From Vegas Lights to Key West Delights: A Magical Meet Cute and First Date Adventure!
- Jonna Royer
- Jan 6, 2024
- 6 min read
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The meet cute. It’s the basis for romantic Hollywood movies, as well as the inspiration for an Instagram profile that currently has 1.9M followers. It’s when two people meet for the first time under cute or amusing circumstances and then go on to have a romantic relationship. Little did I know that my trip to Las Vegas in 2015 was going to be the setting for my meet cute and lead to the most unusual first date of my life.
After my marriage fell apart in 2015, I was traveling in New York for work and ran into an old friend named Scott. Even after my business concluded and I returned home to Michigan, Scott and I kept in touch almost every day. One day, he told me he had a work trip scheduled in Las Vegas. He was an agent for a horse transportation company, and they were attending the National Finals Rodeo in an effort to hire new drivers. Knowing that I had plenty of vacation time saved up and that I could use some time away, Scott invited me to meet him out there.
“Vegas is always a good idea,” he chuckled. “You’ll have fun. I promise.”
I couldn’t argue with that, so I booked a plane ticket and headed west.
One morning, I met Scott in the open area of the hotel where all the vendors were set up. Knowing he had to work the booth that day, I had already told him that I was going to visit the Harley shop and check out the strip, so I was just stopping in to say goodbye before I left, but he took me aside.
“Hey,” he said, “my boss wants to go to the Harley shop with you. He likes motorcycles too. Do you mind?”
“Of course not,” came my reply and Scott introduced me to Steve.
Being the kind of person that can and will talk to everyone, I had no problem going to the Harley shop with someone I’d just met, so Steve and I jumped in an Uber and headed out.
For two hours, we walked around the store talking nonstop as we idly looked at the clothing and bikes. I was amazed at how much we had in common and was thoroughly enjoying our time together. When my stomach started rumbling, I told Steve that I needed to get something to eat, so he suggested that we go to the Harley Davidson Café just down the road.
Once we were seated across from each other in the massive booth, the waitress appeared to take our order.
“Would you like to start with something to drink?” she asked.
“Captain and Diet,” said Steve.
“Jack and Diet,” I said.
A few minutes later, Steve held his drink up to the light and peered at it. It was the color of honey. He took a sip of the strong drink and grinned.
“I’m going to be real entertaining after this!” he laughed.
I took a sip of mine and mentally agreed. I wasn’t sure there was any Diet Coke in it, but oh well. After all, I was on vacation!
Five hours later, Steve and I were deep in a conversation that hadn’t stopped, well, since we walked into the Harley store that morning. He was so easy to talk to. I found myself telling him how scared I was that my kids would hate me because of the divorce and he was so incredibly supportive. He told me about how his son lived in Key West and all the time he had spent there. Steve challenged me to the Harley arcade game and took it very well when I beat hm. We talked about anything and everything and laughed more than I had laughed in years.
Too bad he lives in Pennsylvania, I thought, as I gazed across the table at him. I could date this guy.
The conversation flowed as easily as the drinks until my phone went off with a text from Scott.
Hey, we’re supposed to be at this dinner. Can you bring Steve back?
Feeling no pain, I showed Steve the text and we laughed and laughed. I snapped a selfie of us and sent it to Scott.
Nope. We’re having too much fun!
But, in some tiny part of my mind, I realized we did need to go back. We said a long goodbye to our waitress who had thoroughly enjoyed spending time with us, often sitting in our booth and joining our conversation between customers, and shuffled out the door where I tried to order an Uber.
“Let’s go to Caesar’s!” Steve said as I tried to figure out why the buttons on my phone kept moving every time I tried to touch them.
“No, I already told Scott we were on our way back,” I replied as I finally ordered the car.
An hour later, we were sitting across the table from each other surrounded by Steve’s boss and several other employees. Steve was typing on his phone, then tossed it on the table in front of him and looked at me. Suddenly, my phone went off. A few heads turned our way as I picked it up.
You’re so beautiful.
I couldn’t help but laugh. Thank you, I replied and a few seconds later, Steve’s phone went off as the message went through. He scooped it up, typed something else and tossed his phone on the table again prompting my phone to go off.
This was repeated several times as heads followed our actions back and forth like spectators at a tennis match.
After dinner, Steve stood up, announced he had to go to bed, and left the room.
Knowing that I wasn’t in any better shape, I decided that it was time for me to go to bed, too. I had a 6 a.m. flight home the next morning and I knew it wasn’t going to be fun.
As I sat on the plane waiting for takeoff the next day, I texted Steve to tell him that I had a great time and that we should do it again sometime. But, at that time, I didn’t think much more of it than that. I lived in Michigan and he lived in Pennsylvania, and there was an obvious age difference between us even though I didn’t know exactly how much, so I doubted we would see each other again anytime soon.
A few days later, I had to get a new phone and lost all my contacts, including the text conversation and number of that nice guy I spent the day with in Vegas.
Life rolled on, as it does, especially during December when you have two girls in their early teens. Between family get-togethers and trying to muddle through my first Christmas as a separated couple with 2 girls together, not to mention dealing with being a single woman on New Year’s Eve, it was suddenly January before I could even blink.
I was working for a university at the time, so I was lucky to have 3 weeks off during the holiday season, but that was over. I was sitting at home enjoying Sunday night before I was to return to work the next day when I received a text from an unknown number.
Hope you had a great holiday with your kids. You are such an incredibly upbeat person. Hope all is well.
I Googled the area code and saw it was a Pennsylvania number. There was only one person it could be, so I replied:
Omg, it is so good to hear from you. I wanted to reach out to you earlier, but I had lost your number. It was truly a pleasure meeting you. I had every intention of running off to Key West during my break from work in December and just spending a few days on a beach but couldn’t make it happen. Anyway, hope you're well. It was so great to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to me anytime.
Steve replied immediately: When you want to "run off to Key West" let me know, I will be your tour guide. You are such a positive person. I can still see that smile!
I laughed. Yeah, okay. We’ll run away together sometime. I typed: Anytime. I would love to get out of here. You let me know what works for you.
How about Tuesday?
I stared at the phone, my face somewhere between a smile and openmouthed wonder. He was serious. Before I could answer, he sent another text: Don't take that last text as creepy, I'm not a stalker, I'm very respectful and will show you a nice time in the Keys, no strings attached. I just have never had a better afternoon than what I shared with you in Vegas, period and I'm at home in the Keys!!!!
We exchanged several more texts exploring the definition of “no strings attached” including one where he emphatically assured me: Just friends. I respect you. I barely know you but feel like I’ve known you for years.
Ok, I thought, what the hell? It could be fun. I texted my boss to make sure I could take time off work even though we were just coming back, but she told me it was fine. I was way ahead on my work projects and we didn’t really get busy for weeks yet.
Finally, I replied: Ok, let’s do it. I have the time off. How do you want to do this?
After a few minutes, he answered: We can meet in Atlanta and fly down from there.
Sounds good! I’ll see you in Atlanta on Tuesday! This will be EPIC!
I certainly wasn’t wrong. Catch the blog post next week to find out what happens next!
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