On the Wings of Love

So the dating continues...

 Match.com has been fruitful in giving me plenty of guys to talk to and to arrange dates. A couple of weekends ago I went out with a guy who is a pilot; We'll call him Aviator. We met for coffee for a couple of hours. Overall it was a nice first date. The conversation was flowing smoothly, he complimented my eyes and my smile, and overall seemed interested and intrigued. He was a very nice guy and seemed laid back, polite, and good looking.

I left the date feeling like it was a nice neutral first date. I wasn't instantly crazy about him (which I think is good because that seems to backfire for me when I feel that way so soon) but I wasn't annoyed or turned off by him. I was genuinely interested in seeing him again. The date ended by him saying he'd like to hang out again and suggested getting drinks one night in the upcoming week. I said that sounded great and we headed off on our separate ways.

When I got home he texted me that he felt like an idiot for not ending the date better. He felt like he should have walked me to my car and given me a hug but he felt like he was never any good at ending dates. I assured him it was fine, first dates are always awkward and nobody ever knows how to end them properly. He thanked me for being so nice about it and said he would be in touch about drinks.

I didn't hear from him until Thursday when he texted me saying he had been sick and he apologized for being MIA. How did drinks the following week sound instead? I told him that would be fine. Today is Monday and this would be the week that we would get together. I haven't heard from him and my cynical approach I now have towards dating is assuming I won't hear from him. If I do...great. If not...no big deal.

If I have learned anything from all my dating escapades the last couple of years is to expect nothing and then just end up being pleasantly surprised. I don't want to be cynical and harsh about it but I feel that is the only approach I can take at this point. I have bee disappointed a lot and when it comes to online dating I don't think it's fair to have expectations for complete and total strangers. Until I get a chance to get to know somebody and see them a few times, I can't expect anything. So all I can do is let him know that I would be interested in seeing him again and then keep on looking. He doesn't owe me anything at this point.

Am I being cynical or am I just being realistic?