Mr. Affliction or Addiction

So after some brief emails on Match I decide to meet up with Buy number ?, he lives in Venice, likes music, is in advertising, sounds good enough so I accept a date and drive my ass over to Venice during 5olcock traffic. We go to Nikkis on Market Street, I have heard its super Bro’d out so I’m already hesitant about this guy, but he promises a good happy hour so I decide to accept. I get there, I’m early, I hate that, so I hit the rest room to fix myself up, I’m right off work from the yoga store so I look like a dirty hippy. I readjust my purple yoga pants, try to make my boobs like nice in my built in bra “high Compression” tank top and pop on some lip gloss. He texts me that he’s wearing a black LA dodger’s hat and I peer out the bathroom door to scope out the crowd. I see this big dude sitting by the window.
Deep breath, ok I’m ready.
I approach with a big smile and a wave he stands up,
sweet he’s tall,
he gives me a handshake I lean in for a hug, all around an awkward exchange of gestures but we handle it and sit down.
So first of all this guys should be dating my friend Nicole, sorry Nicole, he has San Diego written all over him. He has on a black dodgers hat, flat brim, over his died black hair, a deep v I belive its Affliciton brand, with necklaces screen printed on the front, some fly white kicks and a huge blinged out watch, Nixon I presume. I want to judge immediately but I hold back, this could be my new love.
In the end the guys is really nice, down to earth, big man with a heart of gold. I order a beer he orders a coke. Great now I just feel like a big lesbian, why couldn’t I have just ordered water?
He’s an eater so we order a shit ton of food, great because I’m starving from my weak ass salad at lunch, and since he’s a big dude I have no qualms about inhaling my meal. We chat about his business; he’s really supportive about me following my dream as an actress. His brother us doing the same thing as me so I feel his genuine support. He mentions a side project he’s working on so I decide to pry into it, figure out his real passion.
Then the bomb drops!
He smiles. I smile and go to take a sip of my beer. At the exact moment of my sip he says: “well I’m a recovering addict”
He is a recovering addict and he’s working on a social networking site for recovering addicts.
WOW!
I try to stay cool but instead of smiling and just keep chugging my beer. Ironic right?
I swallow, “cool” I say cursing the beer gods for making me order this drink.
He laughs and tells me how he still hangs around drinkers, goes out but just drinks red bull and loves to dance. I know this is all great but I don’t know if I need to be spending my twenties with a recovering addict, no matter how teddy bearish he may appear.
We keep talking, I learn he loves bling, nice cars, big watches, sick motorcycles, and I can’t tell if I think this is sexy because my inner gold digger is getting giddy off the mention of money, or if I think this is terrifying because my inner hippy is repulsed at a mans ability to be such a consumer.
I’m conflicted. I want another drink, Damn!
We finish dinner and he asks if I’ll join him out side for a cig, he apologizes but explains all Addicts smoke. We start to walk and he laughs about how shady Venice boardwalk is at night and I suddenly think, “Oh my god, I should not be walking in the empty alleys of Venice with this big guys, he could totally rape me” I know this is messed up but my mother would not like this decision. We walk, I am nervous but I get over it when he impresses me with his hilarious dance moves ‘pop lock and drop it’. Then he asks if I want to get gelato.
I think what if he’s addicted to me, oh no!
I say yes, he’s funny and I’m bizarrely attracted to this big burly baby faced man. The more we talk the lovelier he becomes, and I kind of like that he had a badass past, but my commitment issues begin to emerge from below and I decide to cut the date off after gelato, too much time spend together will send mixed signals.
He drives me back to my car, he drives a silver Audi, and so he’s not intimidated by my black one, refreshing! Then he asks the question, “first, why are you on match.com” I laugh and say b/c it’s not easy to meet people no matter who you are, and then he says “I’d love to see you again”. I think I would too, but a second date means what? Commitment? Friends? Do I have to kiss him? Can I introduce him to my friends? My mind starts spinning and I say sure call me. I’m a bitch!