“An Anthology of Love Stories Almost Never Told”
- Bella Cannizzo
- Jun 3
- 2 min read
By Bella Cannizzo

I hopped on the 1 train in my usual rush to get somewhere. Headphones in and zoning out. A sign on the subway caught my eye. It was a light pink square that read: “An Anthology of Love Stories Almost Never Told.” So, this is that anthology. Or at least, a small collection of Hinge stories. This might sound a little like a Carrie Bradshaw article. (I am okay with that.)
#1: The Hot-and-Cold Guy
One of my friends got caught in this odd texting dynamic with a guy who was really inconsistent. When they were together, things felt good. But, he was constantly updating his Hinge profile, swapping out photos like he was still looking. Which, okay, maybe he was. But the problem was he acted like he was not. He’d be intensely interested for like 8 hours and then go totally cold on her. She would get pulled into that rhythm… feeling great when he reached out, anxious when he did not. Eventually, she asked him directly what he wanted. He gave her a classic “man” answer: “I just want to keep getting to know you.” Two months in. After plenty of mixed signals and wasted time, she blocked him.
#2: Speakeasy Red Flags
This guy I matched with seemed normal and nice. We agreed to meet at a speakeasy. Slightly intimidating location. Before he arrived, I told the bartender that I was meeting someone for the first time and asked her to keep an eye out. (I highly recommend doing this.) Halfway through the night, while he was in the bathroom, she gave me a little nod and said, “He seems okay.” It felt reassuring to have someone on the outside reading the situation too. But as the night went on, it felt a little weird. He was insistent on driving me home. Like, pushy. I said I would take an Uber, and he kept suggesting otherwise. He also casually said that his parents weren’t home… I stopped texting him a day later.
#3: Subway Coincidence
This one feels like it could have been from a movie. I saw a guy on the subway in late January. He looked like a runner, something about his vibe, and it made me want to talk to him. I usually don’t feel like that. I went home and told my roommate. I was super excited. A couple of weeks later, guess who shows up on Hinge? Subway Guy. We matched, and he said he remembered seeing me too. We messaged for a bit, but nothing came of it. I ended up meeting my boyfriend shortly after. Still, it was a weirdly cinematic moment.
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