IMPORTANT NOTE:

Welcome from Sparks Fly (I hope)! Here's a final warning to read Sparks Fly if you haven't done so! This is the sequel so there are spoilers for that book! And you probably won't understand this book as much...

If you came from Sparks Fly, carry on. I'm so glad you decided to continue! I hope you enjoy this book (and I'm sure you will)! :D

***

"Hey, Bella, there's this new app that's very popular! It's a game and a dating app combined. You should check it out!" my best friend, Yvette, said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Eve, you know I don't do dating apps. It's weird. You're chatting with strangers who potentially become your spouse. They may even cheat you out of your money or maybe more. That does not make any sense. You can download it if you want to."

"I did and it's quite cool!" she protested. "Come on, if you don't download it, you'll regret it. If not for the dating app, do it for the game! It's very fun! You can chat with other gamers whom you may be paired with and make new friends."

"Nah, I think I'll pass," I replied, waving her off. I can't imagine myself using a dating app. It's like digging my own grave. Getting dumped by a guy I know in real life was bad enough. Imagine getting cheated by a guy you met online.

As if she had read my mind, Eve said, "Please don't let Jace affect you. It's his loss for dumping you. You should give dating another chance. Maybe you'll find your soulmate through this app! I mean, it literally claims to find you your soulmate."

"Jace? I don't care about him. I hate him," I scoffed. "Besides, my problem is not with dating again. It's with dating apps themselves. Why would I want to date a stranger?"

"Well, once you talk to whoever you were paired with, he's no longer a stranger. It's not like you have to get married to whoever you were paired with! You can just be friends," Yvette asserted. "Give it a shot. I think you should move on."

"I have moved on," I retorted. "That shit happened five years ago, Eve. How can I not get over it by now? Is there anything wrong with not dating for five years? I just want to focus on a different aspect of my life."

She shook her head. "No, not at all, though I feel that you should give the game a shot. Don't shy away from the app just because it's also a dating app."

I sighed, "Fine, I'll think about it. But it's only because of the game. Jeez, why would they combine a game and a dating app? That's like the weirdest fusion I've ever seen. What even gave them that idea?"

"Don't ask me. I'm not the creator of the app," Yvette deadpanned.

"Fair point," I replied with a shrug.

After she left, I searched for the app, GameSetMatch. It was ranked number one in both games and dating apps even though it had just been released one week ago. I wonder why. Many people left high ratings and good reviews:

Lovely app! The game is very fun and it has an interesting way of pairing you with someone. Every user has a preset username with randomly generated numbers after the word 'Player' that can't be changed so you can't be judged by any dumb username you choose!

Interesting. They don't take your sexual orientation into account but I guess that also helps in making friends? You may be straight and have gotten paired with someone of the same gender, something along that line, but hey you can make new friends so that's cool.

If anything, this app is like any social media (e.g. Twitter, Instagram) except there's a very fun game and you get to meet potential husbands or wives! It's a fun place to make friends. You won't regret it. What are you waiting for? Download GameSetMatch now!

"Not bad," I muttered. "Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. If it's something like Twitter or Instagram, I guess it's fine." I downloaded the app and opened it.

On the screen stated 'Welcome to GameSetMatch! First, you have to set up your dating profile.' I rolled my eyes upon seeing that. Are you sure this is a gaming app too, Eve? I tapped 'OK' and set up my profile.

Name: Belinda

Age: 23

Information: Don't mind me. I was forced into this.

Perfect, I thought with a smile. With that, I scrolled through my photo album and found an ordinary picture of myself. Now, it's time to play the game! I tapped on the game controller icon which directed me to the game in this app.

A username was randomly generated for me and I got Player0706. Cool. So the review I saw was legitimate. With that, I started the game. The screen loaded and I was brought to the homepage of the game.

Interesting.

It's like a game of Werewolf or Town of Salem but slightly different. Well, what better way to let people interact than to play a game of trust, lies and betrayal?

A few other players came online. Player6319, Player1501, Player7822... Yeah, you get my point. They all look the same. How are we supposed to keep track of who said what? It's like they're all the same person!

Way to go, GameSetMatch. You have just made everyone confused.

I sent a 'hi' to the chat and a bunch of hi's and hello's followed. With that, we proceeded with the game. I got the role of an Alpha Wolf. Okay, this game is literally Werewolf. Damn, I love this game! It's my childhood. Maybe that's why Yvette recommended this app.

I saw that my teammates were Player7822 and Player4705, both are ordinary werewolves. The game went on as we killed the villager, two masons and, lastly, the seer. Player4705 got lynched but it was ultimately a victory for us!

Of course, I'm a pro at this game after all.

Good game, everyone, I texted in the chat before tapping on the heart beside Player7822 and Player4705. They were such good and cooperative teammates! Of course, I want to be friends with them.

After some thought, I tapped on the heart beside Player1501, the seer. He or she seems like a really nice and careful person, and he or she knows this game very well too! He pretended to be a sorcerer which is literally the seer of the wolves. He or she almost tricked us but I saw through his ruse because I'm familiar with all the tricks in this game.

Soon after, I received a notification that I had been matched with Player7822 and Player1501. I have no idea why Player4705 didn't tap my heart but whatever. I just made two friends! That's great for my first game.

I viewed Player7822's profile and saw that it was actually Yvette! I swiped to chat with her: Hey! It's you! I can't believe I got you on my first game!

After a few seconds, I received a reply: Hey! It's you! I can't believe you actually downloaded GameSetMatch! What did I say? It's very fun, right? See? We have such great affinity. Even though we were both anonymous, we found each other! We're soulmates!

I rolled my eyes upon reading that. I guess it was kind of true. I replied: Okay.

She sent me a face with rolling eyes emoji and said: Tell me, who else's heart did you tap? It can't be just me, right? Did you get some hot guy or whatever?

I ignored her message for a moment to check on the other player I got paired with. Upon seeing the name, my heart skipped a beat. Jace? I looked at the age. It matches. I frantically clicked on his profile picture. It can't be him, can it?

Staring right back at me was a photo of my ex-boyfriend grinning. I can't believe I still find him hot after how badly he had broken my heart. He looked exactly like how I last saw him before... Forget it.

Just then, I received a text from him: Belle? After a few seconds, there was another message: Is this really you? After another few seconds, there was yet another message: Oh my God. Same old Jace. Always sending his messages in tiny bits. It's definitely him.

I felt anger rising up my head. How dare he speak as if he wasn't the one who had dumped me? I replied: What the hell. Jace? Who are you to go 'oh my God'? I should be the one who goes 'oh my God'. I can't believe I tapped on your heart!

The more I thought about it, the more furious I got. Why the hell did I decide to tap on his heart at the last minute? If I didn't, we probably would've never had any contact with each other again.

He replied: I'm so sorry for what I did last time. And another one: Can you just let me explain? And yet another one: Please, can we meet up? I want to talk.

I shook my head. Talk? What's there to talk about? You left me. There's nothing more to talk about. You could've talked to me five years ago but you didn't. You lost your right to talk to me, not even online, five years ago.

Before I could see his reply, I locked my phone and tossed it aside. I jumped on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I just knew downloading this app would be the worst decision I have ever made in my life. Damn it!

The worst part is I can't bring myself to block him. Damn you, Jace Leighton.

***

A/N:

How's this for a first chapter (or 23rd, for that matter)? I hope it has intrigued you so far. What do you think about this gamer-dating app? Would you try one in real life?

I personally won't. I'm Belinda in real life.

Anyway, please remember to vote, comment and share! I won't be continuously reminding you to do so at the end of every single chapter lest it gets annoying :)