Let’s be honest; I am no Casanova. I’m more of your average Joe. I’m average height and average build, but I do have an above average dash of… dorkiness. Glasses, nerdy smile, and extensive knowledge of every video game to ever grace the towering shelves of GameStop. So definitely not the dashing Romeo of every girl’s dreams. I will say, I’m not hard on the eyes, though. I do have the cute, nerd “look” going for me. In fact, I may not be a Casanova, but I am certainly not ignored by the ladies.
The Back Story…
I’m what the female population often refers to as “nerdy cute.” You know, the guys that always get the “Aww” response to everything they do. I try, but I guess I’m not that great at pulling off the smooth pick-up lines. Ladies think I’m cute, but I get nervous. I can never think of what to say or do. Let’s just say I have had more first dates than most nerds, but fewer relationships than everyone I know. So I set out on an adventure, I wanted to discover the perfect date spot. I figured if I could find a place so great, I could land that coveted second date.
The Search…
I searched far and wide. I tried new restaurants and found some great ones, but I wanted to try something new. Dinner date nights meant I’d eventually run out of things to say. I mean come on, holding conversations with strangers can be hard! That still left me with a lot of options. I didn’t have time to try them all, so I resorted to recommendations. Thus, I began asking everyone I knew.
My mom suggested the movies, but that is so high school. I wanted to show my date that I’m not just a nerd, but a grown, sophisticated man as well. I am twenty-five after all. I also secretly hoped it would show her I was pretty cool too. That’s when my friend Mike told me about this awesome place he went to as a team bonding activity with co-workers.
The Place That Changed It All…
Okay, so he was bragging. None of my other friends have a cool job where they take you to do group bonding activities. Even my engineering firm doesn’t do activities like that. The moment he started telling us about the experience, his eyes lite up with pure excitement. I’ve known Mike since we were in elementary school, I knew exactly what that look meant. He was hooked. That’s the same look he had when he opened the Donkey Kong Video game on his 12th birthday. The same look when he opened his acceptance letter to Stanford. Even the same look he had when he met his fiance, Jessica. I knew this place was unlike any other activity I had ever participated in. It took wit, skill, knowledge, strategy and it was the coolest thing I had even heard of. I had found the perfect date spot, EscapeWorks Denver.
Finding A Date…
All I needed now was a date. I went to Star Bar and Silver Light Tavern. I even stumbled into Tooey’s on Colfax, literally… I did not even know it was there! I had no luck. I finally just gave up! At that point, all I could do was nurtured my defeated ego with beer and arcade games alone at 1up. I was posted up at the Indiana Jones pinball machine, chugging my last beer, when I decided I was ready to go home. As I walked toward the door, out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn I saw The Pinball Circus nestled against the wall. Sadly, it wasn’t. However, as I quickly turned to check, I collided full force with a beautiful, young woman. I helped her up, and we talked for a moment. She was twenty-seven, and she loved pinball. I couldn’t help but believe it was a match made in heaven, but her friends were ready to leave. So I knew I had to ask for her number. I opened my mouth, and those definitely weren’t the words that came out. Instead, I straight up asked her out on a date. I was in shock, as I dreaded the worst. She giggled and actually said yes. I couldn’t believe it; she said yes!
The Night That Changed It All…
Even though I knew she was a little skeptical, she seemed genuinely excited for our date. I picked her up in my silver Subaru Forester and I even dressed up a bit for the occasion. We showed up early and got to discuss a little strategy. I decided I really liked Amanda, but was nervous about getting my hopes up. Once the door was closed and the timer started, I was shocked to discover how competitive she was. Needless to say, we were a mere five seconds from breaking the record and even made some new friends along the way. Oh yeah, Amanda and I are doing great too. We’ve been dating ever since. I’m not saying she’s the one… but she might be the one!
EscapeWorks Denver changed my luck! I’m not saying it will change yours, but you’ll definitely have the adrenaline pumping, time of your life!
