Fortuitous (BoyxBoy)

One

PICTURE ON THE SIDE IS MAXWELL PLAYED BY SAM WAY

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NEW ENDEAVORS

            “Is it fixed?” I asked James, my thumb between my teeth and my eyes glued on the program on his computer screen. It was a nervous habit to chew on my thumb.

            “Sir,” he said, exasperated. I removed my thumb and folded my arms over my chest. “Can I call you and tell you when it’s fixed?”

            “Sure, sure,” I answered. James looked at me when I didn’t move, eyes wide and adorably frustrated. I patted his shoulder and walked away. “Thanks.”

            “Sir,” Someone called. That’s exactly how my day went whenever I set foot in the office. There was always someone trying to catch my attention for one reason or another. It’s not important to me that my employees seek my attention. It’s important to me that everyone does their jobs and keep my website running successfully, the same way it’s always been.

            I really couldn’t stop to talk right now, however. “See me sometime after 3pm in my office if you’re still here, okay? I need to get working on an algorithm.”

            “Thank you.” I nodded.

            In the middle of my sophomore year in high school, my family and I moved from California to New Jersey. A few months before that move my father got a promotion but it required that he relocated and moved my brother and I across the country. He never wanted us to move because of something he wanted, but then something happened and my father thought it would best for my mental health that we moved. My baby brother was more than excited to experience something new, as young as he was. We were worried about how he would take it because he didn’t do well with changes but he surprised us.

            My father is a businessman and business is what he does best. I had a lot of time to think and during my junior year I made him a business offer. I’m a complete nerd when it comes to anything computers and mathematics. What I realized I wanted to do was to help people find each other and fall in love. I wanted to start an online dating website strictly for the LGBT community and strictly for people who wanted to fall in love and not looking to hook up. That would be for later and for a different branch of the website.

            I knew what I wanted to do and why and I was so in love with my idea. So first I created and designed a website and then I created a list of questions and made an algorithm to sort the answers to those questions that would match them with the most suitable person based on what they look for and want in a person. The beauty in that for me is not to make perfect matches, but people would know what they’re in for and they wouldn’t end up on a date with someone that didn’t want a second date but wanted to get them in bed instead.

            I wanted to make a website so that people can find true, honest people who want to fall in love. Dad loved it and I remember him telling me that my big heart was the best and most beautiful thing about me and it would be very successful. And I succeeded because I think my dating website was the first to deny members. A lot of people didn’t buy into that when my dad and I had pitched the idea to his partners. They thought that the more people the better, but what’s the point of having more people if they’re going to be disappointed and not stick around?

            They gave me funding for two years to start the website, build it, and make it successful. No problem. Ten years later and my website is now a successful, multimillion dollar company that should be thanked for a couple thousands of successful relationships. I’m proud of what I’ve done and I’ve made my old man proud too, that’s all that’s important as far as I’m concerned.