After recovering from my indigestion, I was ready to get back on that bumble scene. I had been chatting with another handsome man after date 2 had fizzled and had been real phone (not app) texting all weekend. Something about him looked very familiar in his pictures and I racked my brain to figure out if we'd been on a date in the past. After some serious consideration, I realized where I've met him before!
With that, we continued to talk and a Sunday morning text turned into an impromptu brunch date on his way back from the airport. Once I met him, I knew that I had definitely knew this man. Surprisingly, I wasn't one to divulge this information off the bat. We endured a fairly long wait for brunch, but found easy conversation over coffee; he even brought me a kitschy souvenir from his trip. All the first date jitters were completely absent and that level of comfort allowed me to be myself.
Once we sat and ordered a midday cocktail, the weight of my secret knowledge proved too much to bear. I looked and him and said that we've met before to which he exclaimed, "I knew it!" His memory was just as foggy, but he said he knew the second he saw me that I wasn't a stranger.
I did, however, recall the exact time we met and under what circumstances. Thanks to my relentless pre-smart phone, photography skills, I used to take millions of pictures with my digital camera. Yes, that included snaps while out and about at the bar, documenting many a stranger on the way. I pulled up facebook and dug through the archives to present exhibit A: a photo I had taken with him almost 10 years ago. He looked the same. I had transitioned through many a hairstyle and waistline since then. I then recalled that we not only took a photo, but we had several bar make-out experiences at that time. To be young...
After the air was cleared, we sleuthed our way through tons of mutual friends and hangouts and realized that it was incredulous that our paths had not crossed along the way. This connection instantly upgraded this from an online date to a friend date and all the pretense went out the window. Wait...shouldn't we still be trying to impress one another? We finished brunch and opted for a new locale, his Sunday hangout (which apparently was a big deal). He was clearly a bar regular here knowing every female in a 20 foot radius, an ex-girlfriend included. I would have normally been at least a bit uncomfortable, but the past and friend link really alleviated all insecurity.
After achieving mayor status, he decided we should move on and possibly invite friends who were out. I agreed opting to include my support team as well. And this is how our first date turned into a group date. Which was really fun! Meeting friends is usually left to dates 4 and beyond, but this early introduction made me feel at ease. Besides, I had my go-to to assess the situation immediately without having to Monday morning quarterback. Our friends got along swimmingly (even staying out later than us as a group) and I was hopeful for a second date. 2 for 2, bumble.
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