Month: March 2020
Honorable Mention: Not Everyone
Encounter #53.1: The Fivehead
App: Hinge
Name: Noah*
Date Location: The Ashford – Jersey City
Location Review: 4.0 Stars – Cool date spot. The decor makes it feel a little sexy with the velvet wallpaper, happy hour is good, beautiful rooftop, and has a gay bar attached.
Date Duration: 2 hours
What Happened:
Things with Noah seemed promising. From what I remember, the chat to text transition went pretty well and it didn’t take long until we made plans.
We originally planned to go to Taqueria but it was packed. So after meeting me there and seeing the line, we decided to check out another place in the area. Just in the 8 minute walk over I was skeptical. I saw him text someone within 2 minutes of us walking and he wasn’t too talkative even though he was A FUCKING RECRUITER. Like come on, isn’t small talk your thing?
We got our table and of course, this is the night this place has shit service. I had been there dozens of times with no issue, but on this night with this awkward date it had to happen.
We made awkward small talk for at least 15 minutes while we waited for someone to get our drink order. TBH I just kept staring at how big his forehead was. Like damn, you could have parked a plane on that thing.
After the beer hit our systems things got marginally better. I still felt like I was grilling him though. The entire time we were together, I think he may have asked me a total of four questions. Fucking four. We waited for the check and it was clear that neither one of us was feeling it and we waited in silence for the bulk of the time.
Noah walked me to the train which was nice although highly unnecessary given how uninterested both of us were. We hugged, I went on my way, and drunkenly hit up my fuck buddy. All in a day’s work.
Honorable Mention: Nothing Serious
Encounter #52.1: Tennis Guy
App: The League
Name: Gareth*
Date Location: Lucky 7 Tavern – Jersey City
Location Review: 4.0 Stars – Definitely a dive bar but has a really cool feel. Lots of band posters and stickers all along the walls and a solid ass happy hour menu.
Date Duration: 3 hours
What Happened:
I had downloaded The League (AKA the most pretentious ass dating app in all the land) around the time of the break up. It’s tough to match and no one ever sends messages so I was surprised that Gareth even started a conversation.
He seemed like a fun guy. Conversation was easy over text and as it turned out he lived in the building attached to the one I nanny in. All about convenient fuckery. He worked in finance but definitely wasn’t one those those douchey bros in the Patagonia vests.
I agreed to a date and we checked out a dive bar that neither one of us had gone to before. He was waiting for me outside and I was a bit disappointed. He was cute but was more petite than expected. Another one that I could have benched. Fuck it, I was already there. May as well see what happens.
Conversation with him was as easy in person as it was over text. He not only gave decent answers but he also asked decent questions. WHAT A CONCEPT. He had an interesting background. He went abroad for his graduate degree and while he was there played professional tennis for a bit. Casual. He also offered to split an app so I was a happy clam. Imma get dirty on some popcorn chicken.
We had been drinking for a few hours and it was time for me to go home. Gareth walked me to the train and we made loose plans to see each other again. We kissed, nothing too crazy and texted a bit over the days following but nothing ever came from it. To be honest, I was fine with it. I had a great time but, physically speaking it just wasn’t there for me and I was afraid I would have led him on. Back to the drawing board.
Honorable Mention: The 8
The Coworker: UPDATE
Name: Elijah*
Recap:
Elijah and I worked together several years ago and had some kind of connection. I didn’t think too much of it since I wasn’t in a position to act on it and it wasn’t something our workplace really liked.
A year or two ago we caught up when he was in NYC and had the most perfect day. Later, I found out he had a crush on me the entire time we were working together.
When I saw his NYC photos pop up on Instagram, I knew I had to see him again.
Update:
I didn’t know what to expect going in. Last I checked he had a girlfriend but I wasn’t even 100% sure on that. I beat him to the bar so I creeped his ass HARD. Guy was single AF. Like posting things about being a bachelor who can cook.
He walked in and he looked GOOD. He had lost some weight, hair was on point, and his outfit fit perfectly. Holy fuck. We took a spot up against the wall at a table which I was surprised at. It’s oddly romantic to me when a guy sits on the same side rather than across and I was pleasantly surprised.
