L A Affairs I’m proof you should never compromise when it comes to love

TVNET3 November 4, 2021 4:12 pm

Reentering the dating scene after being in a long-term relationship is scary. Especially when you’re in your 40s. I moved to Los Angeles from Texas with a longtime boyfriend, but it wasn’t long before we’d agreed to part ways. Despite having a lot in common, there were some big things we disagreed on. He never wanted to get married. He never wanted kids, and he didn’t really believe in going to church. But all three were important to me. The last time I was in the dating scene, dating apps weren’t invented and online dating was just getting started. A friend introduced me to OkCupid and how answering a few questions would serve up a list of potential dates and their chances of compatibility. I thought, “What? Is this going to mean fewer bad dates? I’m signing up! ” I had a few email exchanges, but no real dates transpired. So I tried connecting over shared interests. I joined a gay running group. I work in communications, so I joined a gay media professionals group. I made several new friends. I went on a few dates, sharing my love of good food at many restaurants on Abbot Kinney, taking walks along the beach in Santa Monica and venturing downtown for an L. A. Master Chorale concert at the Disney Concert Hall. I can’t say I went on any bad dates, but something was always missing. I had also begun volunteering in the LGBT ministry at my church, and we were planning a social at a local bowling alley. At the last minute, the ministry’s lead organizer couldn’t make it, so the rest of us volunteers agreed to get there early to greet everyone and ensure any new people felt welcome. And that’s when I met Andrew. He was new to Los Angeles, having moved from San Diego to finish his MBA at UCLA. We ended up bowling on the same team and chatted with each other throughout the night. But nothing more. We didn’t even exchange phone numbers. We kept running into each other at church though. One month, as I was setting up a table for a church bake sale, I looked up and saw him walking my way with a plate of homemade cookies. Another volunteer remarked to me, “The new guy is so cute. ” I thought to myself, “And he bakes. ”We continued to get to know each other over the next few months, but I honestly didn’t know whether he was interested in anything more. (I’d misinterpreted friendliness for flirtatiousness in the past. I didn’t want to do that again. ) One weekend, we made a plan to show him around the beach cities, but he had to cancel. Another weekend, we decided to walk Abbot Kinney Boulevard on a First Friday. (I told my best friend, Tony, that I wasn’t sure whether it was a date or just a casual meetup. When Andrew showed up at my house in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, I thought: “OK, not a date. ”)A few weeks later, a friend threw a birthday party for me and I invited Andrew, but he couldn’t make it because he had plans. That night, he texted me to ask how the party was and whether any cute guys had shown up. All data is taken from the source: http://latimes.com Article Link: https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/sto… #dates #newspolitics #usanewstoday #cnnnewstoday #newstodayusa #newstodayworld #

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