How I Blindly Met Love

Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling… its what most of us have been doing lately. My apartment is relatively empty due to the fact that I’ve just moved to the suburbs. I’m quite bored to be truthful. The noise of city cars zooming by, flashing lights from advertisements and the occasional yelling of people out and about is all absent here. I need excitement. It’s like I have this thirst to live a little, let my hair down, take risks… just be unapologetically me. Sounds super spiritual, huh? Yes, in an attempt to connect with my inner self, I’ve decided to uproot my life and look for a deeper truth. I guess that’s the best way to describe my sudden change of scenery, but now all I have to keep me company is a lonely apartment and my boxes of wine I got as a subscription to “Wine Cellar”.

To be honest, that’s one of my favorite times of the month, is being surprised on what they’ll pick for me this time. After pondering on that notion, I realized… it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to apply that attitude to other areas of my life, like my dating life for example. Taking a leap of faith, really getting to know someone and maybe… just maybe… find the “one”.

I began looking at dating apps, all of which were the same. It seemed like people only looked at pictures and didn’t bother to read anyone’s bio. I finally came across “Blind Date Me”, which is exactly how it sounds. You fill out a lengthy bio, answer some questions, but don’t bother putting up any pictures, because they aren’t allowed. Only voice recordings along with your life story is permitted. The excitement is what lured me in, and before I knew it, I was chatting with Mojave Rain.

We connected over our love of wine and the urge to live a little. He told me how he was raised on a vineyard out in Napa, and how Merlot was his families staple wine of choice. I was so envious of his upbringing, but highly intrigued. I couldn’t help but read and listen to all his stories; Mojave was indeed a god of wine. After weeks of instant messaging, phone calls and emails we agreed to go on a blind date.

We agreed to meet up at a new wine bar that had just opened up a few months ago. It was called “@ Five, We Merlot”. Definitely a straight to business kind of establishment, but we felt it had character and needed to be investigated. I told him I would be wearing a red dress, thinking this would make me stand out, and he told me “You’ll know it’s me when I offer you a glass of Merlot.”. I do have to admit, doubts plagued my mind as I got ready for my first date in over a year. True Crime scenes popped into my head as I applied my lipstick, but I wasn’t going to let fear stop me from at least showing up. After carefully analyzing every detail of my attire I called an Uber and headed for the wine bar.

The night sky gleamed with stars; I could feel myself coming back to life. My stomach fluttered, and my heart occasionally skipped a beat every time I thought of Mojave. He described himself as the typical “tall, dark and handsome” type. I told him I would be the judge of that since I was 5’8” myself and not afraid to dance in heels. He welcomed the challenge but warned me of his duck feet. On paper he sounded like a dream. He owned his own business, went to college, preferred reading books to reading memes, and he made me laugh like no one else. Paranoid I would suddenly forget the sound of his voice, I replayed old voicemails in the car. I was delectably enchanted.

The Uber driver was annoyed with my girlish lovesick sighs, so out of petty spite he pulled over half a block away from the bar. A little surprised, but understandable to say the least. I could only imagine the comical look on my face as I replayed Mojave’s “Goodnight Sunflower” twenty times in a row. He gave me this nickname after proclaiming my voice was as pretty as a flower, but as bright as the sun. I also had to mention that a few times during the drive, just to make it clear that a “tall, dark, and handsome” kind of guy was into me.

The air was crisp, yet welcoming, as if humanity were drinking in a refreshing glass of wine itself. However, all that blissful atmosphere went out the window once I entered the bar. I stood in horror as dozens of women walked around wearing red dresses. I blinked and shook my head several times, not believing what I was seeing. But it seemed I was the only one who noticed this, everyone else was having a marvelous time. Maybe it was just nerves playing tricks on me. I began to walk through the crowd slowly, glancing over my shoulder every few seconds.

From each corner I could hear men offering women glasses of Merlot. All of them had deep voices like Mojave’s, all even looked the same… tall… dark…mysterious? I suddenly couldn’t make out any of their faces. The panic in my head was now causing me to see and hear things! This was a nightmare… how was I supposed to find him if the two people in the room meant to stand out to each other didn’t stand out at all?

I decided it would be best to find a quite corner somewhere in the back and just wait. The shadows engulfed me, feeding into my anxiety. It had been an hour since I arrived, and Mojave was nowhere, or at least, no where I could tell. My heart grew heavy, I felt he had either ditched me, or hooked up with another girl who was also wearing a red dress. My insignificance became more apparent as the seconds dragged on.

My entire core was flooded with disappointment, so, I gathered my things and prepared to head home. But as I was about to call for a ride, I heard him. “Excuse me Miss, would you care for a glass of Merlot?” I quickly turned around to see emerald, green eyes staring back at me. He was indeed handsome, as well as tall and dark… just like a Merlot. The entirety of the bar, the people, the chaos of everyday living dispersed with each passing moment we gazed into each other. “You are Beth, yes?” his voice was bold and seductive to my ears. “Yes! Mojave its me!” I was ecstatic to finally meet the man of my dreams.

The world around us slowly faded back into view, the people now all looked different, no one was wearing a red dress but me, and Mojave stood out like gold. “Linger” by The Cranberries came on, which only made those butterflies flutter even more. He handed me the glass of Merlot. Our hands touched slightly. The simplicity of this was erotic, our breathing increased just a tad, enough to make the heat rise. I smiled shyly, flushed from the excitement. The wine seemed to float to my lips, but my eyes stayed locked to his. Pursed against the rim, I tasted the bittersweet grapes as they swooned my tongue. I could only hope he would be this superior, the kind that takes you to another realm filled with delight and noble thrills.

I was near to finding out… My glass lowered slowly from my lips and Mojave leaned in closer to me. The wine was still fresh in my mouth, but that didn’t seem to matter. After what felt like a lifetime, his lips finally pressed against mine. I was on cloud nine, “You know you got me wrapped around your finger” ringed in our ears, and his hands gently cupped my face. He was strong, abrasive, but altogether sweetly divine. Our lips moved as Merlot does, slowly gliding to the rhythm of falling in love.

That was all it took, that was how I knew he was the one… at first sip Mojave Rain captivated me beyond reality and beyond human understanding. After what was the best kiss of my life, he looked at me longingly and whispered to me “My Sunflower, where have you been?” my body felt warm against his and I couldn’t help but sound as a siren does luring in an unknowing sailor “In a crowded room, lost without you, but now you’re here and maybe it’s time we head back home… together.” He blushed, kissed me once more and guided us towards the door. The rest is history, we have never been fuller or happier. Moving to the suburbs and taking life lessons from my monthly wine subscription, was probably one of the best decisions of my life.