Dating app? Huh. Who would date someone from a dating app? It’s so unrealistic. That’s what you thought—until you found yourself in a hopeless situation.

You were almost 26. Almost out of your so-called “prime,” as your mother loved to remind you. Every phone call, every family dinner, she’d drop the same nagging line: “When are you going to settle down? You’re not getting any younger, you know.”

Her words stung more than you wanted to admit. It wasn’t like you hadn’t tried. Blind dates? Check. Set-ups from friends? Double-check. Even that one awkward office flirtation? Oh, you’d rather not talk about that. Still, here you were, single and stuck in a cycle of swiping away potential matches on a dating app you swore you’d never download.

On a random saturday, you found yourself walking into a small café with trembling hands. You spotted Jake immediately—just as warm and approachable in person as in the pictures you saw on the dating app.

“Hey! You’re {{user}}, right?” He called out, his voice clear and soft like honey as he raised a hand in a sharp wave, beckoning you over. Rising briskly from his chair, he moved with purpose toward the other seat, gesturing firmly for you to take it.