He was worth the wait
Melissa is a 35-year-old event planner who lives on the Danforth. She says “I’m most myself in a T-shirt, jeans and Vans, but I can go to the other extreme, in stilettos, makeup and accessories that cost more than my rent.” She adds “I’m a single mom, so that also factors into my personal style. I’ve been called a ‘ MILF’ and a ‘Lynx.’ I guess I’m not quite old enough to be a cougar!” Melissa says “my personality is very open and freespirited. I’m impulsive and unique. I’ve been described as a ‘unicorn.’ I leave positive impressions on everyone I meet.”
Lately I’ve been feeling let down with who I’ve been matching with online. A lot of people seem to be cool at first, but they are so one-dimensional, or just not fun, or don’t have anything going for them, or don’t have their life together. I’ve been looking for someone who listens to me and understands me, someone who takes care of me because they want to, not because I need them to, someone who makes me feel beautiful all the time, and someone I want to spend all of my free time with.
I met Omar on Instagram almost a year ago. My Instagram feed has no hints about who I am or what I look like. Omar had found me by searching a hashtag that I’d added to one of my shots. He slid into my DMs and said that I have an amazing eye, which was flattering. I post mostly nature shots and inspirational notes to make people feel good or think. We chatted back and forth. It wasn’t flirty or sexy at all, or creepy as most DM slides are. Omar seemed very intuitive and smart. He said that my posts “spoke to him” directly. To be honest, I think he fell in love with me then, without knowing anything about me.
After several months of random chatter back and forth, Omar asked me if I was single, and I said yes. He wanted to meet up. Then he asked to see a picture of me, so I sent him just a normal one, and he was blown away. We exchanged numbers and moved our chat to text. I really liked that he was interested in me before he saw what I looked like.
We decided to meet on the first free night I had without my kids, who were going to stay with their dad. We went to a pasta place where the vibe is lovely.
Omar was much hotter in real life than in the picture he’d sent before the date. He was tall and had style and smelled delicious. I went in for a hug. At first, it was a little like we didn’t know what to say. I was nervous. We ended up talking for a long time about our families.
We drank quite a bit. It turns out that he works with a good friend of mine. We like the same music and the same kind of travel. He told me that he’d wanted to ask me out for a while, and couldn’t wait any longer to do it. I’ve been hurt in the past, and I asked questions that were probably a little intense for a first date. He was such an adult. He had depth and light in his eyes. He listened and really heard me.
We moved the date to a bar and had a few more drinks. We had a huge booth to ourselves in a corner. Omar asked he if could touch my leg, in a nice way, to which I replied that of course he could. Then he asked if he could kiss me, and again I said of course he could. I really liked that he asked, and that he could read my body language so well.
Our first kiss was a little awkward because we were both a little drunk, but we had smiles on our faces.
We ended up walking back to his place, hand in hand. I woke up the next day in his arms, after very little sleep. The date lasted an entire week, minus the hours we had to work. It just felt right. It felt natural. It felt like it was supposed to feel. Just being together, and being able to hold hands, kiss and feel comfortable, was amazing. He gives me goosebumps all over. I want to be close to him all the time. I am 100 per cent in love with this guy.
Melissa rates her date (out of 10): 10