Yes, you read that correctly, Bachelor Number 4 requires two posts!
Bachelor Number 4: Not my boyfriend (My boyfriend is number 5... that post is in the works)
Let me start at the beginning.
Rob sent me the first message on OkCupid. His sent a one-liner about me being a Jason Segel fan. I looked at my profile and realized that yes, in fact, I had listed my favorite show and movie as those with Jason Segel. For Rob to read my profile thoroughly enough to notice that, and also be confident enough to send a single sentence as the first message was intriguing.
After a few weeks of bantering back and forth through the website I decided that Rob had passed my screening for creeps and seemed like a genuinely nice and normal guy. He asked me out for dinner and I excitedly accepted the invitation. He picked a restaurant just down the street from me (don't worry, he didn't know it was just down the street from my place) and I was to meet him there at seven.
Naturally, I was stuck at work later than I had anticipated, came home and took Wilbur out and scrambled to get dressed. I threw on my leopard print shoes, a loud red scarf, huge gold earrings and ran out the door. As I scurried down the street I called Erin, willing her to answer the phone with every ring. She finally answered and knew that I was on my way to a date. I explained to her that I was super nervous but hadn't even had enough time to process it. I had to give up on my original plan of arriving twenty minutes early so I would be the approached, and instead I would be doing the approaching. I expressed my frustration with the situation.
"I don't want to have to walk up to him! He needs to find me. I need to be sitting at the bar and he needs to find me and walk up to me!"
"Well, you need to get over that. You're late."
"Ahhh! I know. Yikes. What time is it?"
"7:58."
"I only have two minutes to get there!* Maybe he'll be running late and I'll be there first. But I hope he isn't running late! I hate when people are late. I. Am. So. Nervous."
"Clearly. Get over it. You'll be fine. What are you wearing?"
"My leopard shoes."
"My sister has leopard shoes? Who are you? Did you go shoe shopping again?"
"Yes! And these shoes are awesome, you would be jealous. Your sister is more fashionable that you think."
"Ha. Fashionable? Well, okay. Have fun in your shoes. I gotta go."
"What?! You are going to leave your own sister freaking out and running to her date?"
"Yes. Have fun!"
I held the phone in my hand, obsessively checking the time as I speed walked the last few blocks. I checked the time just as I was walking in the door. I was only three minutes late. But I was completely out of breath. I put my telephone in my purse and tried to slow my breathing.
I walked into the restaurant and immediately saw Rob at the bar. He was cute, but nothing special. He looked exactly like his photos. Shoot. I was hoping he would look better than his photos.
Get over yourself, Meaghan. He could think the exact same thing about you.
I walked up to Rob just as the person on the bar stool next to him was leaving.
"Hi. Rob?"
"Yes! Meaghan, it's nice to meet you."
We awkwardly shook hands, I ordered a drink and we stayed at the bar for the few minutes until our table was ready.
The conversation during dinner was easier than any date I had been on so far, and I was pleasantly surprised. We chatted about our jobs, our families and the online dating stereotypes. I told him I had heard that one website was for people only interested in, well, the physical stuff. He told me that he heard if a girl sends a message first she must be crazy.
Uh oh. Maybe that was why I received so few responses from people I had messaged...
During dinner the conversation flowed as smoothly as the bottle of wine we split.
When we were finished we went down the street to another bar for another drink. I made it home much later than I anticipated with a smile on my face.
Two days later Rob asked me out again. I accepted, but I was hesitant. As wonderful as our conversation had been, I hadn't felt the spark I wanted and needed. Maybe that would come during the second date. I was hoping so.
To be continued...
*I know how to tell time. For my sister on the east coast it was 7:58, meaning that it was 6:58 for me in the Central Time Zone.
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