Hayley, a 31-year-old lingerie quality expert, and Sean, a 36-year-old fashion entrepreneur, detailed their blind date experience for a weekly feature. The date, initially scheduled twice before, carried a degree of skepticism for Hayley, who admitted, "I wasn't excited. He's cancelled on me twice already." Sean explained his postponements were due to a family bereavement and a subsequent COVID-19 illness.
Upon meeting, Hayley found Sean to be tall and handsome, noting he was immediately complimentary. Despite this, she expressed her reservations about his previous cancellations. The conversation, according to Hayley, was at times confusing, with Sean's thought process occasionally taking unexpected turns. An instance she recalled involved asking about siblings and ending up discussing a friend's boat in Amsterdam. An "ick" moment for Hayley occurred when Sean became noticeably loud while trying to get a waiter's attention.
Sean, on the other hand, found Hayley beautiful and energetic, describing her as someone who "draws the eye of every man when she walks into a room." He felt they had a strong physical and intellectual match and appreciated her sharing "fairly horrendous dating stories about men," which he felt prompted reflection on male behavior. He also noted her closeness to her family.
Despite Hayley's initial hesitations and moments of confusion, she ultimately found Sean to be polite and well-mannered. When Sean asked what he could do to secure a second date, Hayley was unsure how to respond. However, upon reflection, she stated she would be happy for him to have her number and wouldn't be against another meeting, suggesting a drinks date might be more enjoyable than a lengthy dinner.
Sean expressed interest in seeing Hayley again but felt it would be a significant effort to get her to let her guard down. He decided not to pursue her further, stating he did not want to "overstep the mark." Both participants rated the date an 8 out of 10 and indicated a preference for coffee on a potential follow-up.
Hayley has been actively documenting her dating experiences this year, keeping an Excel spreadsheet to record details of her 12 dates, including cancellations, who paid, and lessons learned. Sean, whose longest previous relationship lasted five years, has experience dating in Amsterdam and noted a difference in directness with Dutch women.
