Wine And Pizza

The timer beeps again from the kitchen, but neither of you moves.

You set your wine glass down on the coffee table, your heart thudding in a slow, heavy rhythm. “So… if we were to do it… How would we even start?”

Tom’s eyes stay on yours. “I suppose we’d have to… find someone.”

You let out a small, breathy laugh. “What, just put an ad in the paper?”

His mouth curves. “No. Something… simpler.” He hesitates, then nods toward your phone on the arm of the sofa. “Download Tinder.”

The words make your stomach flip. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious,” he says quietly. “We can just… look. Together. No pressure. If you don’t like it, we will delete it. But I want to see how it feels.”

Your fingers twitch toward your phone before you’ve even decided. You unlock it, and the familiar home screen lighting up. For a moment, you just stare at it, your thumb hovering.

“Alright,” you say finally.

You open the App Store, type in Tinder. The logo pops up, bright and almost too casual for what you’re doing. You hit download. The little circle begins to fill.

Tom leans closer, his arm warm against yours now. “We’ll make it clear you’re married. That this is… different.”

When the app finishes downloading, you open it. The clean white screen asks to connect to Facebook or use your phone number. You choose the number, entering it slowly, as if you’re testing the water with each tap.

Then the profile page. Name: Emma. Age: 35. Photos, you scroll through your camera roll, choosing ones that are flattering but not over the top: you in a summer dress at a barbecue, you smiling at the beach.

Tom watches, sipping his wine. “Perfect. Real. Not staged.”

When it’s done, you hold the phone between you. The first profile appears — a man in his late thirties, smiling in a suit.

You swipe left without thinking.

The second, younger, scruffier, leaning against a car. You pause, glancing at Tom.

“Well?” he asks.

You swallow, your finger hovering over the screen. “Feels weird.”

“We’re just looking,” he reminds you.

You swipe right.