Date 21.1

After two months of perseverance and getting the run-around (thanks to Nicole for teaching me determination with people who are experts at the run-around game), Twenty-one and I finally had a date.  Remember, this is the guy who originally told me “Right now I’m trying to get it off the ground with someone else” and then asked to touch base with him in a few weeks.  I took that as the equivalent of a door cracked open for me, so a few weeks later I checked in and asked him if I had a chance or if he was smitten with someone else.  He said that he was about to leave for vacation, but that we should grab a drink when he returned.  So again, I checked in with him a couple weeks later and told him that some people believe that the third time is the charm, and BAM we organized a date.

I admit I mentally gave Twenty-one negative points before the date for a) giving me the run-around and b) asking if I could meet him in Berkeley.  Now I realize I was obviously the one doing the pursuing, so it probably appeared that I would go to the ends of the earth for him, but come on, dude, meet a girl halfway.  However, I didn’t express any of these feelings, and I did meet him in Berkeley for pizza after work.  When my friend originally introduced us, she straight up told me she didn’t know a lot about him and that physically he didn’t seem to be my type.  At first glance she was right, he didn’t stand out whatsoever – normal fitting jeans, a button-up shirt, not scruffy in the least, and he had a windbreaker tied around his waist.  Two months later he looked exactly the same, but he had grown a beard.  We had easy conversation and laughed about my persistence – we joked (as far as he knows at least) about me persistently pursuing six other guys at the same time.  After dinner we did a loop around the downtown area, and then he walked me back to the train station.  I thanked him for meeting me and said I hope that I hadn’t scared him too much, to which he nicely replied, “Tonight I learned that persistence can be a good thing.”  I gave him a hug, and he said he would see me around soon; I think he was slightly intrigued by me.  We’ll see!