This is what happens when swiping right actually goes right
It’s a Friday night. You’re with your friends, catching up on each other’s busy lives over Pale Pilsen in a dimly-lit bar somewhere in Poblacion. Someone pulls out her phone and the screen lights up with that all-too-familiar shade of yellow. You see her flash a grin so wide you could’ve thought she just won an all-expense-paid trip to Paris.
But no. It’s just her suspiciously handsome Bumble match and his three-word message: wer u at?
We’ve all heard of those dates-gone-wrong stories: the no-shows, the ghosters and the ghostees (is that the correct term?), the one with the commitment issues, the one who suddenly had an emergency at home, et cetera. Honestly, I’d reach my word count if I’d state every single scenario.
But this one will be different — because it’s Valentine season and we are all suckers for a dose of kilig. So I asked for people’s best date stories and I shit you not… I was flooded with responses. Huh. Guess romance isn’t dead. If anything, it became more easily available.
We played Ketchup on our first date. When it was my turn to try to slap his hand, he held mine. I got butterflies for the first time in four years. And then when we were about to leave, we kissed outside of the restaurant, but we didn’t mind. Honestly, I was just looking for a one night stand but instead I got butterflies and a kiss that I lost sleep thinking about. — Joy, Bumble
We talked for six hours on our first date. On our second, we watched a movie and I was really hoping she forgot her jacket. She did. I offered mine and froze my arms off. We’re getting married in January. I still call it “the jacket.” — Timmy, OK Cupid
It was supposed to be just a hook-up, so we didn’t get each other’s name or personal info. I was surprised when we ended up just cuddling, and talking about our real lives. We were fully clothed. We never kissed. But it felt like one of the most memorable nights of my life. When we had no choice but to leave, we decided not to keep in touch pa rin, and not know each other’s names. And hope that we would look back at that one night and think nothing but memories we’d smile at when we suddenly remember. — Mikel, Tinder
First time namin magkita. Nag-dinner kami tapos naglakad-lakad habang kumakain ng ice cream. Pansamantala, umupo kami sa tabi ng kalsada, sa ilalim ng mga parol. Mayamaya, magkahawak na ang kamay namin. Simple lang, pero tumatak talaga sa akin. Feeling ko, nasa indie film kami. — Deej, unspecified
First date, 10 hours, pouring rain, heavy traffic. Watched Lola Igna, coffee at CBTL, dinner at Nanbantei, drinks at Perfect Pint.He let me give him a reading, was also alone at this gig I went to a month prior, didn’t judge me for crying and getting mad at the movie.— Jonna, unspecified
Artsy was the only guy I ever asked out on a date online, and in general. Tumakas ako just to meet him on a holiday. While 50 First Datesplayed on his computer screen he asked if he could rest his head on my lap and the moment I said yes was the start of something that’s still going on between us.— Paopao, Tinder
So and first date namin (which, according to him was a date) lasted 24 hours in La Union at a gig. Habang tumutugtog yung Ikaw at Ako, may binahagi siya: “Alam mo, gusto ko kapag kinasal, young first dance, yung kantang ito. Tapos sa background, video an ako nag-shootat nag-edit.” ‘Di niya lang alam at ‘di ko nasabi nasomewhere written in my journal: “Sana yung mapapangasawa ko mahilig din sa videography at photography. Tapos magshoo-shoot siya at mage-edit ng video na ipapalabas sa reception habang first dance.Yung kanta, Ikaw at Ako ni Johnoy Danao.”— Hannah, Bumble