Breaking Bro Code (The Line Up #4) - Misti Murphy Page 0,11
into my ergonomic swivel chair and pop a pair of reading glasses onto the bridge of my nose before I light up my tablet. Icebreaker started the testing phase a few days ago. Beta users have been flocking to try out the latest dating app.
The idea that I created a dating app still has me shaking my head. It certainly didn’t occur to me while I was coding this project that a new way to get to know people could be misconstrued as a new way to find love through technology. I was only hoping that giving people another way to break the barrier of getting to know each other might save a few from ending up in what could be a truly fucked up situation.
Like pretending my brother isn’t marrying my ex.
But the marketing firm I hired sees incredible potential in showcasing Icebreaker as a dating app. Algorithms designed to keep you from meeting the wrong people, so you can find happiness with Mister or Miss Right.
Isn’t that the gist of love for most people? Finding the right person and not screwing it up?
So Icebreaker became a dating app. Tech reviewers and dating blogs have jumped on board to check it out, which is all part of the marketing plan.
Opening the app, I check the stats. Hundreds of users have already signed up. Hopefully, with their feedback, I’ll be able to catch any glitches before its official release.
I should probably join up too. That way I can check out the user interface the way consumers will see it. I click on the sign up button and the registration form pops onto the screen. The cursor blinks in the first panel. Name?
Vale isn’t exactly Matt or Smith or Jack. It’s a bit too unique, which could be a problem if anyone caught on to the fact that it’s also part of my company name. I could use Hudson. He’d never know. But it’s probably not the best idea.
I glance around the room, but there’s nothing that sticks out as a good user name. My stomach grumbles, and I stretch and rub my abs. Probably should get some lunch.
Getting up, I head back to the kitchen to raid my cereal collection. Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, Lucky Charms. I pour a little of each into a bowl and splash in a hefty amount of milk. Lucky Charms could work, but it sounds dirty. It would probably lead to the wrong sort of attention, which under normal circumstance would be the right attention. I roll my gaze to the ceiling. Any interest on this app is the wrong kind. Just here to exterminate bugs.
I snag the box of Crunch Berries from the shelf and top my bowl up to the rim. The jolly old Cap’N stares at me from beside the slogan that isn’t dirty, but sounds a little off to my brain. Putting the carton back on the shelf, I grab a spoon and wander back to my office.
Once I’m signed up as Cap’N Crunch, I zip through the process of setting up my profile. I fill in the appropriate information; gender, age, likes and dislikes, etc. I keep it pretty vague. There’s no need to get personal. Then I snap a picture of my cereal and post it.
The app immediately starts processing my possible matches based on the criteria selected.
I leave it to do its thing and spend a couple of minutes on another project while I eat my cereal. Taking my bowl into the kitchen, I wash the few dishes in the sink. I need to shower and get ready to go to the bar since I’m working tonight. It might be the quietest day of the week, but there’s still plenty to do.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m dressed for the bar and pulling a bottle of water out of the fridge when my phone beeps. It’s a message from my mom asking me if I’m going to my brother’s wedding. I ignore the message like I’ve done with every text she’s sent me since I started receiving them a year ago. After years of silence I’m not sure I want to talk to the woman who birthed me, let alone about a wedding I never expected I would be invited to. A wedding I have no plans on attending. The last thing I want to do is watch my brother marry the woman I once loved.
Chapter Five
Lily
Trix and Kiki are at our usual high-top table at La Drink when I