This is Josh Avsec, a student at Kent State University. In 2014 he matched on Tinder with Michelle Arendas, who also goes to Kent State. But now, three years later, the story of their match has reached the public.
In July 2017, Josh tweeted out the messages exchanged between him and Michelle over the past three years. Normally, sharing private messages from Tinder might be frowned upon. But not in this case.
On 9/20/14, Josh sent a message that simply read "Hey Michelle." There was no response for a long time, but in December, she said, "Hey sorry my phone died!" Then in January 2015, he wrote back "Sorry was in the shower."
After Josh replied in May 2015, Michelle wrote back again that December, saying she "had a really busy week." A full ten months later, Josh wrote back, saying he's busy with midterms. Then in February 2017, she wrote back to say "Presidents Day had me swamped recently."
Josh sent one more message on July 7, 2017. He said he's been slow to respond because he "just got over serious a serious relationship when he was a sophomore in high school." In other words, they've kept this joke going for nearly three years now.
Once word of Josh and Michelle's messages got out, Twitter was all over it. His initial tweet got over 70,000 likes and over 20,000 retweets. And they got numerous replies from people delighted by the story.
Not only did people think it was hilarious, but some people thought it was a sign of something more. At least one Twitter user thought they should get married. But that might be pushing things just a little.
But it's not easy to find someone you can joke around with. Josh and Michelle found that they at least have that in common. So who knows?
And it turns out that they have more in common than the ability to keep a joke alive. They also have bit cats in their Twitter profile photos. Maybe this really is meant to be.
Michelle was also aware of Josh's tweet and offered a response. Actually, it was less of a real response and more of a promise to respond a few months later. So will these two ever actually meet?
Eventually, Tinder itself decided to chime in on the subject. And in doing so, they made Josh and Michelle quite an offer. They would arrange for them to meet up...in any city they want!
Not wanting to turn down such a generous offer, Josh responded. He said he and Michelle agreed that they would meet up, and the destination of their choosing is Maui. Not bad for a first date.
Tinder said they'd be true to their promise, and will really send them to Maui. Will that be too much pressure for a first date? The answer remains to be seen.
Once Josh and Michelle's inside joke is over, will they even have anything to talk about? Twitter certainly hopes so. Although 2055 for a wedding date might be a bit too soon.
The lesson here? If you match with someone on Tinder, always right back...several months later. Maybe you'll find the love of your life. Or maybe you'll at least get a free trip.