It all began with a simple yes to a “bagel”. It was a nice warm Saturday night in Paris and my family and I just arrived after spending a week long vacation in London. As I was settling in for the night, something compelled me to check Coffee Meets Bagel for the “bagel” of the day. I hadn’t checked for bagels since I had been on vacation. A “bagel” is a match you get once a day — if you fail to look, the match disappears. I instantly thought Toland was cute and was captivated by his genuine smile. I was excited! In the back of my mind I was thinking, what if he is the one? It was weird that I randomly checked, maybe it was fate! Of course, I quickly pushed these silly thoughts aside but like all girls do, I shared his pictures and profile with my friends.
After messaging a few times, he texted “let’s grab coffee or boba sometimes”; I liked how he offered boba as an option, it was very Asian of him. I smiled and replied “boba sounds good.”
The first meet is always nerve wracking; I can’t get too excited because what if it is bad? I can’t let myself get too excited, I told myself. We are just having boba it is not a full date. I took a deep breath and walked into the boba place. Toland came up to me and I instantly thought he was just as cute in person as he was in his pictures but a little shorter than I was expecting. We grabbed boba and checked out a colorful art exhibit by City Hall. We chatted about everything from hobbies, families, background, travel, to living in SF. The whole time I was thinking, what does he think of me, does he like me? Then he asked if I wanted to go to dinner to continue the evening. “YES!” I said in my head and did a little dance. But my reply was “I am up for it”, playing it chill. When he whipped out his phone to start researching a good restaurant nearby, I knew he was a keeper. Someone who is willing to go the extra mile for good food has a special place in my heart.
What started out as simple boba, turned into a night that I will always remember as our special first date. As we parted ways, I kept checking my phone for his text; I was hopeful for a second date…