Date Lab

Nathan: 5-foot-5 to 6 feet, dark hair, light eyes

Ways in which you aren't D.C.:

Christina: I'm also a ballet dancer and miss how that was more accepted and understood elsewhere.

Nathan: I try not to be pretentious.

Interests you'd like to share:

Christina: Enjoys the water, family, kids, hiking maybe, just athletic and adventurous

Nathan: The outdoors, music and just a love

7:30 P.M., SCIENCE CLUB, DOWNTOWN

Christina: When I got to the Science Club, they said, "You're going to be really happy with this guy. The waitress said if [I didn't] want him, she'd take him." Then the waitress walked me back [to where Nathan was seated]. We had a room to ourselves with our own private DJ. Nate has chiseled good looks with a shaved head. I do prefer a guy with a bunch of hair, but whatever, he's good-looking. And though he didn't stand up all the way, I could tell he was tall.

Nathan: She's beautiful -- petite, great smile. We talked for like 45 minutes before we ordered an appetizer, about our lives, what we do. We're both athletic. We're both close to our families. Then it was another 45 before we ordered again. I felt comfortable right away, which is weird. Usually, I don't talk much in the beginning.

Christina: I'm usually attracted to a Type-A personality, very career-driven, confident, kind of a showoff. Nate is quieter, less aggressive, just a great guy from a small town. He told me he was stationed in D.C. I worked for the Marine Corps and was a military correspondent, so I'm definitely in tune with the military. I thought he must be recon or infantry because he's such a big guy and he's definitely in shape. But he's a trumpet player. I thought, That's why they put us together. I'm a dancer. To be honest, I really don't like the fact that he [is military]. My ex-fiance was a fighter pilot, and he was deployed twice. But Nate doesn't really deploy, and his enlistment is almost up. He's been auditioning for different orchestras.

Nathan: The music was a little loud, but that made me move around the corner of the table to be closer to her, so I guess that was a good thing. The chemistry was definitely there. There was a lot of eye contact; during the photos she put her head on my shoulder and I put my arm around her. And we laughed a lot.

Christina: We were definitely flirting. I'd be like, "Nate, you have such a pretty smile," and he was like, "You have a pretty smile." It was 10:30 and he was like, "Do you want to go somewhere else?" If I hadn't been tired I would have, [but] I just wanted to crash. When we stood up, I was shocked. He's 6-4 and I'm 5-1. I'm like, "Oh my God, you're so tall, Nate." And he was like, "You're so short, Christina." It was funny.

Nathan: I asked her if she wanted to do lunch the next day, but it didn't work out: I had work; she had a meeting. We exchanged information, and I walked her to her car. I'd rate the date a 5 [out of 5]. There was a lot of chemistry.

Christina: I'd give it a 4. There was a lot that I liked about him, but I didn't hear my "let's get it on" song in my head. I've never really been attracted to a guy that tall. He's handsome, but he's enormous, and it makes me feel awkward, too small. But I definitely got a spark from him. I'll definitely go out with him again.

Interviews by Christina Breda Antoniades

Update: Alas, no second date yet.

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