Swipe Right - Episode 3
by Lauren Hawkeye
What’s the name of the place again?
Lady Yo-Ga Ga.
Haha. No, seriously, tell me.
I’m almost there.
I am being serious.
That’s…an interesting name.
Is it the place with the bright purple awning?
Yep! I’m inside already!
Noah studies the sign on the awning and starts to get nervous.
He pushes through the glass door.
He sees a roomful of people in spandex with beach towels.
No, wait, those are yoga mats.
Katie spots him and waves. He is startled by how pretty she is in person.
She gestures him over to where she has laid out two mats.
His cell vibrates so he holds up a finger to answer the call.
Are you there yet?
What did she choose for her half of the date?
I don’t know if I can do this.
What? It can’t be that bad.
I’m at a place called Lady Yo-Ga Ga.
What?!
It’s a yoga studio. She signed us up for a freaking couples yoga class!
I haven’t voluntarily broken a sweat since like ninth grade.
This is going to be a disaster. I can’t do this.
You need to chill out.
Take a deep breath or pop a pill or whatever you need to do.
I think the deep breathing is part of the class.
I’m going to look like an idiot.
Then you’ll just have to look like an idiot.
Come on, man. We can’t afford for you to blow it with this Katie girl.
Then you’ll have to find someone else, and we don’t have time for that.
Crap.
You’re right.
This is going to suck.
Why on earth would she choose this for a first date?
Come on, dude. Please?
We need this campaign to work. Swipe won’t be any fun without you.
Noah closes his eyes and sighs.
I don’t have a choice, do I?
Nope.
Go get your Yo-Ga Ga on.
All right. Urgh! Talk to you later.
Noah puts his phone away.
He goes back into the studio and approaches Katie.
They have the kind of awkward introduction that can only happen on a first date.
But even still, he really likes her smile.
The class starts. Not only is Noah NOT athletic, but he is dressed in jeans and a nice shirt.
Bending is difficult.
Noah sweats and struggles, but he tries his best to pretend that he is enjoying it.
Not only does he need this date to go well for the job…
But he finds that every time he makes the extra effort, Katie smiles.
And he really likes when that happens.
Finally, the class ends.
Noah pulls out his phone as Katie heads into the locker room to change clothes.
That was fun! Thanks for doing that with me.
Yeah. It was great!!
What?
It was great. Fantastic idea.
Really?
What do you mean?
Nothing. Anyway…
Should I change into a dress or jeans?
You brought options?
What can I say? I’m very organized.
Jeans.
I’ll wait for you out front. I could use some cool air after that class!
Katie changes, then pulls out her phone to send a quick text to her editor.
He said he liked the yoga class! I’m shocked.
What?
Yeah. He wasn’t expecting it at all — he showed up in jeans 😂
And he was sweating and grunting a lot.
I thought that he was definitely going to bail.
But he stuck it out and then said it was great 🤷‍♀️
You’re going to have to do better than that.
I will. I’ll up my game.
You’ll have to.
I just received a freelance article that is pretty solid.
And I’d rather publish yours. I really would.
But at the end of the day, I need something compelling.
Please don’t use the freelance article.
I can make this work. I promise.
It’s Swipe — no one’s on here to actually date.
Okay…keep me in the loop.
Katie feels the pressure.
She hurries outside to where Noah is waiting.
They walk three blocks to the marina.
I booked us a boat ride for an hour!
We should be able to catch the sunset.
Katie feels a surge of excitement.
She loves being out on the water.
But then she realizes that if she lets Noah know that she’s excited, the date will go well.
And she can’t afford that.
She needs to break this guy.
I’m so sorry, but I can’t go on boats.
I get…seasick.
Oh, no. Really?
Yeah. It’s not pretty.
She cringes.
Hang on! I have an idea.
Katie follows Noah to the dock.
He buys them each a pop from a vending machine.
They sit on a rocky patch by the water.
After a few moment, Katie yells over the roar of boat engines in the marina.
I’m sorry I've ruined our date.
You really haven’t.
Look at the sun coming down on the water.
It’s just as pretty here as it would be on the boat.
You’re pretty easygoing, huh?
I try to be.
It helps with my job.
What do you do?
I work in marketing at a new app.
Like a phone app?
Yeah.
That’s so cool!
Thanks. There’s a lot of turnover in my field though.
So, I try to just go with the flow.
Right now I’m on a six-month contract.
But I’d really like to turn it into a full-time position.
Living in the city is pricey.
Tell me about it!
I work at an online magazine.
And I love my job…
But I’d really love to open my own magazine instead of writing for someone else.
Your own online magazine? That would be so cool!
What kind?
I haven’t decided, exactly.
But I want something with a hook. A theme. Like…
Looking for love in the city!
Looking for love? Not a hookup?
Yeah. Something with the potential for more…
Right?
Noah looks at her.
She thinks he’s about to kiss her.
Her phone buzzes.
???
Katie jerks away from Noah.
She feels sick — she wanted that kiss.
But she can’t actually fall for someone she met on Swipe.
App