Being too romantic on a first date can actually backfire fast and trigger what the internet lovingly calls the ick. On a first date, over-the-top gestures can come across as alarming or performative. Instead of sparks, it sets off internal sirens. This is exactly what happened to TikToker Chelsea (@chelella).
In 2016, she went on the most unhinged date of her life, and she’s been sitting on this story for nine years now. At the time, she was working at Disney World as the princesses Ariel and Aurora. She was also working at Universal Studios, doing seasonal events.
She had just gotten out of a long-term relationship and was not in any rush to date, although she was not opposed to it. She ended up meeting a guy through mutual friends. He was a couple of years older than her and was very nice, attractive, and made good money.
Their first date was at Disney’s Polynesian resort. She met up with him by the pool and saw that he was carrying a duffel bag. She had figured that they would go to one of the restaurants there, but he wanted to go down to the beach. At the beach, he pulled out a picnic blanket, some sushi, wine, and roses.
In theory, it was super romantic, but it was a little too much for a first date. Chelsea was no longer into him. She made it through the dinner, and by the time they finished eating, she was ready to leave. However, he wanted to watch the fireworks together.
When the fireworks started, he told her that he needed to quickly answer some work emails. But then, she glanced over at him and noticed that he was on YouTube.
All of a sudden, she heard the song Kiss the Girl from The Little Mermaid playing on his phone.
“He’s making eye contact with me; he’s inching closer to me,” Chelsea said. “I am looking straight ahead at the fireworks. All I am doing is talking about fireworks…pretending like I do not hear this song in the background at all. I don’t notice him actively trying to kiss me. Clearly, I’m not into it.”
When the song ended, they walked back to the car. He had to work early in the morning. He tried to kiss her then and ended up planting a kiss on her cheek.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
She thanked him for the date and told him that she would text him.
“Spoiler alert, I did not text him, and we did not go on another date again, but I have been holding onto the story with everything in me for nine years, and it was time for it to come out,” she concluded.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
