Moving On

The first date is the most difficult part of the experience. By now you should have a pretty good idea of whether the two of you connect or not. All that remains is to do something about it!

Communicate

Assuming all has gone well, you.ll want to take the next step. Once again, men often face the burden of contacting the woman after the first date, but by now you should be starting to know each other pretty well. Hopefully you.re comfortable talking together, making it less awkward to pick up the phone and make a call.

There are, however, a couple things you should remember to keep things rolling smoothly.

·               If you.ve already set up another date, fantastic! If not, try to find a casual opportunity to invite your partner along somewhere . maybe out in a group or to a sporting event. You want them to know you.re interested, but you don.t want to appear too eager. Playing hard to get never works, but a little mystique sweetens the pot.

·               Don.t be afraid to call, but don.t let yourself be the only one who calls. If you find that you.re talking for a long time and enjoying the conversations, but your partner isn.t taking the step of calling you, feel free to say, .Why don.t you call me later tonight?. Put the ball in their court!

·               Take your cue from your partner. People are different, and what may seem overeager to some is natural for others. If your date doesn.t call you the very next day, it doesn.t necessarily mean they.re not interested. On the other hand, if your date seems to be calling all the time, take stock and see how you feel about it. If you.re flattered, go with it. If you.re annoyed, it.s time to take another look at the relationship.

·               Keep in touch between dates. Even if you.ve settled on a date a week in the future, you should talk once or twice before then. That allows the momentum of your first date to carry on. If you go a whole week without exchanging a word, you.re likely to find the second date as awkward as the first.

·               Open up, but not too far. Remember, no matter how strong a connection you feel with your partner, you.ve only just met. It.s not the time to spill your life story, your future ambitions, and your dream of fifteen kids. Instead, enjoy the process of getting to know one another gradually. Your instincts will tell you when it.s time to take things deeper.

·               Most of all enjoy yourself!

Future Dates

Chances are both of you were on your best behaviour for that first date, but what happens now?

The best advice is to relax! If you connected enough that you both want to see each other again, things are going smoothly, and it.s time to let them take their course. See how things go. As you come to trust your partner more and more, you.ll find yourself enjoying the process of getting to know each other.

The first date lends itself well to coffee or dinner, but what about the second? Try to build on a shared interest. If you both enjoy theatre, go to a play. If you find a shared love of baseball, take in a game. But if you don.t share a common interest that you both enjoy; take in a movie that you both want to watch. That works just as well as anything else, provided you take the time to linger over coffee and discuss it afterwards. The point is to create shared memories and a bonding experience, and you.re most likely to do this at an event you both enjoy.

On the other hand, in the early stages of a relationship just being together can be a change, so don.t be afraid to say yes when she asks you to come to the museum, or he invites you to the drag races. You might like it more than you think. Besides, it.s a chip you can use next time you want to do something!

Again, the point is to get to know each other, so let it happen. Don.t put a lot of pressure on yourself or your partner; just enjoy the process. Remember why you decided to try online speed dating in the first place, and don.t feel like you.ve failed if things don.t seem to take off like a rocket. Some of the best relationships start slowly and build from a foundation of friendship, so don.t worry if that.s where you seem to be . you never know what might happen.