Tinder is sketch!

Since everyone is on Tinder it seems like everyone has a Tinder story. I have to say I think mine is one of the best/worst I've heard to date. It may seem like I am making this up, but all of this really happened. 

Once upon a time, I swiped right on a guy I'd had a class with at Utah State. It was a business class and we had spent most of the semester hanging out 3 days a week in a group project. We will call him "Ben" (name changed to protect the douche...not sure he deserves this but I am trying to be a better person-see previous blog post). He was really handsome and had always been flirty with me and the other girl in our group. Tinder immediately let me know that we had been matched and I was excited to see our attraction had been mutual. We started chatting and he asked me if I still had the same number. When I confirmed this he said he would text me so we could hang out. Usually I am pretty reluctant about meeting up with someone so soon, but since we were already friends I figured it would be safe. 

A few days later Ben texted me and asked if I could hang out. It was pretty late and I was kind of tired so I declined. We texted back and forth over the next few days, just friendly conversation, and I was kind of getting excited to go and hang out with him. He is a funny guy and he is very good looking which are positives for sure. We made plans and then cancelled them a few times, Ben went to bed even earlier than I did.We finally agreed upon a day when we could get together and decided to meet up after Ben had gone to the gym the next day. Before going to bed, out of nowhere, Ben sent me a picture of his abs with the caption of "this is what you can look forward to". In retrospect, that should have been warning sign number one. Don't get me wrong, they were nice abs, but unsolicited muscle pictures scream douchebag/action-hungry/manwhore, none of which are positives.

When I woke up the next morning I realized I was apprehensive about meeting him that night. I knew this guy from school but he hadn't been behaving quite like I remember him and the abs picture kinda threw me. I decided to go and get advice from a married guy friend name Jaren. Jaren is an excellent friend and typically gives great male advice, plus I hadn't seen him and his wife Ashley for quite a while and a visit was overdue. I figured I would hang out with them and get some advice on the situation until Ben was ready to meet up after the gym. When I walked into the house, the third member of their household was just getting ready to leave. Kels is Ashley's best friend and is living with them for the next little while. I've known her for a couple of years now and she is a gem. We get along really well but I hadn't seen her for a long time. After hugging her and asking how she'd been, I noticed that she was all dressed up. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Kels, you are looking hot girl! What are you all dressed up for, and more importantly who!

Kels: I actually have a date tonight. He's really attractive and I'm way excited! I met him yesterday and we are going out tonight.

Me: Good for your girl. I wanna see a picture of this guy! What's his name, how did you meet him, what does he look like?

Kels: I will show you a picture of him. What are you up to tonight?

Me: Well I'm here to get some guy advice from Jaren and see Ashley. Then I'm probably going to meet up with the guy I'm getting advice about.

Kels: Well I wanna see a picture of your guy too! What's his name, how did you meet him, what does he look like?

Me: I knew this guy from school, but just reconnected with him on Tinder. His name is Ben. 

Kels: That's crazy, I met my guy on Tinder too. And his name is Benjamin, he's from Idaho. He only goes by Benjamin tho, never Ben. 

Me: Woah that is crazy. Tinder is crazy.

While we are having this conversation we are both looking through our phones trying to find a picture of these guys. I was lazy and didn't log in to Tinder, just pulled up the abs picture that was in my texts. I laughingly showed it to her and said "This is why I'm here to talk to Jaren, this showed up on my phone last night out of nowhere."

Instead of laughing, Kels got a weird look on her face and asked to see the picture again. She handed me her phone and showed me a picture of Benjamin. He was covered in a baseball cap and a baggy sweatshirt so I couldn't quite see his face. After studying the abs picture for a minute, she asked for her phone back. After a few finger swipes, she pulled up the exact same picture on her phone. It was the same guy and he had scheduled to meet up with us both on the same night at the same time.

After our initial shock wore off and we compared phone numbers to make absolutely sure it was the same guy, we started comparing facts. Ben was supposed to text me after he got done at the gym. Benjamin was going to meet Kelsey at the bar after he was done at the gym. Ben had told me he was going to bed early the night before, when in fact Benjamin had hung out with Kelsey for the first time. 

We decided to play it out a little longer and see what he was planning on doing. About an hour later, my phone lit up with a text that said "I'm done at the gym, lets meet up". A few minutes later, Kels' phone lit up with a text that said "I'm sorry my brother just got stuck up the canyon and I need to go and get him, I'm going to have to cancel on you." I have always wondered what guys are really doing when they cancel on us last minute, now I know what the means ones are doing. There was no way I was going to meet up with this guy after that. My grandpa always tells me my standards are too high, but really- who wants to spend time with a guy who double books women?

Okay, I know that people are always dating more than one person if they're not in a relationship. The issue here is not that he was spending time with both of us. The issue was that he was sending the same photos and scheduling meetups at the same time!! Needless to say, Jaren's advice/input was no longer necessary. We decided the best way to let him know we caught him at his game was to send a picture of Kels and I together. I don't plan on hanging out with or speaking to this individual again... players play the game but when they get caught they lose.

Kels me and Ash

Main points of the story: 1. Ladies be careful on Tinder, there are creeps out there. 2. MEN: If you're going to be after more than 1 girl at a time, make sure they aren't friends. 3. Also, don't schedule dates at the same time and cancel on the one you don't feel like hanging out with at the last minute.Have some class.

Tinder is a sketchy place. I plan on being even more cautious going forward. I also fully believe I will have to find someone to date another way. Maybe I'll find a guy in the produce section of the grocery story like Addison Montgomery, or get set up by someone's grandmother like the friend in Hitch. Who knows at this point. Wish me luck.