Key Takeaways: Not having turtle talk could lead to a second date!
Vitals:
Name: Leonardo, which is not his real name but he is a fellow actor
Length of date: 2 hours
How the date was obtained: Hinge
Where: The date started at Barney’s Beanery for drinks (Diet Coke for me) and then we went to Shake Shack.
I’ll be frank, I wasn’t super excited to go on this date. I was exhausted from yoga and I just wanted to nap. I also looked at the menu before arriving at Barney’s Beanery, the establishment he suggested, and wasn’t impressed. I did see fried pickles on the menu and was intrigued, but I thought that would be too weird to order on a first date.
I also didn’t know what to wear, so I let my sister pick out my outfit. She chose something fun but a little more upscale than what I usually like. I kept most of her picks but explained that I didn’t want to wear my “going out boots” to a place that sells fried pickles. I traded them for a pair of my favorite sneakers (they’re snakeskin). Pretty cool if you ask me!
When I arrived at Barney’s Beanery, I got a text from Leonardo saying: “be there in 5. My Uber driver just went the opposite direction into traffic.” Fortunately, Leonardo made it to the date intact.
Leonardo is very tall, like 6’4” tall, but he had a young appearance so I wasn’t too intimidated. After we hugged, he made a b-line for the bar, which wasn’t good for me because I was expecting to eat dinner. The date was at 8, which for me is prime dinner time, but I found out that Leonardo was an early eater. Bummer.
So, I stayed hungry, got Diet Coke and he ordered a beer. We then talked about various things: travel, college, and acting. Leonardo is actually an accomplished actor. In fact, I did some research on him before the date (to make sure he was legit) and found out that I had seen a movie he was in; and a good one at that. He had a small part, but one large enough for me to fangirl a little bit.
When we talked about acting, I acted surprised when he told me about the movie I mentioned above. What was I going to say? Oh, you don’t need to tell me you’re an actor. I already looked at your IMDB and know all the movies you’ve been in! No. I couldn’t let him know that I researched him (in a non-creepy way). So, I did some of my best acting and was “surprised” when he told me he worked with Nicole Kidman. I think he bought it.
Over the course of the date, I tried to follow my mom’s advice: talk less about turtles and my lactose intolerance. All in all, I think I did a pretty good job of this. There was no turtle talk. I repeat: no turtle talk.
After we finished our drinks, he asked if I wanted to walk around outside. I agreed to this because I felt like I had just scratched the surface of Leonardo.
I was a little nervous to walk around because exercise always makes me hungry and at this point, I was starving. Then, I saw something gleaming in the distance. Florescent lights have never looked more beautiful. It was the Holy Grail: Shake Shack.
I didn’t want Leonardo to think I was too eager so I contained my excitement and said something like, “Wanna grab a bite?” Then he said, “I’m actually not very hungry.”
WTF.
What was I supposed to say? Well, I am hungry sir. I guess you can just watch me eat my delicious burger because I haven’t eaten in like 8 hours and I am about to be HANGRY. Yes. That is basically what I said. So, I ordered my shroom burger (great meat alternative btw) and fries and he watched me eat them.
After eating a full burger in front of Leonardo, I assumed that he would not want to go on a second date. I don’t think jamming French fries and a portabella mushroom in my mouth is my most alluring look. But, as he walked me back to my car he asked if I’d like to go on a second date. I was genuinely surprised, but I said yes.
And, scene.
Overall Experience:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The future for us… a second date!
Next Week: my first time going on a second date (of this journey)! Also, I will be posting a February Update. Wonder what happened to Logan, Harry and Ricky Bobby? Stay tuned!