The initial approach took place on Sunday, August 30th. I pleasantly surprised her by switching to Russian just three minutes into our conversation. We engaged in a 15-minute conversation, with some light teasing from my end, although she had somewhat invited it.
Throughout the week, our text exchanges were very responsive, making it easy to set up a first date in Riga. Although she initially suggested meeting in midtown, I proposed a downtown venue, highlighting the river views, which she agreed to.
Our date occurred on a Monday. An hour before our meeting, she texted me to inform me she would be late, and she ended up being another 15 minutes delayed. Our first venue was a bar on the pier, and our conversation flowed quite smoothly as we discussed various topics. I eventually invited her to the rooftop, which she seemed quite enthusiastic about.
There was some light physical contact leading up to this, such as comparing hand sizes, incidental touches on her shoulder, and brushing against her leg while walking. An amusing moment occurred as she got frightened by a cockroach while we were on our way to my roof. She took my hand and playfully ran away from it.
On the rooftop, we initially sat across from each other, but I then moved closer under the pretense of showing her some photos. This is where we began a questions game. In addition to questions about shame and past relationships, she inquired about my belief in astrology, as it is a hobby of hers.
To my surprise, she gave me an astute astrological reading, leading to some shared laughter. Throughout this, I maintained some physical contact with my hand on her shoulder and neck, and at one point, I attempted to kiss her, but she redirected it.
I got the sense that I may have said some things that didn’t sit well with her, such as mentioning that I had given my ex a chance to prove herself by cooking when she lived with me, but she wasn’t interested in taking the initiative.
As it was getting late and she needed to catch a train, I didn’t push for her to come to my place. I walked her to the train station, and we shared a brief kiss. I asked her to text me when she got home.