Chapter 1
Hi, I'm Abbie and I'm sexually frustrated. I've lived in Liverpool for nine months and haven't even had a date. The admin firm I work at has quite the collection of ageing men and less than-interesting women, none of which I would fancy. My bedside cabinet is well stocked with toys and I often resigned myself to cracking open the drawer and flicking my iPad to PornHub to relieve the pent-up frustrations.
My story starts while on the bus coming home from work one dreary Wednesday evening. Whilst listening to a podcast, they were discussing Tinder. I initially dismissed it as a dangerous way to meet people but listened on and heard some success stories. Was this a way to meet someone? I thought. I kept listening and heard stories of people finding relationships, some people had even married the person they met online. With no inkling of getting married, I was only 26 years old and wasn't even sure if having kids was a journey that would interest me. The pod had gone on to discuss how Tinder was also used for hook-up culture. Hearing the stories I was certainly intrigued and by the time the bus stopped at the bottom of my street, I felt it would be something fun to try.
That evening sitting down with my glass of wine I put on the tv, some documentary series I was watching but not really watching. It wasn't long before the tinder idea came back. I grabbed my phone and opened the app store and searched for the dating app. While it was downloading I thought it was going to be a waste of time but thought it would at least give me an insight into what was happening in the dating world. Entering my details and the nerves were building, name and age was no problem but then the 'About you' section came along and I stopped. I wanted to be honest about my desires and why I was tIe. I really wasn't about dinner dates or walks in the park. Sating my sexual frustration was the main objective. The bio then read: 'Twenty six years old and I'm into girls, I'm into guys also into theys and thems. First time on tinder so be gentle, but also up for some sexy adventures.' The wine had emboldened me and left me feeling quite liberated by that but at the very least I wouldn't be leading anyone on.