“It sounds cheesy, but you know if someone’s nice just by looking at their eyes, and he has really kind eyes,” she said of the “really cute” Sam.

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Their commonalities were numerous: shared backgrounds in musical performance and Catholicism, experience in India (she’s Indian; he traveled to the country to attend his sister’s wedding), a strong knowledge of Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer deep cuts. When Sam mentioned his philosophy of approaching situations with zero expectations, Megha’s eyes widened. It’s how she lives her life, too, so clearly she hadn’t been expecting him to say that. What a sweet surprise.

“I think that worked to our advantage, because I had a really good time,” said Megha.

But crash into each other they didn’t.

“The conversation really flowed, but right from the start I felt like we were just talking as friends and not as potential boyfriend-girlfriend,” said Sam.

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They shared starters of calamari and Southwest egg rolls. About 90 minutes in they were served their mains: chicken and mushroom pasta for him; steak, salad and fries for her. At the two-hour mark, the date started to drag for Sam. “There were definitely parts of the night when I was like, ‘Okay, this would be a good stopping point,’ and it kind of just ... didn’t,” he said.

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For the perpetually chatty Megha, though, it flew by. “At one point, I looked out the window and I was like, ‘It’s pitch-black outside,’ ” she recalled. “We spent 3½ hours together by the end of the night, and I totally didn’t realize it.”

“There was a bit of an imbalance,” Sam said of his perception of the not-so-mutual attraction. “I think she was a little more into it than I was.” Megha, though, was more tentative on this subject in her interview.

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“Sometimes on first dates it’s hard to determine if you have a romantic connection with someone or if you’re just pleasantly surprised by the good time you’re having,” she said, reasonably. “I feel like I’d have to see him again to see where I’m at.”

Megha reported that she was happy that Sam eventually asked for her number, though he told me later that he made the request to extinguish end-of-date awkwardness and almost immediately regretted it.

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So why did he do it, then? And why did he end up hanging around for 90 minutes after his initial impulse to call it a night?

“That’s definitely a fault of mine in general when it comes to dating: I’m not as honest as I should be with how I feel,” he said with ironic candor. “And I want to be liked more than I probably should be.”

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Megha, who’s so personable that even her emails exude warmth, said that the news of Sam’s reason for getting her number changed her perception of the date.

“It feels a little weird to hear that someone hung out with you out of politeness and not because of the mutually good conversation, romantic or not,” she said. But when it comes to whether she’d rather her date be cruel to be kind, and end things early, or be kind to be cruel, and stick around out of obligation, Megha said that there’s a fine line.

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“At the end of the day, all you can hope is that the other person is being thoughtful and genuine,” she said.

Rate the date

Megha: 4 [out of 5]. “I just had a fun night with a complete stranger. It exceeded my expectations ... ’cause I had none.”

Sam: 3. “I had a good time, but I don’t see this relationship going anywhere.”

Update