Thai Quinoa Salad Boy
It was a cloudy Friday morning in the city. I decided to go on a jog by the Hudson. Instead of running downtown (where most people tend to run/bike), I took the uptown route. It's less crowded, pretty quiet, and a very peaceful path. I've taken it many times. While I'm running, this cyclist rides up next to me and says "Hey! Your hair is really pretty. Are you from New York?" For those of you who have ever wondering how to strike up a conversation with a runner while you are on a bike, this actually worked just fine. We start talking, he's attractive, seems normal, etc. We talk for a bit and he ends with asking me out for coffee and grabbing my number. I finish my run, feeling impressed with him for being so confident, and impressed with myself for getting asked out while I'm running, sans makeup, and with a mask underneath my chin.
I know what you're thinking. Why did you start this post with a picture of a Thai Quinoa salad? STAY TUNED.
We're going to call this guy Mark. So Mark starts texting me. He's a little emoji-heavy, but other than that, seems nice. He asks me what I'm having for lunch, I tell him I'm having a Thai Quinoa salad. (It was very good btw - would recommend. Here's the link). Robert then asks if I will bring him some. Assuming it's a joke, I play along and ask where he lives. He then send me his address. 🤔 Okay, so not a joke? I still make another joke, thinking maybe he was just taking the first joke a little far. Turns out, Mark is actually very serious about this Thai Quinoa salad. He follows with:
He also adds that he made pasta Alfredo to go with the quinoa. No Mark. NO QUINOA. I can't show screenshots of the next bit, because the addresses are too specific, BUT Mark was very much trying to get me to his apartment or at least a few blocks from his apartment. He also kept pushing the time later and he does not live close to me. I'm not naive enough to show up at some guy-I-just-met's apartment at 9pm on a Friday night with a bowl of quinoa and assume all we are going to be doing is eating. So I bail. The MINUTE I say I can't do tonight anymore, he starts throwing out pizza options (which he had not done before). But I insist that I really am not feeling well about the idea of this, and say maybe we can meet up another day.
I only had a short window of time available on Saturday - we did set up a time to meet, but Mark switched the location last minute and then went to the original location and I went to the second one and then I had to go to work. He then tried very hard to get me to come over AFTER work on Saturday, around 9:30/10ish, to which I declined for the same reasons listed about Friday.
I will add that he texts about tennis a lot, and every single time he uses 🎾🎾 emojis.
SO SUNDAY. We set up a time to meet at the Hudson at 9:30am on Sunday. It felt safe. He asks if I'm bringing the quinoa. (It gets to a point where you have to wonder, what does he mean by quinoa?) At this point, I lie and tell him that it is all gone. I'm so sorry. He'll have to make some for himself. I send the recipe.
We actually meet up on Sunday, and it's honestly a pleasant walk. He seems normal, educated, nice. I'm honestly so confused, because his texting makes him look a little crazy. All that aside, I did not feel interested after our walk. I felt like he was normal enough, but not someone that I wanted to keep going out with.
A few nights later, Mark asks when I want to hang out again (not "if", "when"). I politely tell him I am not interested in going out again. Mark is clearly super good at taking rejection, because he responds with "Wait what happened lol?" I don't respond immediately (it's a work day), and he questions his own text 4 hours later. This is a major pet peeve of mine. I hate when people question their own texts, unless it is used comedically – and it must be down well in that case. I clarify that I did not feel we have chemistry, and he responds with:
Wow. Convincing point Mark. In that case, I will go on NINE MORE DATES WITH YOU and THEN we can decide if we have chemistry.
I was very tempted to respond "Why is it that I so often manage to find chemistry on first dates then?" But instead, I did not respond. I don't consider it ghosting when you have already given a clear answer.
A few hours later, Mark sends a picture of a painting. I assume it's one that he created.
This was all Wednesday. On Sunday, Mark texts "Was it because I brought up politics?" There's still a part of me that thinks I should have responded to this and told him no, but that would have opened the door with him. I really did not want to do that.
Monday morning, we get our last text from Mark:
It is at this point that Thai Quinoa Salad boy got blocked. I know enough about modeling gigs to know this was not a path I wanted to pursue.
I have yet to jog up the Hudson since this occurrence.
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