Nia: During the early trials of online dating and constant suspicion of kidnapping, I decided to give one of the many dating apps a try. One busy work afternoon, in between working and scrolling on my phone, I got a notification from Joseph. I immediately went on his profile and looked at his many photos. The one that stood out to me was him in a navy tank top and navy gym shorts crouching and giant waterfall in the background. I thought he was very handsome and proceeded to look at his message. Joey: It's funny because before I met Nia, I was at the verge of giving up on love. I had already gone on a few dates with other women and it just wasn't working out. But I decided to try one last time and when I saw Nia's photo, I knew I needed to meet her. I immediately sent a message with the hopes of hearing back.
Nia: The day of meeting in-person finally came. We ended up going to Joy Indian Restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I got to the restaurant first and got a table for us. I waited there for five minutes. In the back of my mind, I was hoping I didn't get stood up. He texted saying he arrived and finding parking and reached to the restaurant a few minutes later. He stood outside nervously and I waved to him to join me. He wore a green long sleeve shirt, jeans and his signature baseball cap (at the time). After some nervous glances; we started making small talk. We ordered a couples dinner special and talked some more. After dinner, we walked around park slope for a while and he took me to the train. He offered to drive me home and I told him "no". Years later, I told him the reason why I said "no" because I didn't know him well yet and I wasn't sure he was a killer. Joseph: It was a long drive to Brooklyn, I borrowed my sister's EZ pass and took the hour and a half long drive crossing my fingers that the date wouldn't take a nosedive in the first five minutes. Nia got to the restaurant before I did, and I was convinced that I had ruined my first impression. Luckily, she was still happy to meet me and we enjoyed a nice meal together. We walked around after dinner, and as I was not entirely convinced I had won her over, I told her a joke just before she disappeared into the subway station. I thought that if she gave a genuine laugh, then I had a good chance of getting a second date.