Our first date was one I’ll never forget. We decided to meet at at pretty little park in Amsterdam's museum quarter. Nickey had forgotten about our plans and tried her best to try and get out of the date and postpone at the last moment. But, I arrived early, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. When she walked up, my heart skipped a beat. She looked so beautiful, and that smile made me feel instantly at ease.

We sat down and quickly fell into conversation. We talked about everything—from our favourite movies to our shared love for travel. The time flew by as we laughed and discovered more about each other. I remember the way she animatedly described her recent trip with friends, her eyes sparkling with passion.

As we shared a 6 pack of Heineken, the atmosphere felt perfect—soft music in the background, the warm glow of sunlight. I couldn’t help but admire how effortlessly fun she was to be around.

Then I spot him... a young man quite clearly on magic mushrooms, we lock eyes and he charges for me and Nickey, brave and masculine scenarios flash before my eyes, however what actually happens is I push him onto Nickey and we tumble down a grassy hill.

I was sure I had blown it but she just laughed at my grass stained clothes and we watched the rest of the show as the young man was promptly elbowed to the face, hogtied and thrown in the back of a police van by a lone female officer.

We finished our drinks and continued our conversation, I distinctly remember thinking how lucky I was to be there with her.

Unfortunately the date had to come to an end early as Nickey needed to visit the supermarket before it closed to get meat and cheese however we shared a shy but meaningful hug (covid after all) . I knew then that this was just the beginning of something special. I left feeling excited and hopeful, already looking forward to our next date.