"Chris had sex," a friend announced dramatically over a glass of red wine. I almost spat my drink across the table.
Normally a pal having *whispers* S.E.X wouldn't be such a drink-spatteringly shocking revelation but, and I hope Chris* will forgive me for saying, it had been a while. A long while. Can your virginity grow back?
Before I'd even had a chance to run through my stand-by list of questions, my boozing companion blurted out, "With a girl from TINDER!" Shut. The. Front. Door.
For those who don't know or are not on Tinder, it's a dating app that has become the ultimate hook-up tool. It's dial-a-shag, call-a-bang, slap-and-tickle-on-demand.
I was on Tinder once... But it seems the dating app game has changed since I deleted it from my phone just weeks ago. When I downloaded the app a couple of my male friends were using it look at girls, not meet them IRL. Charming, I know.
Tinder's co-founder Justin Mateen, who met his own girlfriend through the app, told Huffington Post UK Lifestyle: "It's not unusual that early adopters are hesitant to use the product in the way it was intended.
"The stigma will go once there is social proof Tinder works. Once users see friends going on dates or finding a girlfriend or boyfriend, all will change."
I reckon that time has come... But I'm not convinced people are finding girlfs and boyfs. A quick poll of my mates found pretty much all of them are on Tinder, and at least half have actually been on dates. But those who've been on dates ended up in bed, not in a relationship.
"I downloaded the app as a joke," Chris told me when I questioned him about his Tinder date. "I had it on my phone for weeks before I used it. Then, the other night I was bored and got chatting to a girl, suggested a drink. We met up that week and the rest is history."
He didn't say whether he'd be seeing the girl again, but one thing's for sure, he'll be using Tinder a lot more now.
It's not just the boys who are at it... I asked one girlfriend why she was on Tinder. "To get laid," she laughed. "No, no, no. I'm on it to meet people... To meet guys." It should be noted she has successfully gotten laid thanks to Tinder.
Another told me she never ever, like ever, meets any nice boys in the live, face-to-face world. "You just never meet people any more, Tinder is great because everyone is on it! I'm not on it exclusively to jump into bed with someone, but I don't see anything wrong with it if he's a good guy... And he's hot!" The hot bit is very important.
If I were still single... I think I'd re-download Tinder. I'm not sure it's the place to meet your soulmate. It's more like a vetting process to find people you'd like to spend some time with, drink a few gins and then have sex with.
But in a time when we're (read: I'm) freaked out by people who meet on the bus, or the street or in a bar, apps are the way forward... And maybe eventually they'll become about finding true love.
*His name isn't really Chris. And to my friend who's actually called Chris this isn't about you.