An Unexpected Date: When My #1 Fan Became Creepy
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Chapter 1: The Anticipation
When I first thought about meeting a fan of my writing, I pictured an exhilarating experience filled with laughter, selfies, and shared stories. I had imagined that my biggest supporter would be another woman, never anticipating that it would lead to one of my strangest dates.
Salem’s profile on Hinge, my preferred dating app, was minimal. The only notable detail was that he was a Capricorn. I generally connect well with signs that are close to my own, such as Leos, Virgos, and Libras, but others can be hit or miss.
In our conversations, Salem came off as exceedingly intense, addressing me by name at the start of each message. I quickly looked up the common traits associated with Capricorns: loyalty, wit, patience, reliability, caution, charm, and ambition. This made me feel a bit more at ease, especially knowing that compatibility with Virgos like myself is often touted as excellent.
Despite his unusual intensity, I was intrigued when he suggested a date at the Art Gallery of Ontario, promising a memorable evening. Even if he canceled, I could enjoy the outing solo—what could go wrong?
My Valentine’s Day 2024 was thus set with a man from Hinge whose photos portrayed him in dark attire, except for one shirtless picture, and he didn’t smile in any of them. While not my typical type, his dark eyes and raven hair gave him a mysterious vibe that piqued my interest.
My friends often tease that I select dates solely for inspiration for my writing. This isn’t true! They seem to forget that I don’t conform to societal norms. Despite appearing unremarkable, I have led an unconventional life, which includes living in my car, participating in clinical trials, and even hitching a ride on a different vessel during a maritime adventure.
Section 1.1: The First Encounter
When we finally met outside the museum, I was taken aback by Salem’s overwhelming cologne and intense stare. His presence mirrored the intensity of his messages, but as I observed his polished look and charming demeanor, I felt a flicker of excitement for our evening.
He opened our conversation by revealing that he was familiar with my Medium articles. This wasn’t as concerning as it might seem since I had shared my handle on my Hinge profile. I felt flattered when he mentioned he had almost read all of them, claiming only two or three remained unread.
At that point, I had penned over 40 articles, each averaging 7 to 8 minutes of reading time, so I suspected he was exaggerating to impress me. Still, it was sweet that he seemed genuinely interested. Despite some provocative titles like “I Turned Down People's Number 1 Sexual Fantasy” or “Oops, I Got Naked in Front of the Camera,” I never anticipated any of my Hinge matches would dive deeper than a few paragraphs. Thus, discovering a self-proclaimed admirer was refreshing.
As our conversation progressed, Salem posed a question regarding one of my most popular articles, which had a catchy title and garnered 27,000 reads. He asked if the substance on the controller mentioned in my piece