Our first date: I remember only having been texting for a few days after I gave Liz my number so I didn’t have to constantly be checking Facebook messenger. We quickly made plans to meet for dinner, I guess being our first date. Though I’m not sure how long it would have taken for us to get together if I hadn’t made the first move in messaging her. Liz will say other wise “I was gonna get to it...I was just figuring out what I wanted to say” but I couldn’t wait any longer. We decided on meeting at Market in rocky river. It’s only about 5 minutes from my house. I texted liz to tell her I was on my way only to find Liz was already there ha! Feeling as though now I was the one running late started to panic. I walked in & instantly found her at a table waiting with her hair in a pony tail, jeans, and pullover hooded jacket/sweater but my favorite part of all was her in glasses. We ordered the house hummus which if I remember correctly was a pea flavor & it really wasn’t bad. We talked about her going into the career of a police officer and a house she was looking to buy. I remember feeling the times there were silence it didn’t feel awkward or needing to fill the space. Though I was beyond nervous the whole time dinner was quick & relaxed. I remember feeling of not wanting the night to end, invited her back to my house to just relax & watch some tv. We laid in my bed watching Chicago med which quickly became our show. We semi cuddled & I laid half on her feeling instant relaxation. And I remember Liz teasing me that I was going to fall asleep. Which I wasn’t going to but I completely could have with the comfort I felt. Liz stayed for maybe an hour or so needing to get back to Loki. I walked her out to the main door of my building giving her a hug saying how I enjoyed the night and thanked her for meeting me. Liz quickly gave me a soft kiss that was unexpected but happy it had happened.

As with any first date all the details on when and where get sorted out. You pick the best outfit. You spend a little extra time getting ready. And then you go. Into the unknown. I got to the restaurant first, sat down at the table, and waited – not long though. At this moment, surprising to myself, I was relaxed with slight anxiety. When I saw Kristina walk into the restaurant, the feeling that came over was as if I was having dinner with an old friend. We immediately began conversing as if it was natural – and for me, that does not come easy all the time. I was comfortable and never had that worry come over of “what if she doesn’t like my response”. We talked about where we were in our lives, we laughed about how her and I were set up by my friends, we realized how many friends we have in common but never met before, and we talked about what interests us. As dinner continued, I became more and more interested in finding out the rest of her. So, we decided to continue our date and hang out at her place. We watched a few shows, talked a little more, but the best part was simply being in the same room. When I left, I realized what a true connection I had just found with Kristina – and I wasn’t looking, or thought I wasnt in a place to begin a relationship. But my biggest thought was, “I can’t let this one go”