JONAH A.: 27 / consultant
HIS PERFECT SATURDAY: Pickleball, followed by brunch and a trip to the bars
LAST THING HE READ: The Expanse sci-fi book series
SURABHI I.: 24 / research assistant
FIRST THING PEOPLE NOTICE IN HER HOME: A very Boston-appropriate periodic table of beers poster
HER HOBBIES: Cooking, baking, yoga, and singing
6 P.M. BLOSSOM BAR, BROOKLINE
SCROLLING
Jonah I got there early and she arrived shortly after. When I saw a (very pretty) woman walk in and look around, I figured it might be her. She had a really good smile, and looked stylish and confident.
Surabhi The first thing that drew me to Jonah was his bright, friendly smile. I also noticed his kind eyes.
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NICHE INTERESTS
Jonah We started chatting almost instantly. She’d been to Blossom Bar before, so she suggested drinks to try. I love sampling new cocktails, so it was a great start to the date.
Surabhi He seemed at ease and happy to talk, which helped me relax.
Jonah She mentioned that she was doing a The Lord of the Rings marathon over the weekend, one of my favorite movie series. It turns out we share a LOT in common! We follow the same meme accounts. I was dumbfounded when she asked me if I followed “Crazy [Expletive] Moments in American Politics” (one of my favorites), and “Depths of Wikipedia.” That’s twice we shared fairly niche interests.
Surabhi I learned about Jonah’s family, and his tastes in books, movies, and TV (turns out we’re both huge fans of the early seasons of SpongeBob and The Simpsons).
Jonah We ordered noodles; mine were chicken and hers were vegetarian.
Surabhi I ordered a bocadillo sour, dan dan noodles, and veggie dumplings. The dumplings are about to become a repeat order.
Jonah I’ll go so far as to say it’s probably one of the best first dates I’ve ever had — through the night, we kept finding weird similarities.
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Surabhi I discovered that he’s smart, quick-thinking, good-humored, and friendly. He was editor in chief of his college’s satire magazine.
Jonah I was very attracted to her, and as we talked and I got a sense of her personality, that only deepened. She made me laugh quite a bit, which I found really appealing.
Surabhi Jonah and I connected about so many things. Beyond our Indian-American backgrounds, we both had similar senses of humor; high energy levels; a secret competitive side; a passion for cooking; interests in history, politics, and pop culture; more than a fair bit of nerdiness; and a deep love for trivia and theater. I honestly don’t even think this list covers it all.
DIRECT MESSAGE
Jonah I knew I wanted to see her again even before the night was done. I asked if she wanted to go to another bar across the street after and she agreed.
Surabhi When we sat next to each other, I felt sparks. Jonah asked if he could walk me home. I tripped on the sidewalk, which I hoped was endearing and not awkward.
Jonah I kissed her goodnight on her doorstep — and sent her a text as I was riding the T home.
Surabhi We said goodbye with a hug and a kiss. It was a very sweet moment!
SECOND DATE
Jonah Yes, absolutely! We’re planning to meet again.
Surabhi Yes!
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POST-MORTEM
Jonah ⁄ A+
Surabhi / A+
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