The Perfect Date

Last week, Melissa Blake was kind enough to invite me to be a guest on her blog, "So about what I said," at

melissabxoxo.blogspot.com. Every Tuesday, she posts dating stories as part of her "Tales from the Trenches" and I wanted to share my story about the perfect date.

Three and a half years ago, fresh out of college and on my first day of work at my new job in, my co-worker told me I’d never have a problem getting a date in Washington, DC.

Finding someone I’d want to have a second date with, however, would prove far more difficult. I think that was likely the most accurate statement I’ve heard since I’ve been in the area.

As many first dates as I go on, there are so few I have any interest seeing again. And of those that I do, almost always the second date then leaves little room for discussion about a third.

And then, it happened…the most perfect first date. I was on a business trip to Manhattan a few weeks before Christmas when all the stars aligned for a single wonderful evening.

Having finished my meetings for the day, I tried to arrange dinner with a friend, but was left to twiddle my thumbs when she had to work late. Rather than sitting alone in the room that night (all of my TV shows had already gone on hiatus for the holidays), I decided to call someone I’d met the last time I was in town.

Brad was the funny guy at the bar when I was waiting out a rainstorm in July. We’d kept in touch, and amazingly, he had no plans for the night. He was not, though, the type of guy I had any sort of romantic interest in.*

We arranged a meeting place, and from there, the whirlwind began. Drinks and a shared burrito at a little Mexican place on the Upper West Side, followed by a walk in Central Park. As we watched the Zamboni machine clean the skating rink, we bemoaned the fact it was already closed, but consoled ourselves by moving onto an Irish pub.

Walking the city by night in December is truly a beautiful sight. And, as any girl who likes romantic comedies knows, it’s an unforgettable experience when done with someone of the opposite sex.

Realizing neither of us was ready to head home after another Guinness, we instead walked up Fifth Avenue to see the display at Saks, and more importantly, the tree at Rockefeller Center.

And as we stood looking at the twinkling icon, he kissed me.

Good food, good conversation and a night filled with visits to the types of landmarks you find only on the big screen - what more could a girl ask for only a few days before Christmas?

And yet, perhaps the best part of the evening was that there would be no second date. Instead, it was a single evening of fun and romance, without any pressure for it to lead somewhere else.

We still text occasionally, and both know we’ll never be more than friends. But Brad will always be the guy I shared one perfect evening with.

*Several people commented at melissabxoxo.blogspot.com that I wrote Brad off too quickly. It's true that my friends tease me about all my "criteria" for dates, but this was one of those "what happens on a business trip stays on a business trip" types of circumstances - it was never supposed to go anywhere!