When she sees you first time in real life, her entire body slumps a bit. It's subtle but you've seen it before. She's not impolite, you're both adults and she's not going to go Ew and walk away, but she probably wishes she could. Let's just get it over with.
As you're walking to whatever bar to have drinks, she yawns and checks her phone, just to ease you into what kind of "date" you're going to have.
Gone is all the energy and playfulness from when you were talking on the phone. All the stuff you were talking about and teasing each other over seems off limits now. She's in call center operator mode, polite and impersonal and wants to get rid of you as soon as possible.
Once you're at your table, she's looking around more than looking at you. Checks her phone again... "Sorry, a friend is supposed to call me about something." Right.
She orders coffee, even though you were going to have cocktails because it's happy hour or whatever. You know better than to ask her why. She'd just tell you she's a bit tired and has to get up early tomorrow (remember the yawn?). Or she thinks she caught a cold and she doesn't want to have alcohol. All perfectly reasonable. She's not going to say Ew and walk out because you're adults and adults tend to be civil. Well except for looking around and checking her phone.
So you talk about the most mundane things for some time and she deftly avoids giving you an in to any sort or flirting. Just two random people having coffee, nothing more to it. You somehow stumble on a topic where she's done something halfway impressive, but she's humble and waves it off. No compliments from you, thanks.
Sure enough, soon she gets a call from her friend and guess what, she has to go. She insists on paying for her coffee (or maybe even for both of you). If this is the first date you've been on in your life, you may think that's a good sign. If you're a bit more experienced, you'll realize it's because she doesn't want to risk you getting an idea that she owes you anything, even thanks.
So now you leave the bar and you're approaching the place where she parked her car. It's going to be awkward, but is it going to be a handshake or just a wave? Once you would have hoped for a hug or a peck on the cheek, but you've been down this road before. Later you'll reflect on how different your conversation was from what you had on the phone, how she never asked you a question or told you anything she wouldn't have told a random passer-by. But that's for later, for now you're thinking about the game you're going to play when you get back home. It's your comfort zone and right then seems immeasurably better than this shit. Let's just get it over with.
As you're walking to whatever bar to have drinks, she yawns and checks her phone, just to ease you into what kind of "date" you're going to have.
Gone is all the energy and playfulness from when you were talking on the phone. All the stuff you were talking about and teasing each other over seems off limits now. She's in call center operator mode, polite and impersonal and wants to get rid of you as soon as possible.
Once you're at your table, she's looking around more than looking at you. Checks her phone again... "Sorry, a friend is supposed to call me about something." Right.
She orders coffee, even though you were going to have cocktails because it's happy hour or whatever. You know better than to ask her why. She'd just tell you she's a bit tired and has to get up early tomorrow (remember the yawn?). Or she thinks she caught a cold and she doesn't want to have alcohol. All perfectly reasonable. She's not going to say Ew and walk out because you're adults and adults tend to be civil. Well except for looking around and checking her phone.
So you talk about the most mundane things for some time and she deftly avoids giving you an in to any sort or flirting. Just two random people having coffee, nothing more to it. You somehow stumble on a topic where she's done something halfway impressive, but she's humble and waves it off. No compliments from you, thanks.
Sure enough, soon she gets a call from her friend and guess what, she has to go. She insists on paying for her coffee (or maybe even for both of you). If this is the first date you've been on in your life, you may think that's a good sign. If you're a bit more experienced, you'll realize it's because she doesn't want to risk you getting an idea that she owes you anything, even thanks.
So now you leave the bar and you're approaching the place where she parked her car. It's going to be awkward, but is it going to be a handshake or just a wave? Once you would have hoped for a hug or a peck on the cheek, but you've been down this road before. Later you'll reflect on how different your conversation was from what you had on the phone, how she never asked you a question or told you anything she wouldn't have told a random passer-by. But that's for later, for now you're thinking about the game you're going to play when you get back home. It's your comfort zone and right then seems immeasurably better than this shit. Let's just get it over with.
