and Watergate cake for dessert. After
small talk about their decisions to
apply to Date Lab, they discovered
that they had similar taste in music
and television. “We both cannot
handle serious shows right now with
everything going on in the world,”
Maggie told me. They are fans of
“Veep” and “Ted Lasso,” and adore
Harry Styles and Adele.
“She was very easy to talk to and
very friendly. I felt like we had similar
senses of humor,” India said. They are
also close to their families and bonded
over the fact that, as Maggie put it,
“being under your parents’ care is
pretty dope.”
For more than three hours, they
talked about how they ended up in
D.C., grad school — Maggie is a
recent graduate and India is applying
— and their college experiences. The
conversation flowed naturally, and the
only awkward moment occurred at
the end when they were trying to flag
down their server to bring over the
check. “It wasn’t like the convo was
bad, but we were both like, ‘We need
to get home,’ ” Maggie explained.
Afterward, Maggie walked India to
the Metro and called her phone so
that they had each other’s numbers.
They hugged, and India texted
Maggie to let her know she made it
home safely.
Despite the ease of conversation,
they both seemed slightly reserved
about moving forward. “She’s looking
at grad schools everywhere,” Maggie
noted, unsure of whether a
relationship could blossom with
someone who might be moving away
within a year. “It’s something to keep
in mind.” For India, the hesitation
was less tangible. She said she’d be
open to a s econd date if Maggie
reached out. “I ’m not actively
pursuing it,” India added.
“I don’t know that there was
anything necessarily that was
missing,” India said. “I don’t think
there was any kind of instant
romantic connection. I guess there
was no spark. It felt more like making
a new friend.”
RATE THE DATE
Maggie: 4.5 [out of 5].
India: 4.5.
UPDATE
No further contact.