Older isn’t always wiser

Date someone your age they said. “You’ll have something in common, shared experiences. Adult conversations.” Yeah, okay.

Soccer is not a huge deal in my family, I didn't grow up watching it or following any one particular team or player. This is why when asked to tour the soccer stadium and watch the team play, I wasn't jumping at the opportunity.

But this story isn't about the game as much as it is about the guy I met after the match. There I was at the street corner in the middle of LA waiting on my Uber ride when a guy starts talking to us. I'm not sure at this point what he's saying or what he looks like, I'm distracted, singing along to music blaring from another car. Something he says makes me turn and look at the man standing before me.

So here is this smiling handsome man, a team supporter, making me smile and laugh. "Take a chance he says."

We end up at a whiskey bar in downtown LA. The ride there was a bit of a thrill and I'm genuinely smiling because I kind of like this guy's approach. Is it the beer talking? Can't know for sure but I like this feeling.

Once inside, and one ole fashioned later, I'm at ease with Mr. Tall, dark and handsome. His kisses are soft and exploring. I'm making out with this stranger but yet there is a sense of familiarity. He's in his 40's, bilingual, a lover of soccer and huge supporter of the team and totally making me blush at this point.

As the night ends and we exchange numbers, the excitement of "what next" and did I really like him or was it the alcohol starts to set in.

There's this thing that happens to me when I like someone. I get shy, quiet and dumb. I can't explain it, this goofy look I get. This is important because I can't seem to communicate properly and it's already difficult enough texting and deciphering what the texts actually mean. He calls me "babe" through texts and I'm a little taken aback. Does anyone else find this weird? He was super cute and maybe its his thing, so I figure I let it slide.

Two weeks of back and forth texting when I manage to score tickets to a big Dodgers game. So I invite the guy. This is also important as I've NEVER taken a date to a Dodger game. (You'll have to read my Dodgers story to find out why.)

Those three dots on the iPhone never appear. No response. Minutes, hours go by and nothing. Okay, this is off and stings a little.

I make it to the game without him and send a few cute selfies to showcase what he's just missed out on.

More texting and more days go by and decide to give him another shot and invite him to the 49er game coming up in a couple of weeks. This time he responds and the date is set.

Again, I like this guy, I'm drinking so this means I am about to get shy, quite and goofy. Now, the entire time at the game was fun. Holding his hand was fun. The ride back to my place was fun. The whole day was exciting and it was only 7pm. I do believe it was 10pm when I awoke and had to escort him out to his Lyft ride. Now for the record, I would have let him spend the night. But it seems that wasn't on the table.

Maybe it was the small talk, the sex or my shyness that played into his aloofness. Why do I blame myself for his lack of interest? The amount of text wean down to something subtle and before you know it, I'm muting his stories on IG so I don't have to see what he's eating for lunch.

But that wasn't the last time I saw him. One of the biggest soccer matches was about to take place in LA and as it turns out, I had tickets.

Now you tell me, do you text him and volunteer you'll be there knowing he's going to be there with friends at the threat of him thinking you're the stalker type? Or just watch from the suite and hope no one sees you there and enjoy the game. The Team's management sent us two suite tickets to discuss potential sponsorship opportunities. In truth, we thought we'd be there for the first half, have a couple of drinks and head out.

Two minutes after walking in we spot our contact and he escorts us out onto the field. I'm shook. My plan was to lay low, hide under my cap, have this meeting and move on. INCOGNITO. Its when I turn to look for my colleague when I see a familiar face on the jumbotron. Me. The familiar face was me, standing there next to the falcon master. My jaw hit the floor, I was dead.

The rest of the pregame show found me mingling with the soccer wives and standing between Magic Johnson and Tony Robbins. So much for laying low. There I was on the field as the team support groups sang and chanted.

I look up from the sideline and find him.

What are the odds.

If I've managed to find him in a sea of black and gold jerseys, surely he saw my mug on the field or the mighty jumbotron.

I have this text ready to go "Hey, guess where I am.." But I can't. I don't say anything, its too weird now.

2am "We won baby"

Maybe he didn't see me after all.

Saturday. He text "Happy Saturday". I've just watched Brenee Brown tell me to take a chance, be vulnerable, be brave. I ask if he'd like to spend the day together.

"Come to me" he says.

I shower and text. Then he slaps me with it.

"I APPRECIATE YOUR ENTHUSIASM BUT NO THANK YOU"

I should have seen it coming.

The entire time I kept waiting for the right time to have a chat, to show him how funny and charming I could be. Text didn't do me justice, I'm better in person!

I was shocked, sad. I really liked this guy. But I wasn't entirely surprised. Nor did I think at this point we were the perfect match. There was something there though and I had wanted to explore it.
So note to self, listen to your gut, in business and in dating. I don't believe I did everything right, but I believe I deserved more than that send off. In the end, we decided to sponsor the team anyway. And if he does see me again, it'll be because my mug made it to the jumbotron.