Table for Two | ‘I would’ve swiped left if I’d seen him on a dating app’

Ricky 

(left)
Age: 25
Occupation: Assistant director

Marc (right)
Age: 28
Occupation: Marketing executive

What were your first impressions?

Ricky: He was handsome and lovely from the start, which was a surprise and definitely not what I had in mind when I first saw him.

Marc: He was tall (hallelujah) and seemed quite shy at first but when the photographer left he relaxed.

Would you have swiped left or right?

R: I would’ve swiped left if I’d seen him on a dating app, but this was great to test to see whether my idea of someone can change, which it did.

M: A firm thumb to the right.

How was the conversation and what did you talk about?

R: A little awkward at first, but that’s standard when you meet someone new. However, he was lovely and we spoke about what we do and where we would like to travel.

M: We discussed his/my work, his move to the UK [from Mozambique] and our shared desire to travel more.

What was the most interesting thing about him?

R: Marc has done some modelling, which was interesting. Particularly how it wasn’t as glamorous as I thought. It was also interesting to find him quite down-to-earth and very easy to talk to, which is usually not the case with dates I’ve been on.

M: His childhood sounded exciting. I grew up in Hertfordshire so anywhere with a bit of sun and sand sounds like the childhood of a prince.

What was his best quality?

R: His sarcasm. He didn’t take himself too seriously at all and it made it easy to just have fun and relax.

M: He seemed to want to get to know me and was keen on asking questions, which is a rarity.

Were there any deal-breakers?

R: Not at all. I don’t judge too quickly and the date flowed very easily.

M: Initially his age, but I soon found out that he was mature and we seemed to have similar aspirations.

What were you most worried he would notice about you?

R: That I am a klutz, sarcastic and laugh at silly things. I can’t pull off the sophisticated and formal look, which has been a problem before.

M: My appalling geography.

How was the food?

R: Unusual, but in a good way! I screwed up my order the first time around, which was embarrassing, but the staff were friendly and changed it right away. I had a nice Asian bowl, which was my healthy intake for the week.

M: My sashimi was awesome, but Ricky’s a vegetarian, so when his steak salad arrived we had a really good laugh.

Ricky and Marc dined at M Restaurant, Victoria Street, London.

Any awkward moments? R:

Difficult to tell as I generally don’t notice them, but I think when we first met it was a tad awkward. I arrived first and Marc arrived just after and we were both thrown into a position for photos, but it was unusual, fun and gave us something to giggle about afterwards.

M: Ricky ordered a Carlsberg and ended up with a cosmo. He drank it anyway, I think he’s converted.

Snog, marry, avoid?

R: At the moment, snog. I don’t like rushing into things as it might take the magic away (yes, I’m a romantic).

M: What’s between snog and marry?

Will you meet again?

R: I think so. He’s a great guy and we got along well. I don’t know if we would be compatible, but I guess that’s hard to tell from one date.

M: We discussed the possibility, so we will have to see.

Rate the date?

R: 8/10

M: 8.5/10

You can see more Table for Two in the latest issue of Attitude’s August issue. Buy in print, download or subscribe.