Date Rating: Congrats, you got your five flames, kid.
Shocker, I’ve been very lowkey. Between Lu’s schedule and me traveling, we haven’t had time for a proper date. Sure a concert here and movie night there has happened but our time physically together is limited and we’re usually watching something so there’s no time to really talk. When Lu asked me to go away for the weekend with him to see one of his favorite artists live, of course I said yes.
I was a little nervous though. I’ve flown out for dates before but I’ve never been on vacation with a guy I’m seeing. They say the best way to test any relationship is to travel together but what if he cannot sleep through my snoring? What if I eat the wrong kind of dairy and spend the better half of my morning in the bathroom? What will happen if we get lost and I react poorly?
Either way, I packed my little weekender, stuffed with alternate outfits and We’re Not Really Strangers. I figure since it’s like a four hour drive with no where to go, we were going to get real intimate. I’m so glad I did. We talked a lot about our families, our goals, and our weaknesses. I think the real highlight were the questions we had to answer about each other.
“What’s the first thing you noticed about me?” I asked him.
“I was talking to your cousin and there you are with this huge ass smile on.” He chuckled and I blushed because I can only imagine how goofy I looked. “You have a great smile.”
“How do our personalities complement each other?” He asked me and I go on to wax poetic about how I’m a little wild and can sometimes get him to go for it but really he’s showing me how to slow down. How I appreciate that he likes me being the life of the party. He’s extremely hard working and dedicated and I’m naturally a cheerleader for anything he says he wants to do.
As the sun set and the questions got deeper, it would be really easy to lie or skip some of the more sensitive questions but Lu was an open book. I appreciated how vulnerable he was being and the animated back stories I got were entertaining! I already knew I liked him but as we got closer to our Airbnb, I felt protective? I really want Lu to win and get everything he wants because he’s so warm and genuine.
When Saturday morning rolled around we slept in for as long as we could, ate leftovers, and watched TV. My cousin and his girl were in town for the show too and we’re going to come by to pregame. The problem was, since this was a last minute decision on my part, I didn’t have a ticket and it was sold out. So I did what anyone would do, started DMing people for extra tickets. I ended up getting scammed. I’m out like 50 bucks and silently simmering because I hate resellers and Lu asks if I’m okay.
“I’ll be fine! I just need to eat and I’ll be okay!” I pitch my voice to sound brighter so he’s not worried. Plus, any of my friends will tell you, when I’m upset, it’s obvious and I didn’t want to kill the mood.
“Well how about we pick up some wings and when we get home, you can put on Ted Lasso?” He offers. Now the brightness in my voice was legitimate. I have been begging him to watch Ted Lasso for months and he insists he cannot get into it. I just know he’d like it 1) because he loves an underdog and 2) the dad jokes are top notch. Usually, I have to problem solve endlessly and it’s not typical for guys to cheer me up. Not only was I impressed with Lu’s quick save but I appreciated him noticing I was upset without explicitly having to state it.
He ended up liking Ted which made up for not being able to go to the show but Lu came up with yet another solution. He hadn’t run it by me but when he was telling my cousin the game plan (I know the bar is in hell) it was a relief that the plan was viable and he was able to take care of it for me. Plus, I was touched he wanted me there that much.
I successfully make it into the venue that had a bar separate from where the show was taking place. The energy in around us was high and everyone was excited. We grab a couple drinks and start making friends because people just naturally gravitate towards Lu.
“You know I can stay here with you. I can hear the music anyway.” Lu suggests. Sweet but no. I concoct a semi-elaborate scheme to finesse a wristband and sneak past the ticket scanner. If you act like you belong somewhere, no one will question you. It worked. Lu and I spent the night dancing and singing along. It was some of the most fun I’ve had in awhile! Unfortunately for him though it was 2:30 in the morning and there was red wine and vodka swirling in my system. Naturally, I wanted to keep the party going. It was a 30 minute ride home and what did I do? Starting singing songs from my childhood unabashedly. Lu claims I was putting on a whole performance and that I should have gotten on stage to close out the show. I’m so glad he was thoroughly entertained. Shout out to Lloyd. As we pulled up to the driveway, Superstar by Usher came on and I LOVE that song. He promptly turned off the car
“HB, you have to go inside. I just know you’d stay here singing all night. You can’t.” He shakes his head, amused.
Sunday morning we woke up and decided we should get on the road early. This was the longest amount of time we had spent together and thankfully, it hadn’t felt like a drag. The ride home was filled with old rap songs from when it was cool to wear snapbacks and us sharing deep belly laughs. Lu made a fantastic travel partner. I’ve been home for a full day now and I’m in still such an incredible mood. I have no more travel plans for the next month or so and he’s supposed to chill out so I’m extremely intrigued to see what we’re going to do. I’m a lucky girl.
The Hungry Bachelorette 