It's a Match! by Zoë Marshall

tables away.  
    Sutton turned back toward Cole. “Has he been here the whole time?” She whispered, leaning toward Cole.
    “Well … I think so. He’s having dessert.”
    “Who’s he with? I can’t look over there again.”
    “It’s not important. Just ignore him.”
    “He’s acting like I don’t exist. Surely he saw us walk in,” Sutton replied, her head reeling.  
    “What do you expect him to do? Come give you a big hug and tell you he misses you?”
    Sutton’s eyes filled with tears and Cole put his hand on hers, attempting to calm her. “I’m sorry, that came out badly. I just can’t stand to see you hurting like this. He’s just not worth it.”
    “We have to go.”
    “But we haven’t finished eating yet.”
    “I don’t care. We need to get the check. I feel sick. I can’t be here anymore.”
    “Okay, I understand. I’ll get the server’s attention.” Cole motioned the waitress over and let her know they needed the check. He paid and they walked out slowly, careful not to draw attention to themselves or walk too close to Aiden.  
    Sutton refused to look back in his direction. She didn’t want to see his cold expression again. She didn’t want to see who he was with. Of all the restaurants in San Francisco, of all the times they could have inhabited the same restaurant….
    Sutton thought about how many things had to align to get them in the exact same place at the exact same time. She had been wanting to get this over with for months. She’d known she’d run into him eventually, but it hadn’t played out the way it had in her head. She knew now, truly knew … he had never cared about her at all.  

    She pulled her phone out of her purse and texted Cole.  

    Okay C, I think I’m ready.

    He texted back right away, as usual:

    Ready for what?
    To move on.
    Move on from what?
    From Aiden.
    YES!!!!!!!!!!! Thatta girl, Sutt! Time to find you a distraction. We need to get you back out there. Have you met any suitable guys yet?

    Sutton looked back at the group of shirtless boys running around, bodies glistening with sweat. She smirked a bit.  

    Not yet. But I haven’t really tried. I’m not sure how.

    I was talking to a buddy from my Intro to Psych class and he was talking about some new dating app called Matchbox. Something about swiping up or down or something, based on a few pics and a small bio.
    That seems a little superficial.
    Well, yeah. I guess it can be, but you can at least get some convos started up, maybe get a better idea of what you’re looking for.
    I don’t know what guys I even want to talk to.
    Geez, Sutt. You have a very specific type. Even I know that. But we need to break that mold. Don’t take offense, but you have horrific taste in guys.

    Sutton scoffed inwardly, then cracked a smile as she realized he was completely right.  

    You should talk. Your ex is a train wreck. So, I suppose you would make better dating choices for me than I would?
    Well … yeah.
    Too bad you’re five hours away. Not much help you can be from there.
    Oh my god, I have the best idea ever!
    Yes…?
    Who are the only people who would make better dating choices than we would ourselves?
    I don’t know … who?
    Each other, dummy. We’ll make Matchbox accounts for each other. We’ll pick who the other will date. It could be a really fun experiment.

    Sutton thought about it for a moment. What could it hurt? She certainly wasn’t going to put herself out there without a push. And, as Cole pointed out, she did have awful taste in guys.

    I’m in.
    I think this is going to be really good for us. This is the start of a new chapter in our lives.

    Sutton was contemplating a life beyond Aiden when a Frisbee hit her lightly on the arm. “Ouch!”  
    One of the shirtless boys rushed up to her with an apologetic expression. “Oh my god, I am so sorry! I have two left hands.”
    “Really? Like your right hand is reversed?”  
    He furrowed his brow, determining whether or not she