Drawn Together: A No Clothes First Date

Most of the time, the clothes come off at the end of a successful first date. For this week's Love Letter couple, the nudity came at the beginning.

James and Amanda had a pretty conventional courtship. They met on Match, bonding over their shared love of Marvel and Star Wars. But when Amanda, then an art student, mentioned to James that she had yet to have the chance to sketch a male model, a first date idea was born.

After vetting each other over video chat to make sure they were both who they said they were, James and Amanda got down to business. They got some pizza and quickly made their way to James' place, where he stripped down like Rose in Titanic and had her sketch him like one of her French girls.

Five years later, they're still going strong. And though it's a little bit faded, Amanda still has the sketch from the first day they met. Here's their story.

What were your first impressions of Amanda's dating profile?

James: I could tell that this was a pretty genuine situation. I didn't look at the pictures and see that this was let me take 10 dozen pictures and make sure the angle is perfect. These just looked like pictures of a girl that showed This is me. And it ain't perfect, but also I'm very happy with it.

What was your opening line?

James: I'm very much far from having the perfect lines. I would usually say mine were decent. When we're going back and volleying facts on comic books and science fiction and that nerdish stuff, and she can correct me on stuff that I didn't know? I go “Alright, I’ve got a challenger. Let’s go.” 

And when it's not just trying to impress them that way, but suddenly finding a peer who knows even more than you do, suddenly, I'm accepting the challenge. And then beyond that, suddenly you’re like “Wait, there’s more than a geek here?” 

Was there a specific interest you had in common?

James: Something between Marvel and Star Wars. Because when it comes to DC she can sink my battleship all day. 

What was your impression of James’ profile?

Amanda: He had a picture that came up on my Match feed that was very poorly Photoshopped, but was fantastic. It caught my eye instantly. I was like “I have to go on a date with this person.” It was his face cropped onto Iron Man. It was great. I was like “Oh, wow, this is the best Photoshop.” 

When we had our first date, even when we first started talking, it was very chill. It felt very comfortable. Like I’ve known him forever.

What was your first date?

Amanda: It was a very unique kind of date. One that I think would top all the rest. I was an art student and I had just taken a semester of classes. I was a little miffed because my professor kept giving us the same model, and it was a female model. She promised us a male model, but we never got one. And I’m like “How am I gonna get this art experience done?” 

Then James had the idea and said “Well, I’ll be your model.” And I said “Are you sure? That’s kind of really personal.” And he was like “Yeah. I’ll be the Rose to your Jack.” 

That’s how we had our first date. We went to get pizza and then we came back to his place. He had the Yule Log on the TV. It was nice and warm and toasty in his house. And he got undressed and started posing for me. 

Why did you decide to volunteer to model?

James: I couldn’t think of a more unique date that involves something that isn’t illegal. So I thought Let’s give it a swing. We know Titanic is one of the most romantically sought movies anyway, so I asked her to come to my home and I’ll be in the same position as Rose was on the couch [in the Titanic]. 

I am far from artistically inclined. I can definitely appreciate it, I am not great at producing it. I tried my best, but in the end she was enjoying it, she was comfortable.

Had you ever modeled before?

James: It was absolutely my first time. To this day she still looks at me and says “handsome” and I turn around like a Three Stooges skit to see who walked in the room.

How was the drawing?

James: She did a fantastic job. 

What was that like as a first date?

Amanda: He left the doors unlocked. So if I wanted to run out and leave, I could have. Before I even put my coat and purse down and get my pencils out he was already undressed and posed. And I was like Oh, he really means business. It wasn’t just a lure to reel me in. I felt safe. 

Right then and there, I grabbed the chair and I was maybe six inches away from him so I could get the full form. I did about five sketches within 15 seconds. It was by far the most romantic, most unique experience of my life. I don’t know how anybody could top that situation, to stare at someone and try to memorize their form, their shape, their body, within seconds. 

As soon as I was done I said “Put your clothes back on.” He was shocked. He was like “That was 15 seconds, how did you get me that quick?” But I got the form down, the facial features and the body features, that’s simple to get. 

I felt badly that he got naked and got nothing out of it. So I decided to strip down to my panties and a bra and have him draw me. It came out like a Picasso, very abstract. But the form was there, which is amazing for someone that has no talent in drawing. 

How did things grow from there?

Amanda: At that point I was like We’re starting our relationship right now. I think the next Saturday he had texted me and said he wanted to see me again and that he would show me the uncut Star Wars trilogy. And I was like “Uncut? Well, I Have to see that.” And I came over and we watched Star Wars and ate popcorn. There’s not much more a geek could ask for, you know? 

Do you have any advice for people when it comes to going for it, for lack of a better term?

James: There’s a million quotes like this online, but I would say there’s more regret in what you don’t do than something you do that didn’t go the way you planned. At a certain point, I was kind of just tired of not getting the bat off my shoulder. I said “If I’m gonna swing, I’m gonna put this thing over the fences.” 

So sometimes when it comes to it, you just gotta take the damn swing. Because if you don’t get the bat off your shoulders it ain’t going nowhere. Just do it. 

Did you learn anything from this experience?

Amanda: I was pretty much in the same boat as James. I was tired of going on the most conventional dates and them turning out so horrible. But this one seemed so unique it might turn out to be the most epic date. The only advice I could give is if you feel it in your gut, go with it. You won’t regret it at the end of the day, because at least you tried.

🤔 Poll

📊 Last Week We Asked…

• [poll] “When would you add a romantic interest on social media?”

  • 31% said “First Date”

  • 37% said “After multiple dates”

  • 32% said “Once we are exclusive/dating”

And a few meet-cuters shared their thoughts:

• “I would rather get to know the person organically than see their curated online persona. I've never added someone on social media before we were exclusive/labeled, I feel like it only leads to more drama and potential heartbreak/angst if something ends abruptly.”

• “Adding them is announcing to the world that we are one, and not something I would do otherwise.”

Do you or someone you know have a meet-cute story for the Love Letter? Get in touch here!

Did someone you know forward you this love letter? Subscribe Here

Interviewed and transcribed by Nicolas Vega. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.