Tinder, Love, and Marriage
As mentioned in my previous blog post, my husband and I met after being matched on the online dating application, Tinder. I was 24 years old, fresh out of a 6 year relationship, looking for a companion and someone to share my life with. He was a 29 year old looking for love after a failed marriage. This is the story of our first date and proof that dating applications can lead to meaningful and successful relationships.
In September of 2016 I moved into my first apartment and became a nurse. A lot of life changing events were going on in my life and I was excited to finally be able to do things on my own. I moved out of my boyfriend and his parents house into an apartment on my own while he had decided to stay behind. I lived only about 5 minutes from them, but it was invigorating to be able to take care of myself and have my own space. In October of that same year, I realized that my relationship was not progressing as it should and decided to end the 6 year relationship. It was an amicable split and we remained friends afterwards promising that we would always be around for one another. I made the decision to join Tinder in hopes of getting back into the dating scene and finding a new relationship. After many unsuccessful dates, matches, and deleting of the application I was just about to give up when I decided to give the application one last shot. That same day that I reinstalled the application, I matched with my husband.
The same day that we matched on the application, we began texting and quickly exchanged phone numbers. Over the first couple of days we talked about our interests, religion, careers, life goals, and past relationships. We had both been through a lot in life and there was never a lull in conversation. We texted from sun up to sun down each day and had only been conversing with each other for a couple of days when he asked me on our first date. I remember the anticipation of the first date; the butterflies in my stomach, my obsessive need to clean my entire apartment, the days of shopping I did before hand to find the perfect outfit, and the hour and a half I spent before the date making sure I looked perfect. Date night came and he appeared at my apartment door and I will never forget the minute we locked eyes on each other. I opened my apartment door and he stood on the other side looking exactly like the pictures he had been sending me. He was well dressed, his cologne smelled wonderful, his short dark hair was spiked up with gel, and when we looked into each others eyes for the first time he gave me the cutest and most genuine smile I had ever seen. He entered my apartment, complimented my decor, and even took the time to lean down and play with my kitten who had been following him around. He was extremely polite and so charming that I immediately became a nervous wreck.
The car ride to the restaurant was short which was definitely a good thing since I couldn't find the words to say or a thing to talk about. I basically just stared at my hands in my lap the entire car ride to dinner. During dinner he talked and I listened, I ended up looking at everyone else in the restaurant rather than at my date. We then drove over to the movie theater and watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens. During the movie he kept moving closer and closer to me. He was adorable the way he nervously kept wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans and clearing his throat. I just kept thinking to myself "is he ever going to make a move, I wish he would just grab my hand already". In the middle of the movie he got up and went to the bathroom and after he returned it was like he was a new person. There no longer was any nervous habits and I became disappointed thinking that I had done something wrong and he was no longer interested in making a move. However, out of the blue he took my hand into his and intertwined our fingers. We remained holding hands, neither one of us wanting to break the contact until we reached his car in the theater parking lot.
The drive back to my apartment was unbearable, neither one of us wanted to end the date. He kept saying that he had an amazing time but kept stating, "I guess I have to take you home now". It was only nine p.m. and I really wanted the date to continue so I told him "it's still early, the date doesn't have to end yet". After I said this he turned and looked at me while driving, gave me the biggest smile, and switched lanes as we had been about to turn into my apartment complex. He took me to his apartment where I met his two dogs and we turned on a Disney movie. After the movie we got back into his car and he drove me back to my apartment. We sat outside my apartment door in his car saying goodnight to one another. He got out of the car and opened my door for me and as he walked me to the front door of my apartment building he leaned in for a quick kiss. It was so fast that I had no idea it was happening, no time to react, it was nearly over before it had began. I hadn't planned on kissing on the first date and before I could even decide on what to do or say afterwards the kiss was over and he had rushed back into his car.
Confused and perplexed I entered my building and walked up the three flights of stairs to my apartment. I had only ever kissed three other men in my life and this kiss had been so short I was unsure if it was any good. I kept asking myself "did he like it?, was it a good kiss?, does he think I am a good kisser?, is he going to ask me out again?, what do I do now?". I really didn't know what to do or say to him, but was relieved when he texted me after he had gotten home, thanking me for the date. He told me he had a good time and asked me if he could have a second date. I immediately stated yes that he could have a second date but that we needed a redo on our first kiss.
The next day he texted me and asked me to come over to his apartment to hang out. I was amazed at how soon he wanted to see me again, especially after how awkward I had been on our first date. None of the other Tinder dates I had been on requested a second date so soon and had actually made plans with me the next day to do something. I drove over to his apartment and nervously entered into his kitchen. As soon as I entered he gave me his signature smile, held me in his arms and stated "now I heard that we needed a redo on our first kiss,". Before I could reply he looked into my eyes, pulled me closer, and gave me the most amazing kiss. It was hands down the best kiss I had ever had and it literally left me speechless. After the kiss was over he loosened his grip on me, looked into my eyes again and said, "now was that a better first kiss?" I couldn't even respond verbally, I was still in shock, so I just nodded my head in agreement.
That day we spent the day on his couch watching more movies, went out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant, and returned back to his apartment to continue watching television. Towards the end of the date, he turned to look at me on the couch and said "Can I ask you a question?". I of course said yes and to go ahead with the question. He then nervously asked "Will you be my girlfriend?". I was once again in shock, we had just met, it was way too soon, this was only our second date, we had just started talking earlier on in the week, we hadn't even been talking to each other for a week yet, I didn't know what to say so I asked, "Are you sure?, We just had our first date yesterday, it is still really soon." All of which he replied "yes, I'm sure. I like you and I want you to be my girlfriend." He was so adorable just staring at me, nervously awaiting my answer that I couldn't turn him down. I said "yes" and from that moment on we were inseparable.
From that day forward we visited each others apartments every day. The next week I was invited to stay over at his place and after that first night, I only returned to my apartment a couple hours a day to take care of my animals. He made me a key and told me he loved having me at his apartment, he liked the idea of him being able to come home to me at the end of his work day. Two months into our relationship him and his dogs moved into my apartment with me and my animals. Three months into our relationship he purchased my engagement ring. About six months into our relationship he proposed to me and we became engaged. On June 24, 2017 approximately a year and a half into our relationship we became husband and wife.
We have been married now a little over four months and it all would not have been possible without Tinder. Our relationship is definitely not perfect but no relationship is. We fight, argue, and cry just like any other couple but I am extremely happy to be able to call myself his wife.
