My Tinder Match Canceled Our Date — Then Gave Me The Code To Her Private Dock

Part 1

Sinking into the worn velvet couch of our cramped rented cabin, I barely noticed the scent of stale pine needles and cheap domestic beer hanging heavy in the mountain air.

When Brian threw a crushed aluminum can at my head, I dodged it instinctively without looking up from my glowing phone screen.

We were three days into our highly anticipated college buddy trip at Lake Tahoe.

Tyler snored loudly from the broken recliner in the corner of the room.

The whole point of this vacation was to disconnect from the modern world.

We were supposed to be hiking, building campfires, and ignoring our digital lives.

Naturally, I was doing the exact opposite.

My thumb swiped lazily through the endless parade of dating profiles.

Most of the tourists here just posted grainy pictures of themselves holding dead fish on a dock.

Others showcased blurry selfies taken in poorly lit dive bars.

Then her face appeared on the cracked glass of my screen.

Megan.

She wasn’t holding a slimy trout.

She was sitting on the edge of a gorgeous mahogany boat.

Her head was thrown back as she laughed at something just out of frame.

The backdrop was the impossibly blue, crystal clear water of the lake.

I tapped the green heart icon without thinking twice.

A bright animation burst across the screen almost immediately.

It was a match.

My fingers hovered nervously over the digital keyboard.

I typed out a terrible, self-deprecating joke about needing a life jacket in the shallow end.

She replied three seconds later.

The witty banter flowed effortlessly from there.

We traded sarcastic remarks about the overcrowded public beaches and overpriced coffee shops in town.

She mentioned she actually lived two hours away in San Jose.

Her family owned a private vacation home right on the water.

I showed Brian her profile picture.

He choked on his lukewarm drink.

He accused me of matching with a stolen account.

Tyler woke up just in time to glance at the screen and whistle loudly.

They both agreed she was far too sophisticated for a guy drinking warm beer out of a can.

I ignored their cynical laughter and kept typing furiously.

Megan asked how long I was staying in town.

I told her we had three more days before making the long drive back to reality.

The little typing bubble danced on the bottom of the screen for a very long time.

She offered to take me out on her dad’s boat.

My jaw practically dropped to the hardwood floor.

She promised expensive wine, artisan charcuterie, and a personal tour of the hidden coves around the lake.

I accepted the invitation before my brain could even process the reality of the situation.

I spent the next forty-eight hours pacing nervously around the small cabin.

Tyler physically dragged me to a local outfitter down the street to buy a decent shirt.

I tried on three different overpriced button-downs before settling on a subtle navy blue pattern.

Brian insisted I needed to wear his expensive imported cologne.

I slapped his hand away before he could spray me with something that smelled like burnt pine cones.

We spent the evening sitting on the creaky wooden porch while the guys endlessly roasted me.

They gave me terrible advice on how to act on a luxury vessel.

They told me to avoid talking about my embarrassing vintage video game collection at all costs.

I barely slept a wink that night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I pictured making an absolute fool of myself on the water.

I imagined dropping my phone in the lake or spilling red wine on the mahogany deck.

The morning of the date finally arrived.

I woke up before the sun even cleared the jagged mountain peaks.

The water outside our frosty window looked like a sheet of dark glass.

I carefully ironed my new shirt on the sticky kitchen counter.

My stomach tied itself into tight, uncomfortable knots.

This entire scenario felt completely out of my league.

I checked my tired reflection in the side of the silver toaster.

I smoothed down my messy hair and tried to practice a casual smile.

The guys finally woke up and started making exaggerated kissy noises from the hallway.

I tossed a damp dish towel straight at Tyler’s grinning face.

I poured a steaming cup of bitter black coffee to calm my nerves.

I pulled up the exact directions she had sent the night before.

Her family’s massive place was located on the absurdly wealthy side of the lake.

It was a literal world away from our cramped, drafty little rental property.

I grabbed my car keys off the scratched wooden table.

My hand hovered over the cold metal ring.

I took a long, deep breath to steady my racing heart.

I envisioned a perfect afternoon gliding across the crystal water.

Then my phone buzzed with a message that shattered all my expectations.