the screen.

But he knew everything he needed to know, and by implying she didn't want to be a burden, she'd scored even higher in his book.

No, he'd scored. He had to meet her.

The three dots indicating that she was typing lingered on his phone. She was usually quick to answer. He was equally surprised - and relieved - when a single word finally appeared.

"Okay."

***

He stood up when she arrived. They shook hands, as was the custom here, before sitting down.

She was even prettier in real life. He could have lost himself in her eyes if only she had met his for long enough.

She was smiling but he could sense she was holding back. Most likely she was stressed because she had somewhere to be after their date.

"I need to leave early", she had said almost immediately after sitting down.

She hadn't elaborated but he understood she was going to the theatre and needed to be there at 8 sharp.

Shame, but there would be other occasions, other dates. As long as he could convince her that he was made for her, the same way she was made for him.

He knew all that already so he focused on telling her about his past accomplishments, and how valued he was at his company. He was eager to impress her.

She listened quietly, smiling whenever he made a joke, answering when an answer was due.

Time flew by, which was a good sign. He texted her as much, after she'd rushed out of the bar fifteen minutes before 8.

"This was such a good date."

A couple of hours later, which he assumed meant the play was over, his phone pinged.

His smile faded as he read her words. She was sorry.

"You seem like a nice guy but it didn't click for me."

Something about listening more to herself these days, and how she wished him a nice weekend.

That was a blow for sure, but he knew what made her say it. He was no stranger to anxiety and he knew what the aftermath of a date could be like.

He pointed out that she'd texted him right after the show, and had given herself no time to come down from the events of that evening. He would be there when she changed her mind.

She'd never replied.

***

It had taken him some time to recover from the disappointment. He was so sure there was something there.

A few months later, after he'd managed to not think about her for a while, he heard a song on the radio. For some reason, it reminded him of her.

It could simply have been because he felt a strange connection to the female singer, and could only see in his mind how sensual a woman she was. Voices don't lie.

"Don't you dare tell me how I feel", he surprised himself singing along with the bridge the second time around.

"Whoever you think I am that ain’t me"

He continued humming absently as he tried to give life to the artist in his mind. She was kind and compassionate for sure, more than She had been.

As the song drew to an end, he'd already built an elaborate image of his future wife.

He snapped himself out of his reverie just in time to hear her captivating voice fill the room one last time: "Nice guy, Bye Bye".