Chapter 2

 

Jared has to admit that the Love in the Net app is both sophisticated and simple at the same time. There are no lags when it comes to loading the profiles, pictures, and even videos. Jared has to give Laura’s development team kudos for the efficient and streamlined system. Not to mention, he’s managed to navigate the app and explore its features without any difficulty. If Nate and Alex had gone up to him and asked for funding, he would have invested his own money. It’s too late for that now, and besides, Nate and Alex have more than enough money to fund their own companies. They don’t need Jared to get a slice of the pie as well.

 

“Hmmm…” Jared hums, as his fingers click on the tab entitled ‘Matches’. After the page quickly loads, he’s surprised to see a tab filled with numbers.

 

57%...93%...83%...91%...

 

He tries not to laugh. He knows there’s research and proven data used to determine the compatibility ratings. Still, it’s just amusing to him how mathematics and science can now pair people up and determine whether two people are destined to love, or hate, one another.

 

“Michelle…Smith…” Jared says to himself as he clicks on the woman’s picture. Long, voluminous blond hair and bright azure eyes – the woman’s beautiful, and Jared loves beautiful women. He glances at her profile and realizes why they may have gotten a 94% match rating. They both love the outdoors, working out, and animals. Jared can’t help but smirk at the last on her list of likes – animals. If only she knew…

 

Then, he shakes his head. Michelle probably loves beagles, Persian cats, and bunnies, and not black bears over fourteen feet in height which can turn into humans. Besides that fact, Jared is heavily interested in messaging Michelle, so he doesn’t hesitate to send her a message through the app. If she replies and they click, then a date should be in the works.

 

Jared’s busy looking at the list of ‘Premium Lovers’ and decides whether or not to bite the bait. Laura used to be one, and she’s one of the coolest chicks Jared’s ever met. Hopefully, these Premium Lovers have undergone a stringent application process to be considered as the best of the best the site has to offer. Jared has always been wary of scams, relationship scams most especially, so he’s still to pay the premium to gain access into contacting the Premium Lover of his choice. Then, he shakes his head. Laura’s the CEO; of course it isn’t a scam. Before he clicks the ‘Pay Now’ option, a ping sounds from his phone, alerting him of a new notification. When he checks it out, he sees that he just matched with someone else.

 

Now Jared Harrison is intrigued. A 99% compatibility rating – it’s the highest he’s ever matched with anyone. It would be just stupid not to check out the woman’s profile.

 

‘Anna Coleman’ – Jared reads her headline, the text with the largest font. Then, he clicks on her profile picture to enlarge it. With deep set forest green eyes and wavy auburn hair flowing past her shoulders, the woman’s a beauty, in the innocent, cute, and sweet sort of way. She almost looks like a doll with the pale skin and doe eyes, and Jared is a bit confused on how he received a 99% match with Anna. She’s not his usual type. He’s usually attracted to tall, tanned, and gorgeous model-esque women, the ones with high cheekbones and looks that could undress, and Anna doesn’t fit the mold. That piques Jared’s curiosity all the more.

 

A 99% match? The numbers don’t lie, right? Laura explained to him before, in the simplest way she could, the research behind the algorithm determining two people’s compatibility score. In the questionnaire Jared answered, he was asked certain physical features and personality traits he wanted in a woman. Using an equation involving a long list of variables, with each representing a particular trait, a couple’s compatibility rating was calculated. So Jared’s confused as to why he has a 99% rating with this Anna Coleman. It definitely isn’t because of her physical features. She is beautiful in her picture just not Jared’s type. Jared figures it’s most probably her personality.  There’s nothing to lose, messaging Anna or not. Laura did promise him to give him his money back if he doesn’t find a girlfriend through Love in the Net.

 

‘Hey Anna, what’s a sweet woman like you doing on an online dating site?’

 

Now, he just has to wait for her reply before he can ask her out.