Laura, 34, (pictured) has been single for seven months and has no children
LAURA, 34
DATING PAST?
I got engaged in 2019 but we broke up at the start of 2021 as I realised the relationship just wasn’t making me happy. I was single for four years before that. I’ve never been on a dating app and never would. It’s just not my style. Over the years I’ve found dates through friends of friends.
PRE-DATE NERVES?
Not really. I’m used to meeting people through work, so I took it in my stride. I wore a black and white figure-hugging dress with heels.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS?
Marcus arrived first and looked so friendly and tall, which is always a bonus. My initial feeling was he wasn’t my type, although I liked his happy smile and he gave me a lovely warm welcome.
EASY TO TALK TO?
He is really easy to talk to and we had a great conversation. We bonded over our love for the U.S. — Marcus is from America and I’ve travelled there more than 20 times. I had even planned to move to LA earlier this year, but I changed my mind because of family issues.
He made me laugh when he started taking notes about our chat
We had so much in common, such as our love for entrepreneurship, our commitment to becoming the best versions of ourselves and our family ethic. We love our families and both believe life is all about experiences and creating memories.
The conversation was full of laughs and banter; we were high energy and fun. At one point he made me giggle when he took out his phone to make notes on some of the things we talked about.
EMBARRASSING MOMENTS?
Nothing like that.
DID SPARKS FLY?
I wouldn’t say there was flirting going on, but it felt like a friendly chat. It was more platonic than romantic, at least from my side. We followed each other on social media during the date and we are still in touch. I even sent him a picture of the two of us that I took during the meal.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET AGAIN?
Not in a romantic way. I feel like we would meet more to talk about business.
WHAT DO YOU THINK HE THOUGHT OF YOU?
I definitely think he enjoyed my company and the meal, but I didn’t sense he was flirting with me.
WOULD YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS LIKE HIM?
Yes, absolutely. He’s so easy-going.
Marcus, 27, (pictured) has been single for seven months and has no children
MARCUS, 27
DATING PAST?
Most of my previous relationships have been with older women. However, recently I’ve been dating women who are my age or younger. Most of my relationships have ended as I was moving around a lot with work. After being single for seven months, I have more confidence in my work and feel able to find a better balance.
PRE-DATE NERVES?
I was really excited and looking forward to the date. I wore a blazer and a smart shirt and shoes. I arrived 20 minutes early.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS?
Laura definitely wasn’t what I expected — it was a pleasant surprise. She radiated confidence and independence, and walked up to greet me with such enthusiasm. Her outfit was lovely, too. She made me feel completely at ease.
EASY TO TALK TO?
She was so easy to talk to and we delved deep quite quickly into our lives and what has happened. We have both lost our fathers so we talked about grief, our backgrounds and how we got to where we are. It was a fascinating conversation. Even though she’s from Leeds and I’m from Washington DC, we had very similar upbringings and found we had a lot in common. There was a lot of banter.
She’s a vivacious woman who made me feel totally at ease
EMBARRASSING MOMENTS?
Not at all. I was well-behaved.
DID SPARKS FLY?
There wasn’t exactly flirting going on. I’m normally a flirtatious person, but we started off our conversation on quite a deep personal subject and then chatted about our goals, so it was quite intense, but in a good way. We’re both very passionate about our dreams.
At the end of the meal, Laura suggested swapping numbers and Instagram handles — although if she hadn’t, I would have. She is an incredible woman and I’m so impressed with everything she has achieved.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET AGAIN?
Absolutely. We’re chatting online so hopefully we can soon.
WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE THOUGHT OF YOU?
She seemed to be interested in what I was saying and hopefully thought I was a decent guy.
WOULD YOUR FAMILY LIKE HER?
Oh, yes. She feels like she comes from the same background as my family so they’d definitely get on.
Fancy a posh meal with an eligible single like you? Or would you like to play cupid for someone else? Email your — or their — details and a photo to blinddate@dailymail.co.uk