Conversation was good. We covered our normal catch up stuff and what we were up to. Then, this group of Australians came in and gave us the jolt we needed. The group of us was talking and laughing nonstop and I felt his hand move to my waist. We both moved in closer to each other and the whole thing felt so natural.
As the night went on we kept getting closer and closer until the point that we were basically in each other’s faces when we talked. Eventually it was time to go so I closed out and he went to the bathroom. While he was away from the table, the Aussies cornered me. “That guy is a LEGEND. How did you guys meet again? Are you together?” I briefly explained that we had crushes on each other for that past 5 years and timing just never worked out. They then urged me to book a flight to him since it seemed like we were such a good match.
Elijah got back and saved me from the pressure. He asked me how much drinks were and I told him not to worry about it. Next thing I knew, he shoved $40 in my hand and said in my ear, “You shouldn’t have to pay. You deserve to be taken care of” and he kissed my cheek. WELL SHIT.
We walked to my train arm in arm and it just felt so nice. There I was with this great guy and it felt like something out of a movie. It rained earlier so the pavement was shiny and we were walking through one of those cute ass neighborhoods in NYC with brownstones. Just perfect.
We kissed when we got to the train and he hugged me for a really long time. We kissed again, then again, and again. The whole time it felt like neither one of us wanted to go but my train was 5 minutes out and he had to get up for his flight in a few hours.
Like last time, this was what I needed. I’ll admit, I constantly doubt that I’ll ever meet anyone worthwhile. I know I deserve a fantastic partner but it can be hard to believe it. There are a lot of frogs out there but Elijah always reminds me that once in awhile, you can find a prince.
Honorable Mention: Riding the Hog
Honorable Mention: What if…
Encounter #51.1: Doctor, Doctor
App: Bumble
Name: Alec*
Date Location: Low Fidelity – Jersey City
Location Review: 3.5 Stars – The bar itself is fine. Very millennial with brick walls, string lights, and craft cocktails. Really just like it because it’s close to my apartment.
Date Duration: 3 hours
What Happened:
Yet another attempt at “How Hot Can I Bag” landed me a date with Alec. He was a doctor and was doing research on Alzheimer’s (my philanthropy of choice). We had a lot to talk about so the date was set within hours of matching.
I was being a lazy hoe and since he lived in Jersey City, I had him meet me at one of the bars by my apartment. He walked up and was as attractive as his photos. Thank god.
We got our drinks and once again, I kind of felt like I was carrying the team. He was an interesting guy though. He was originally from Syria so we talked a lot about that and his family. He was applying for medical residency so we also went through all the places he’s been and how the interview process was working out. During all of this, he did recognize that I was asking a lot more about him than he was about me. However, he made no real effort to change that.
One perk about him was that he appreciated how I looked but not in a creepy way. I had been struggling with my body and the fact that I no longer looked 22. At one point he was staring at me then said, “I’m sorry I keep looking at you. You’re just so much prettier in person than you are in your photos”. He also threw in that I looked like I worked out. OH ALEC, YOU SLAY ME.
Shit, of course, got weird. He was with friends before we met up and had a few drinks. As it turned out he was a light weight. We only had 2/3 beers that were 5.2% or something like that and he was drunk. He kept touching my face, saying how cute I was, and losing where we were in the conversation.
I was ready to go home and he insisted on walking me back. That was when he started getting a bit too possessive. Earlier he mentioned he was interviewing in DC at the end of the month and I made a comment about how much I loved it down there. He then doubled down on the walk home and was seriously insisting I take off work to go with him. Mmmmm, nah.
We couldn’t get to my apartment fast enough. Of course, there was the good night kiss. It was better than the last one at my door but still, not great. He texted me when he got home saying he had fun and would see me soon. He also spelled my name wrong so that was cool. I slept on it and ultimately decided I couldn’t do it. Between the weird face touching and seeing him tanked, it was going to be a no from me.
#DatingLaura 