Elevator Pitch (Hapless In Love #1)

19. Elena’s on SoulBlend

19

elena’s on soulblend

Greyson

Manhattan, NY | December 12, 2023

I had coffee and donuts with Selah this morning, so I’m in a great mood. The week before the holiday break is usually quiet, which is great because it gives me more time to wrap up a few projects before I’m off for the next two weeks. Though, it’s very likely that I will still find some work that needs to be done. Selah mentioned her job also gives her team the rest of December off, so no coffee for us, at least until January.

It’s a chill day at work when my phone dings. I flip it over and see two attachments from Elena in the Fools in NY group chat we share with Alex. I open the chat to view them and it’s two pictures of her posing in a white dress. I remember this look. It’s from her recent spread in A Bite of Brooklyn Magazine . They covered her and Marco for their food truck issue, and if these are outtakes, they’re damn good.

Fools in NY

Elena

which one should I use for my dating profile?

Alex

Very funny.

Elena

I’m serious!

Me

Which app?

She responds with a screenshot of the SoulBlend sign-up page.

“Shit,” I say out loud, looking around my office.

My thumb hovers over the like reaction to the pictures when Alex’s name flashes across my screen with an incoming call.

I answer, and before I can say anything, he demands, “delete her account.”

I scoff. “What? No.”

“Why not? You made the app. You can do whatever you want.”

“I can’t just do that. She’d have to violate our terms of service to be removed from the app or deactivate it herself.”

“Then I’ll get her phone so I can make sure she deactivates.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Alright, I’m not going to do that, but I need your help, man. Please?” he asks in a pained voice.

There’s gotta be a statute of limitations on my vow of silence. The man is hurting, for Christ's sake. Alex is the most confident person I know, but when it comes to Elena, he is just as nervous and afraid as the rest of us.

“Why don’t you just make a profile too?” I suggest.

“The app only works for people you match with,” he grumbles.

“I’m aware. I did create it. I’m saying that you should make an account to see if you match with her. If you do, it’ll be undeniable.”

I’ve never told Alex this, but as someone who analyzes people who are perfect matches for each other daily, the two of them are extremely compatible and have a high chance of matching on the app.

I was inspired by them when I designed the SoulBlend prototype. If you could find a way to make two people who are very obviously meant to be together, see it with their own eyes? And how would you prove it with data? If I could get these two to create profiles, they’d likely match so fucking quickly. It could be just what they need to stop bullshitting.

“I don’t know, man,” he says hesitantly.

“You do realize that if you don’t want her to go out with other guys, you could just ask her out?”

“I can’t ask Elena out. She’ll think I’m joking.”

“You don’t know that. Plus, if she’s looking for dates, now may be the best time to ask her. You wouldn’t want her to consider anybody but you if she went back into the pool.”

“If I download the app, can’t you just go in there and force us to match?”

“I suppose I could, but that defeats the purpose.”

“C’mon, Grey. Name your price.”

I chuckle. “Are you thinking about what you’d even say to her if you matched? Or how you’d ask her on a date like a normal person?”

“Of course not. I haven’t gotten that far yet,” he admits.

“I’m sorry, man.” I break out into a fit of chuckles. “You have asked me not to intervene for the past decade, but now you’d like me to? I still think it’d be easier if you just had a conversation.”

“Maybe I will download the app just to prove you wrong. When I match with a bunch of women that are not Elena, I’ll have some choice words for you.”

“Alright. That’s fair. I gotta get back to work. Help her decide on a picture and consider signing up.”

“Okay,” he says, sounding defeated, but I just need him to trust me. “Love you, man. ”

“I love you too,” I say as I hang up. Moments later, my phone dings with a text from the group chat.

Fools in NY

Alex

The first one

Elena

I knew you’d pick that one! Grey?

Me

The first one

Elena

I am officially on the dating scene!

She sends a screenshot of her profile to the group chat. I wait for Alex to respond, and he doesn’t. My phone dings again, and it’s a text from Alex in a separate thread.

Alex

Alex

I’m on the damn app. You happy now?

I start my stopwatch and wait to hear from them. I’m just curious if my predictions were right.

Me

Very happy. *J. Cole voice* lol

Got any matches yet?

Alex

No

Now we wait. Should be any minute now. I tap my feet in anticipation. My phone dings twice. Two separate threads from them both.

Elena

Elena

Um, Grey? You there?

Alex

Alex

You motherfucker.

Looks like they’ve matched. Have fun, kids.