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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Lifestyle
As told to James Norman

The moment I knew: stuck in Chile in the early days of Covid, he brought me out of my anxiety loop

Sashi Perera and Charlie Syme hiking in Chile. Both Sashi and Charlie are holding out one arm, hugging the other person at the same time.
Sashi and Charlie hiking in Chile in 2020 Photograph: Sashi Perera

In May 2018, I was scrolling through prospective dates on Bumble when I saw Charlie’s profile. I could tell we had a lot of immediate connections. He had worked for human rights organisations, travelled a lot and even had interesting profile pictures. I swiped right.

Later that day, we met at a small bar close to my work in Melbourne for a drink. Even though it was a good first date, I decided I didn’t have the energy for more dates straight away and cancelled our second one. I think he thought I was a bit of a time waster.

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