From the First Message to the First Meeting – Our Local Love

I didn’t expect much. I logged onto localdatingonline.com partly out of boredom, partly out of curiosity, and partly—though I didn’t want to admit it—out of hope. I’d had a few failed attempts, some disappointments, and made one resolution: I wouldn’t get involved too quickly again.

But when I saw Ethan’s profile, something stirred in me.

There weren’t any big words. Just: “I like conversations over ice cream, long walks, and laughter that lingers. I live just around the corner. Maybe we’ll meet?”

And that one line—“Maybe we’ll meet?”—surprised me with its simplicity and honesty. I clicked the like button. That’s all.

Less than a day later, I received a message. Short and friendly:

“Hey Emma. Your photo with the book and tea mug looks like the perfect evening plan. Want to chat?”

I replied with a little smile. The conversation was… light. It flowed naturally, as if we’d known each other before. No forced lines, no trying to be someone else. Just two people, slowly realizing there’s someone real on the other side of the screen.

We messaged every day. Sometimes in the morning before I started my day. Sometimes late at night, when the silence of the house felt too loud.

We talked about everyday things—how Ethan burned his scrambled eggs because he was too busy talking to me instead of watching the pan, or how my cat stole my sock in the middle of the night.

We laughed. We shared thoughts. More and more. Deeper and deeper.

After two weeks, he wrote:

“I know a great place for ice cream. I’m guessing your favorite is vanilla. Am I right?”

He wasn’t right—I love pistachio—but the question warmed my heart. I agreed without hesitation.

We met on a Saturday afternoon, near a small ice cream shop in the center of town. Ethan was just as I imagined—calm, warm, with a smile that lit up his eyes. He wore a simple shirt and held two ice creams—pistachio and vanilla.

- I brought both, - he said. - In case I guessed wrong.

I laughed and took the pistachio.

We sat on a bench under a tree. We talked like there was no gap between what we had written and what we were saying now. No awkwardness. No pressure.

Ethan told me about his dog—a small black mutt named Toby, who can open doors. I told him about my cat and how he once locked me out on the balcony. We laughed like kids, and yet under the layer of laughter, I felt something more. Warmth. Calm. And a quiet thought: maybe this is the beginning.

We finished our ice cream, took a walk through the park. Evening slowly settled in, and I didn’t want it to end. We said goodbye with soft smiles and a simple promise: “See you again.”

There were no grand declarations. But there was tenderness in our glances.

And something inside me whispered: This has a chance. A real one.

Today marks a few months since that first message and that afternoon with ice cream. And I know now that clicking the little heart on localdatingonline.com was one of the wisest decisions I’ve ever made.

Because sometimes, all it takes is a small gesture to start something truly beautiful.