Date 187

"The sun shines out of our behinds."

After getting nowhere on other dating apps, I made the decision to go back to the dark side and join Plenty of Fish. It's a strange site and not one I've had much luck on in the past. The last couple of times I've ventured back, I've ended up deleting my profile after a couple of hours and vowing to never return.

This time around it's been the same as nobody replies to my messages but I think that's possibly because I'm not the man that women are looking for if the live feeds are anything to judge by; but more of that later.

This date was very quick. We met for coffee and she looked nothing like her pictures. I knew she was a few years older than me but the photos on her profile were quite possibly ten years out of date. When she approached me at our meeting place, I half thought that she was a stranger about to ask me for directions, such was the difference in likeness. Also, her profile said that she liked the occasional cigarette, however, her hacking smoker's cough told me otherwise. So, unusually for me, I made my excuses and left after a solitary mocha.

Getting back to PoF then. The site now has a live streaming section where potential dates get on cam and in theory communicate to potential dates, but it's not private and anyone can observe and even interact. Except, that doesn't appear to happen. In reality, it's mostly used for potential suitors to get high with other people whilst listening to grime music at full blast. I've never streamed on it myself, but I dip in and out for the novelty value, and I don't even think that people are on there to date. I've witnessed people taking drugs, film themselves driving, at work, at the pub, having arguments, have their family members join in. It's endless and I've even shown a couple of friends and they're shocked at the way people are willing to broadcast their car crash lives for all to see without being embarrassed. Has anyone else witnessed this? Is this just another medium to be attention-seeking with reality tv shows on hiatus? Are narcissists born or made?

Date 186

"It's so lonely on a limb."

This was my second date since the lockdown restrictions had been relaxed and we met after a short exchange of messages on Bumble. I think pubs had just opened again but we chose to meet at an outside bar area along the seafront in which some beach huts had been turned into serving areas. However, we took our own drinks and sat on some outside tables until she'd run out of beer and, with initial trepidation, bought a can from one of the serving huts.

It was a really nice evening and it was the first time I'd been out at night since March, so it felt completely alien walking home when it was dark. We laughed a lot and it was also good to have some company after months of solitude.

She messaged me a few days later and said that she'd had a good time with me but that she felt there wasn't a spark, however, she asked whether I was free the following week to go out for drinks as friends. And since then I've actually met up with her virtually every week. Weird, huh?

We've been to a few beer gardens and even attended an outdoor comedy event at Brighton Open Air Theatre, which, despite getting drenched, was the most wonderful experience after months of not being able to go anywhere.

We're actually sat together in this picture, but I'm obviously not going to say which ones are us. As an aside to this, she was running very late so only turned up just before it had started. She'd been so stressed that when we got to her car she couldn't find her keys anywhere and even tipped the contents of her handbag onto the ground. After searching everywhere, we were just about to retrace her steps when she tried her door and it opened...and her keys were still in the ignition!

So, although I didn't find romance, I have made a good friend and meeting her has definitely made my lockdown less lonely. She has acquired a boyfriend now though, so I imagine I'll be seeing less of her; if only I could find someone now...