App: Hinge

Name: Joao*

Date Location: Spettus Brazilian Steakhouse & Fowler House Cafe – Quincy, MA

Location Review:  3.5 Stars – The parking lot gave me food poisoning vibes but everything was fine. Apparently as far as Brazilian BBQ goes, it’s okay but the food was cheap.

3.5 Stars – It’s your basic sports bar. Has cozy atmosphere though.

Date Duration: 9 hours

What Happened:

My “bar” at this point in time was at a historical low so it was very refreshing to match with someone who genuinely wanted to talk to me. Not too long into chatting on the app we moved to text and conversation was easy. Joao even would remember shit I said and then follow up on it days later. For example, I told him I was getting my booster shot whatever day and this kid texted me the day of to wish me luck and see how I was going. Just very sweet.

We texted nearly nonstop so we covered decent ground going in. I did know that he had a breakup recent-ish and that it was a long-term thing since he got a dog with his ex around 2017ish and she ended up keeping it. But we’re also 30 so not too shocking at this point. We did have similar taste in music though. Both of us bump Daughtry more than we should admit and it was fun sending song recs back and forth. He also has struggled with weight and body image in the past which was extremely comforting on my end. I don’t find a lot of men truly “get it” so it was refreshing to talk to someone who could sympathize.

Finally, it came time to meet up and he offered to come close to me which I always appreciate. Since he is Brazilian, BBQ came up quite a bit and since he knew the ropes he offered to take me. There was only one Brazilian place by me and there were questionable yelp reviews, but fuck it. We were in it together.

The parking lot looked like a place where I’d get food poisoning no lie. But, I saw Joao in the parking lot, and not only did he look like his pics, he was cute. Very tall and had a broader build so I felt like a lady.

We got in and he talked me through everything. Also was super hot when he ordered for me in Portuguese. Oh my god. I know he was just ordering chicken but it sounded so sexy and I kept staring at him like a loser.

We sat down to eat and conversation was just as easy as it was over text. So easy, that we were at the restaurant for a solid 5 hours. Politically, we had the same views and it was clear he knew his shit. Also, we got a little deep. It came up at some point that I had been with someone for 6 years from high school into college and that’s when he gave me a little more about himself. That relationship he had told me about over text, was his ex-wife. They had been together for 12 years, 4 of which they were married, and it ended when she cheated on him. So when I asked him if he had any bad dates this explained why he didn’t have much to say. He really never dated.

I didn’t mind this. If anything, it kinda made him hotter. I know I am jaded AF so to be with someone who really had no idea what to expect and is “house trained” so to speak, was refreshing.

Since we had been at the restaurant so long we heard the music start repeating, I asked if he wanted to go to a bar down the road. At this point, I didn’t know how he felt about me but he agreed so I guess I was in the clear.

The next place went similarly. We talked and talked and talked until the bar closed down. He had parked behind me so we walked together. I kept giving him the eyes not sure what to expect. We hugged, which considering he had never really dated I took as a good sign, and I was happy to see his name pop up on my phone when I got home.