Date Lab: ‘Just a smooch, not a make-out, not a hug,’ she says
|
Version 0 of 1. For social butterfly Amy, passionate, artistic types with ambition are a yes, frat bros and politicos are a no. It took us a while (okay, four years), but we finally found just-quirky-enough David, whose hobbies range from kites to cooking to rap music and who wants a witty, outgoing woman. We sent them to Sette Osteria in Dupont Circle to see if the match was worth the wait. Date Predicto-meter Our highly analytical tool for determining whether our daters will hit it off. David: I was instantly attracted to her when she showed up and definitely into her positive, outgoing vibe. Amy: My first thought was he has very nice eyes. I immediately thought, Yes, this is a win. David: It was super easy from the get-go. She’s very fun, very bubbly. I feel like that’s what people would say is their first impression of me: outgoing, bubbly, friendly. Amy: I date a lot, and I’m generally an extrovert, but I was more nervous than I thought I would be. But he was good about asking questions and made me more comfortable. David: She applied four years ago. I was grilling her about her application and asking if it had changed, like, Did you put Nelly as your favorite musician or something ridiculous that you hate now? Amy: My general values and what I’m looking for are the same. I’ve been in two major relationships since, but I guess I’m still looking for the same thing. David: She works at the Phillips gallery, [which] was interesting and intriguing. We talked about art. She was an art history major; I’ve always had a keen interest. She mentioned a trip to Grenada for the sole purpose of seeing an underwater exhibit by a sculptor she liked. Amy: We talked about his weird obsession with fish — owning and collecting, not eating. He has a fish expo to go to over the weekend. I didn’t know what questions to ask about that! [Laughs.] We both enjoy going to [concerts] but don’t have the same musical tastes at all. David: She knew a lot of bands I hadn’t heard of before. But we found commonality in our favorite emo-punk music from middle school. Amy: We talked about family, [and] subconsciously I was thinking we have similar values and philosophies: He has a small, tight nuclear family and so do I. It was nice to hear him talk about his brand-new niece; it was really sweet. He’s a very confident dude but in the right, balanced way — not cocky by any means. He’s very genuine. He would notice when he was talking more than me and say, “Now what about you?” I felt actually listened-to. David: The main takeaway was that we had a fun conversation. [There wasn’t] overt flirting or crazy touching, but there was banter back and forth and jokes that would fall into the flirting category for sure. We wanted to continue things, ’cause we were having a blast. So we went down the street to McClellan’s Retreat for a nightcap. Amy: I don’t love dinner dates — someone’s always eating. You ask a question and the other person inevitably has something in their mouth. [The bar] was smaller, darker, and we weren’t just staring each other down. I completely let my guard down. David: We had two drinks and it was already 12:30. They were probably close to kicking us out on a Tuesday night. She called an Uber, and I waited outside with her. Amy: There was a small tiny smooch at the end. That’s a good summary of the date: just a smooch, not a make-out, not a hug. ... I’m definitely interested in a second date — mildly smitten. But it’s hard to tell which direction it’s going to go. David: I don’t know for sure if there’s a big love connection right off the bat. It’s a slow thing; it takes me a little bit of time. But there’s enough there that I want to explore. I’m planning to ask her out again. Amy: I couldn’t get any vibe from him if there were romantic feelings or not. [Next time] if he were to come in for, like, a legit smooch, I would be game. [Laughs.] Amy: A solid 4.3 [out of 5]. This was a great date. David: A 4.5. Fantastically fun date and definitely want to see things through. Amy and David met up a week later for a Story District show at Town. Both told us they had a good time and continue to be in touch but said the vibe is more friendly than romantic. Read previous stories and fill out an application. For stories, features such as Gene Weingarten, @Work Advice and more, visit WP Magazine. Follow the Magazine on Twitter. Like us on Facebook. E-mail us at wpmagazine@washpost.com. |