Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.
I'm not sure what I'm looking for. Perhaps it could be you?
Dating is different when you get older. You're not as trusting, or as eager to get back out there and expose yourself to someone.
I like to flirt with my prefer not to say.

...and why I now require a phone call before meeting anyone in real life.
Dating is hard enough without adding public embarrassment, security guards, and a runaway train. But here I am, surviving to tell the story. We all know dating comes with risks. Sometimes those risks are emotional, sometimes logistical, and occasionally — like in my case — they involve a fully grown adult collapsing in public places for no logical reason. I had high hopes for this date. We'd met on a dating app, and she seemed genuinely lovely. Our messages flowed effortlessly — witty, playful, even a little flirty in the best possible way. There's something magical about those early conversations where everything feels promising, like this could be the start of something real. In hindsight, I probably should have insisted on a phone call first. That simple, four-minute conversation could have prevented what will forever be filed under "Worst Date of My Entire Life." But no, I was caught in the intoxicating trap of good texting chemistry. And texting chemistry… lies.
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