ExposedNYC

We all know that on a first date both parties are on their absolute best behavior, so naturally I was intrigued that the second time I was going to see “Pool Boy” would be in his “natural habitat”- at his weekly league game with friends who knew him well. It was a nice low-key setting for both of us trying to squeeze in time between hectic schedules.

I met him at the bar and was introduced to his other team members (except the friend who had set us up, who was home sick) and caught up on our busy week-ends. He had to keep one eye on the game to keep score, but managed an attentive conversation in the meantime.

I enjoyed watching the easy rapport he’s established with his teammates, cheering them on and giving them a hard time for missed shots. You can tell a lot from a guy by how he treats everyone else in his life. What was most endearing was his desire to please the captain of the team, who also acted as a coach. He joked that when he was faced with a tough situation he just thought “WWCD- what would coach do?” I was impressed that he took his suggestions and criticism easily in front of me, and wasn’t afraid of admitting he was one of the more inexperienced members of the team.

I’ve been out with guys who feel that they have to be the alpha male in the room and become ultra-competitive. ATTENTION ALL GUYS: this quiet, easy-going attitude showed a lot more confidence than loud trash talking. I was expecting something different from this guy, who’s also a boxer in training, but he has a great attitude about everything he does. He started boxing for some variety in his workouts, admits that the worst part about it is getting hit in the face (which I whole-heartedly agree with), and doesn’t take it too seriously.

We didn’t get to spend too much time together, because he had to be up early for work and training, but it was good just to see his face again before too much time had passed. He was a gentleman and walked me to my subway stop for a quick kiss good-night, and we made tentative plans to see a movie on Saturday night, if schedules permit. Neither of us is very excited to get dressed up for Halloween this week-end, but one costume I wouldn’t mind trying on is the role of a happy couple.

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