KELSEY DAVENPORT
22 / clinical assistant
ON A DESERT ISLAND, SHE’D BRING
iPhone, cheese, journal
LAST BOOK SHE READ
Still Alice
TUCKER BERK
24 / biomedical research technician
LAST BOOK HE READ
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
HIS IDEAL MATE
Would be a doctor. Someone who understands the hardships and hours would make things easier.
7:30 P.M. SUSHI-TEQ, BOSTON
> DIAGNOSIS: JITTERS
KELSEY I picked out an outfit that was practical for the weather but that would be OK if the venue turned out to be really fancy.
TUCKER Got together my date clothes, did a couple push-ups, and took a shower. This was the first first date I had gone on with a beard, so I trimmed more carefully than I would have normally.
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KELSEY I was pretty calm until right before I arrived at the restaurant, and then I got nervous.
TUCKER I was extremely nervous. It was my first blind date.
KELSEY He had dark hair, which I like, and friendly eyes.
TUCKER I thought Kelsey was really cute. For me, glasses are always endearing, and she had a relaxed smile.
> COINCIDENTALLY SPEAKING
KELSEY We had a lot in common. I’m a medical assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital and he’s a research assistant at MGH. We both like being outdoors. On paper we had pretty much everything in common, so nice one, Boston Globe! Whoever set us up had really done some research.
TUCKER We found out we had actually met before. She had visited Bowdoin and had come to my floor (I was an RA).
KELSEY We had a lot of mutual acquaintances, so we ended up playing the name game for a bit. It was like catching up with an old friend — the conversation flowed really well.
TUCKER Everything was delicious. I asked the server about one of the drinks and he mentioned that he was the inventor. We challenged him with making a new custom drink.
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KELSEY My first drink was a grapefruit cocktail, which really hit the spot (I love grapefruit). The sushi was fantastic; we ordered about four rolls. I may or may not have eaten more than him.
TUCKER She definitely got cuter as the night went on because I got to know her better. Seeing her talk about her passions brought out her excitement.
> A HEALTHY APPRECIATION
KELSEY We exchanged numbers and made tentative plans to go rock climbing.
TUCKER I never wanted to leave. We ended up having dinner for over three hours. I was amazed how the time had flown by. It was fun to meet someone new and think that the future was wide open.
KELSEY We just waved goodbye, but we both expressed the sentiment that the dinner had gone well.
TUCKER I wanted a hug, but I was nervous about stumbling and ending the night with my face in a post.
> SECOND DATE?
KELSEY We could definitely hang out again.
TUCKER A second date would be great, but if it turned into a friendship, I would also be happy.
> POST-MORTEM
KELSEY A-
TUCKER B+
GO ON A BLIND DATE. WE’LL PICK UP THE TAB. Fill out an application at bostonglobe.com/cupid.