Blind Date: Allison and Allan sound like a match. But will their date flow as well as their names?

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Editor's note: Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.

First, let's get to know Allison:

• She's 26 and a project manager.
• Her hobbies include traveling, live music/concerts, cooking and baking, movie nights with friends and exploring neighborhood events.
• Her perfect Charlotte day has to involve a trip to Stable Hand for coffee and a farmers market haul.
• She describes herself as "passionate about fostering diverse and inclusive communities, charismatic and an outgoing adventurer."

Now, let's meet Allan.

• He's 32 and works in IT.
• His hobbies include hiking, yoga, reading, Hurricanes and Checkers games, long walks on the Rail Trail and spending time with family.
• On his perfect day in Charlotte, he'd wake up early, lift weights or go on a walk, try out a new restaurant for lunch and explore a farmers market or pop-up event.
• He describes himself as Allan from "Barbie."

Allison and Allan seemed like a potential match (you also can't ignore how well their names flow together). So, we sent the two on a dinner date to The Eagle in South End followed by ice cream at Jeni's.

• I chatted with Allison and Allan separately a few days after their date to hear how it went.

How do you typically meet your dates?

Allison: Recently, I've been trying to meet people organically.

• I like the idea of meeting someone at one of my usual spots because it means we already have something in common.

Allan: Dating apps so far. I've spent the last few years improving my own mental and physical health and have only recently started dating again.

How would you describe your conversation?

Allison: Fun and light.

• He brought a lot of humor to the table, making everything feel more comfortable.

Allan: Allison is a good conversationalist and very easy to talk to. We were able to avoid a lot of the boring first-date topics.

• Our taste in music overlaps a bit, we both like hockey and we both value family time.
• Usually, I'm super nervous on first dates, but I think we had a good flow.

How would you describe your chemistry?

Allison: I think we hit it off.

• We started off joking about our nerves and ended up finding a lot of similarities from hobbies to music taste.

Allan: I think we share a similar sense of humor and personal values, though I'm not sure we found a romantic spark.

• Being a naturally shy person, sometimes this doesn't develop for me until a second or third date.

What are your thoughts on the date overall?

Allison: It was a great experience and confidence boost to put myself out in the dating scene.

• I appreciated the thoughtfulness of his questions and intentionality in getting to know me.

Allan: It rained quite a bit, so we didn't spend as much time walking around after dinner as I would have liked.

• Aside from the weather, I think things went really well, and I had a good time.

What's next? How did you leave it?

Allison: We exchanged numbers and joked about reading each other's responses in this article.

• I would be interested in a second date.

Allan: I wouldn't be opposed to a second date, but it's not something I'm pushing for right now.

• Being new to dating, I'm still learning what I'm comfortable with and what my boundaries are. I recently went on another date before this one and would like to see where that leads.

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