The Hunter (5)

‘So why don’t you try a dating site?’

Mac was complaining about never getting to meet any women and his colleague Kate was returning to her favourite subject.

‘I’ve tried, but I’m shier online than face-to-face, I search the profiles, find a perfect match but I have no idea what to say. And of course like real life, I’m scared to be rejected.’

‘Don’t be daft, just be yourself, say hello and it is easier to be rejected online, remember they are not judging you, they’re just judging words.’

‘I can’t, I am hopeless online. My hello sounds like fuck you, my how are you sounds like I don’t care. My tone is all wrong.’

Kate thought for a while. Mac was probably exaggerating but shyness did seem to be a real problem for him.

‘Okay why don’t I do it for you?’ she said eventually.

‘What?’

‘I’ll manage your account. I’ll set it up, I’ll answer the questions, fill in the forms and contact the matches. All you have to do is say who you like the look of, I’ll do the rest.’

Mac thought about the proposal.

‘So you mean like a modern day Cyrano De Bergerac?’

‘Yeah exactly, my words will seduce the women, then you can do the rest when you meet them.’

‘Deal’ Mac said.

‘Yay’ Kate clapped her hands together in excitement, this was going to be fun. She was going to be the hunter, her friend’s wingman. She was going to make her friend happy.

‘What are you doing?’ Kate looked up from the computer.

‘I’m finding Mac a new woman.’ She smiled at her boyfriend who just shrugged and left her to it.

Kate was having a wail of a time. This was fun. She analysed the women carefully, judging who would be just right for her mate.  

Sophie, Sophie was all things bright and beautiful; a lovely smile, gorgeous eyes, and a profile that matched Mac down to the ground. She sent the details to Mac and he gave his consent for Kate to contact her. This was it. This was the one. She carefully composed an introductory email and sent it off. It only took minutes for Sophie to reply, and the reply made Kate laugh out loud. She replied quickly in turn and started a lovely conversation that lead to Kate asking if ‘they’ could meet and then arranging the date. Wow it was like a whirlwind, it had all happened so quickly. Mac would be chuffed, this was going to be perfect.

But Mac wasn’t so sure.

‘But what if she doesn’t like me?’

‘She loves you look.’ Kate said showing him the chat.

‘No she loves the me you created. I’m not like that.’

‘Just go there and be yourself. I’ve given you a head start.’ Kate smiled and nodded and finally got Mac to agree to the date.

Kate was restless, she looked at her watch, they should just be meeting now. She wondered how they would get on. She tried to watch some TV but she couldn’t concentrate. She checked her phone and then checked it again. She felt weird, she couldn’t settle. But it wasn’t nerves, it was something else. Anger, no she wasn’t angry but she was ... what? Her stomach churned, her face was tense. She realised, she was jealous. She’d sent Mac off on a date and now she was jealous. Suddenly she couldn’t bear to think of the two of them together. She hoped it be a disaster, that they would hate each other. 

God she hadn’t realised she felt this way, but all that flirting had made her have real feelings for Sophie.