Tinder Nightmare?

He broke up with me, so I downloaded Tinder. That’s how it works with the latest young adults, right? Coming from a long-term relationship that ended mostly because I was ready to take the next step, I wasn’t really looking for the stereotypical relationship people find on Tinder—if you can even call it a “relationship.” I wanted something serious.

Let’s be real: when things don’t work out with your old boo, you start looking for someone to fill the screen of your phone with compliments and decent conversation.

My “Tinder Casanova” really knocked me off my feet…seriously! Trust me, I was as shocked as you are reading this. We got into really deep, intellectual conversation & just hit it off overall. After 2 days of messaging, we wanted to meet.

This is where I tell you the best possible way to have a Tinder first date: Color together. I’m totally serious here. Get some coloring books—it doesn’t matter if they’re dinosaur coloring books or funny adult coloring books. Get crayons or colored pencils (your choice) & go for it.

Y’all, this was my first first date in nearly 4 years and I told this guy he was coming to my apartment (don’t worry—my roommates were home!) and we were going to color. If a guy is down for that, he just might not be a sleaze.

I think the thing that really made this date work for us was the lack of pressure. He came to my house where I was able to be super comfortable and there was no worrying about who would pay for dinner or if we would split the check, which is always super awkward. Coloring, I found out, is scientifically proven to relax you (unless you’re Picasso, in which case it may cause a little stress) and it also gives you a reason to look down if the eye contact is feeling a little awkward.

We ended up dating for the summer and really enjoying our time together. In August, he was off to Poland and I was wrapping up my final semester of college, so our flame fizzled out. But this is me telling you what I learned: not all Tinder exchanges are nightmares, sometimes you get a solid fire going, and coloring—coloring is a great first date.