Date 2: Grab those dancin' shoes!

A dancer, he says. I was a little dubious. I've cut a rug with many guys and few are really stellar on the dance floor. Most really just bounce around awkwardly. Not to say I'm a phenomenal dancer, by any means! I'm actually pretty bad at following a rhythm. If I have a good leader, however, I can fake it somewhat; wimpy leaders are a pet peeve of mine.

And so, he picked me up for a night of live music at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant in historic Pioneer Square. With glasses of wine in hand, we headed closer to the music. No one was dancing. Eventually, however, we made sure that changed. He pulled me up from my chair and held me tight, sensually swaying to the music. Once we got comfortable with each other's dancing style, he started breaking out the big guns: dizzying spins, dips, and other fancy footwork. Wow. He was good...REALLY good!

We'd work up a sweat, sit down to sip on our wine, chat with our crazy neighbors at the next table--an overly loquacious southern woman and her pirate-patched partner--and hop back up for more. With each song, we found ourselves closer and closer. With each dip, our noses inched nearer, warm breaths on each other's necks, until it seemed impossible not to kiss.... but, a kiss didn't happen!

At least not on the dance floor.

He drove me home and stopped in front of my house. We reached to hug goodbye and, like magnets, were drawn into each other's embrace, sealing it with a kiss. Nothing awkward, like first kisses tend to be--completely natural and genuine. The perfect end to an amazing night!

One last try...

So, I finished the blog. And I was still single. I thought about writing off dating altogether. But then life got boring….so that didn't last too long. I met guys here and there; all were nice enough. Fun to pass time with—museum visits, coffee, dinner dates—but nothing phenomenal. I was about to give up when I decided to try one last trick. On OkCupid, I searched for my “highest match.” When someone came up as 99%, I figured I might as well see what he was all about.

“Goodcab” was his code name. Cute pictures, an interesting profile (dances, owns a hot air balloon, travels, cooks), recently moved to Seattle, unique dealbreakers (girls over 5’5’’, not taking antidepressants)…

And so I wrote:

“Welcome to Seattle. You're still quite a newbie! I came across your profile when searching for people with whom I have a high "match percentage" and didn't know it was even possible to get 99%! Anyhow, you seem like an interesting guy and it sounds like we've been to similar parts of the world. Where in S. America? Cuba's on my bucket list.

The bad news? I'm only 5'4''...but did ok on the dance floor at salsa night yesterday. The plus side, though, is that I'm not on anti-depressants (and never have been). I tend to prescribe them a lot though. ”

A few days later, he responded:

“Wow 99 percent. I am always surprised when it says I am 42 percent enemy with people. :-). You seem awesome as well and would love to meet you. I like meeting people in person as well. What's your schedule this weekend? Feel free to give me a call. 555-555-1212.”

Mmmm…I like that! I’d gotten sick of exchanging endless emails and so, we set up a breakfast date for that weekend.

I was his first kiss. Ever.

Well, not on the most recent dates, of course. After all, we're both 25 (only 1 day apart, actually). The first kiss occurred some 10 to 15 years ago (I don't really remember it, but he informed me of this fact). And over those years in middle and high school, we got to know each other more and more. We never dated, but I babysat for his brother, we skied together, took similar classes, went to the same parties, etc. We knew each other quite well.

So, when he mentioned that he'd be traveling across the country to do business here, I was excited to meet up! It had been about eight years since we had last seen each other. We talked for a few days, cementing our prospective plans. When we finally reunited, it felt so comfortable to "gossip" about familiarities--family, common friends, restaurants from our hometown, and classmates. We were able to bypass the awkwardness of the first (and often second and third) date.

As our time together continued throughout the week, it was evident that we both felt some kind of attraction...but neither wanted to be the first to say it. And so, we flirted playfully at dinner, danced affectionately at a club, and coquettishly conversed during our Mt. Rainier hike. One night, we even cuddled--but neither took the initiative to kiss on this occasion, over a decade after the first lip-locking. And so, after several days of fun, I left him at the airport. And we chatted and texted for subsequent weeks. The topic of our attraction came up and clarified that feelings were, indeed, mutual.

But he's on the other side of the country. So, we'll just wait for his next business trip out here (this month, actually) to see what happens. At the very least, we'll have a fun week together!