She DM’d me on February 6, 2022. Straight to the point — no fluff, no games. She told me her goal was to send a friend request, and I accepted it, but that failed, so she was shooting her shot. I replied, "Let's shoot together". We exchanged numbers, and she offered to take me out for coffee. I wasn’t really feeling it. Not her — just the coffee. Something about it felt too formal, too serious, date-like. I wasn’t ready for all that. So, we talked for a little and decided on Smoothie King—casual, quick, low pressure (especially if I was paying). Plus, I had just gotten dental work earlier that day. My mouth was still numb and twisted from the numbing medicine they gave me. I couldn’t feel my lips or cheeks, and I definitely couldn’t smile without looking like I just popped a perk. I should’ve canceled. Any reasonable person would’ve. But something told me not to. Maybe it was her confidence, the way she messaged like she knew what she wanted. Maybe I didn’t want to look like I was flaking. Or maybe deep down, I wanted to see what could happen.

We met at my mom's shop and drove over to Smoothie King together. Then we hit the park nearby. It was the kind of date where everything should’ve gone wrong — awkward silences, nerves, lopsided smiles. But she acted like nothing was off. Like my twisted mouth didn’t faze her one bit. She laughed at my jokes, and now that I know her, she was faking laughing the whole time, y'all. She asked me real questions. Played basketball with a little random kid while she cheered for the kid. I kept waiting for her to mention my face — even tease me, gently — but she never did. When the date ended, I figured that was it. A good effort, but maybe not enough. But she leaned in and gave me a soft hug. She asked, "Was I going to text her later"? Right then, I knew I had her. Or maybe… she had me.