Can Online Dating Ever Lead to Real Love?

Kevin had responded quite quickly, and the answer of course came to G8KeyPR.

He wanted to meet her and apparently Joachim’s invention had done a brilliant job because their first date would include something she hated.

She knew, however, how the app made Kevin understand what her worst fear was but the adventure began here and now.

The very next day they were to meet, and the word “uncomfortable clothes” appeared more than once in his instructions for what to do.

The next morning, she dressed in workout clothes and went to the place he had asked her to.

She knew almost nothing about him, and the place was not at all located as she had claimed to Joachim: in a place where she could feel safe.

“I’ll come with you,” he said.

“I’ll wait a little way away.” She laughed.

“That sounds like a bad detective story, Joachim.

Brace yourself.

This is our experiment.”

“Okay, but keep the tracker on.”

“Always,” she said, giving a two-finger salute and a little laugh.

After the short conversation, she set off for the agreed-upon location.

After walking a few kilometers, she saw a man on the road ahead of her who must be Kevin.

He was wearing a tailcoat.

She didn’t understand anything.

Wasn’t it “untender clothing” that was the order of the day?

“Nikki, I guess?” he smiled.

He was handsome.

Tall.

Well-trained.

“Kevin?” she smiled back, not testing any filters at all.

The filters had nothing to do with the experiment.

Here she was Nikki, straight up and down,

“You might be wondering why I asked you to put on some unsightly clothes and I’m standing there dressed up?”

“Yes, a little.”

“You wrote that you wanted to try something that challenged you.” He pointed upwards and she followed his gaze and so on.

This was something she absolutely could not do.

Never.

On a cliff in front of her was a bungee jump.

“Oooooh,” she said.

“Take it easy.

It’s a tandem jump so I’ll jump with you.

Then the idea is that, if you can handle it, we’ll do something you usually like and I’m more uncomfortable with.”

She looked at him questioningly, but when he spoke about what he had in mind, her reluctance was also filled with strong curiosity.

Nikki looked at the cliff.

It had to be at least 100 meters up.

And she hated heights.

Hated hated hated.

This was pushing her far beyond what she could handle.

Ever since she was little, she had been afraid of heights.

She had a vague memory of her mother holding her in her arms as they stood on a cliff.

Since then, she had not been able to handle heights at all.

And now she was going to throw herself 100 meters out with a completely unknown man.

But it was all a game.

An experiment.

She thought for a few seconds before she turned to him with her decision.

Somewhere behind the screens, people were still hoping to be understood.