Blind date: ‘I got the impression he liked me well enough, but who knows?’

Andrew in navy T-shirt, blue jeans and trainers, standing and flourishing a hat

Andrew on Gilli

What were you hoping for?
An exciting evening in a great restaurant with a lovely lady I might be able to start a relationship with.

First impressions?
Gilli looked absolutely fantastic, with lovely curly hair.

What did you talk about?
The usual … Life history and relationships. The difference between acquaintances and friends. Where we are in life. Music. Hobbies. U3A groups. No politics.

Most awkward moment?
Perhaps me choosing oysters for my starter.

Good table manners?
Excellent. And we both chose healthy meals – no grills for us. And no alcohol as we were both driving.

Best thing about Gilli?
Her beauty, and her enthusiastic and confident conversation.

Would you introduce Gilli to your friends?
Definitely.

Describe Gilli in three words
Vivacious, loquacious and beautiful.

What do you think Gilli made of you?
I really don't know, though I hope she found me smiley, chatty, confident and humorous. But perhaps she thought I was too old?

Did you go on somewhere?
She said she was tired and didn't want to go to another venue. Manchester was buzzing, so that was a shame.

And ... did you kiss?
Two pecks on the lips!

If you could change one thing about the evening, what would it be?
An earlier start so we could have had more time – it flew by.

Marks out of 10?
9.

Would you meet again?
We discussed meeting again (and swapped numbers), but the age gap and different desires for the future make another date pointless.

Andew & Gilli sitting together and looking relaxed in a restaurant
Gilli in pale blue dress and shoes, standing with a smile and hands in pockets

Gilli on Andrew

What were you hoping for?
A warm, interesting connection with friendship or relationship potential.

First impressions?
A confident, happy and lively person. Andrew didn't seem at all nervous, so it was relaxed from the get-go.

What did you talk about?
Our careers. Life paths. Travel and where we've both lived. Food.

Most awkward moment?
I was shattered, so really could not stay out late. I sensed Andrew was a bit disappointed that I needed to get home.

Good table manners?
I didn't notice anything untoward.

Best thing about Andrew?
He is an interesting and engaging person who likes to live life to the full. He has interesting ideas for his life going forwards.

Would you introduce Andrew to your friends?
He likes to go dancing, as do my friends and I, so he'd go well with them.

three words
Engaging, lively and happy.

What do you think Andrew made of you?
I got the impression he liked me well enough, but who knows?

Did you go on somewhere?
Andrew walked me to my car.

And … did you kiss?
We had a goodbye peck.

If you could change one thing about the evening what would it be?
I would have preferred a lunchtime meet-up as we could have gone on to a gallery or somewhere and made a day of it.

Marks out of 10?
9.

Would you meet again?
We may meet up to do arty things but we both knew there wasn't any relationship potential due to the age gap and different life stages.

Andrew and Gilli ate at Grand Pacific in Manchester. Fancy a blind date? Email blind.date@theguardian.com

Original source Blind date: ‘I got the impression he liked me well enough, but who knows?’

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