He’s a bit of a picky eater which nearly put me off
JESS, 28 VITAL STATISTICS
SINGLE for five months, no children.
CURRENT ROLE
TRAINEE pharmacist.
WOULD LIKE TO MEET
A GENT who is successful, well-off and ambitious. I’m not looking for a ‘treat ’em mean, keep ’em keen’ type.
DATING PAST
I’ve just come out of a year-long rocky relationship. He cheated on me, then tried to hide it. As a result I lost my confidence for a bit, but I’m feeling ready to date again.
PRE-DATE NERVES?
A lIttle bit — but I’m up for trying new things. I’m half Spanish and enjoy new cultures and putting myself out there.
As I can’t seem to find anyone on the same wavelength as me, I thought this sounded like a fun way to start dating again.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS?
Not great — and that’s my fault because I was 20 minutes late. But Mert gave me a kiss on the cheek and a hug. I was surprised to see him in a suit and tie as I was wearing leather jeans with a brown cropped top and heels.
Mert is tall, with curly hair and brown eyes. He’s an attractive guy — and a gent too. He was sitting on the sofa with his back to the wall looking out at the restaurant and he offered to let me sit there if I wanted to (I did). It was a nice touch.
EASY TO TALK TO?
Mert was nervous at first, so I did most of the chatting. He is of turkishCypriot origin and I spent my childhood in Spain so we compared stories about our home countries.
We’re both ambitious and we discussed our future goals. I’ve just finished my master’s in pharmacy and Mert is hoping to transfer to another department at work. Did he pay me any compliments? Nope, none that I can remember.
EMBARRASSING MOMENTS?
Mert doesn’t eat seafood and my family usually share it with every meal. I discovered he only eats chicken and not red meat. He’s a picky eater and that didn’t go down well with me.
DID SPARKS FLY?
No, tHere was no flirting going on. While there was plenty of eye contact, it was like talking to a friend. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea — I need someone colourful and outgoing. I think Mert is in general a bit reserved.
SEE HIM AGAIN?
ProBABly not. I couldn’t see myself getting into a relationship with Mert. that said, he’s a nice person.
WHAT DO YOU THINK HE THOUGHT OF YOU?
tHAt I’m loud and talkative. Mert had to work after our date so I had just the one cocktail and he had a soft drink. We exchanged Instagram accounts and have messaged one another since.
WOULD YOUR FRIENDS LIKE HIM?
yeS — but they’d know that we’re not compatible.