Episode 2, Beginning Recap;;
Getting to the actual dating portion of the journey was exciting to say the least; even Noah had to admit that it was a different level of excitement than just meeting the women had been. The first night always carried a large bit of stress with it, too, given there were so many women trying to make a good, lasting first impression, and it never seemed like enough time. The dates always gave a different sort of setting to see personalities shine through, too, and Noah had learned that from his time on the Bachelorette. The dates were important. He was very much looking forward to them, particularly since the first few group dates always tended to be a little bit more on the playful side.
Setting up a ‘Bachelor Bootcamp’ at a local Army base that Noah had familiarized himself with, he had to admit he was the slightest bit amused. While it was another subtle plug at the detail of him having been in the Army that could potentially raise a question or two in later conversations, he also couldn’t deny that there was the slightest bit of amusement at the idea of watching some of the women he had along on the date doing the course. It wasn’t standard bootcamp by any means, not even close, but they called it that all the same. Noah was at the base a while before them, because they had to get ready, not to mention receive the date card.
Tanya, Emily, Alicia, Serena, Lucy, Nora, Morgan, Peyton, Eliza:
Your love story wants you: Do you have what it takes?
It wasn’t terribly surprising to find that a few of the girls in the group looked the slightest bit terrified upon arriving at 'bootcamp.’ Noah was all smiles and happy greetings as they arrived, catching Peyton in a hug that she ran and jumped at him for. Explaining that they would be going through 'Bachelor Bootcamp’ earned further unease on a couple of the girl’s faces, but he promised that it wasn’t going to be as bad as they probably thought, that it was going to be a good time. Watching the girls go through the obstacle course, he cheered them on, offering loud words of encouragement and praise. Admittedly, there were a couple of times he felt the slightest bit embarrassed watching, but he maintained being a good sport. The girls were doing their best, and they were being good sports, too, he had to give them that. Emily and Morgan stood out in particular; Emily because she was so fast and confident moving through, and Morgan because despite her obvious struggle with it, she didn’t give up and kept on going.
[talking segment for Noah:] I’ll be honest, there’s– there’s absolutely no way these girls would survive bootcamp. No way. But I gotta– it’s so sweet, they’re really tryin’, I gotta give 'em credit for that, it’s only fair.
The night portion of the date began with Noah thanking the ladies for trying so hard during the day, for doing the best that they good, and for having a good attitude about it all. After giving a nice toast to go into the opportunity to talk to them all a bit, it was Tanya who stole him away first. They had a decent conversation about how she was the only girl with three older brothers, so they were always more sporty than she was and she never felt particularly good at any sport. It was a nice insight into her family life, but she seemed to be more content simply talking about her own background and not asking for much from him. It was still early so Noah tried to give her that benefit of the doubt.
After Tanya came Emily, who admittedly he was excited to sit down with. She was a lovely girl, and she exuded a confidence about her that he easily admired, even from the first night. He asked curiously about how she’d done so well out on the obstacle course and she explained how she had run track all through her middle and high school careers. They then went on to bond about sports the two individually enjoyed playing and also watching from time to time. Nora and Alicia swept in for their times following Emily, and then Eliza tentatively stepped in to cut into Alicia’s time. Eliza was notably awkward with the whole interaction, no matter how much Noah tried to reassure her, comfort her. She mentioned that maybe it was just that she was intimidated by the environment. Despite that being completely normal, expected even, that combined with the fact that his connection with Eliza was already a little lacking, admittedly, had Noah putting a subconscious red flag up. He had to be thinking of who would be getting roses by the end of the week, take in every detail he could to weigh in on that decision.
After a brief interview break, Noah moved into another area of the venue, finding Serena. Serena had been someone that he had felt a strong connection to from first meeting her, so talking to her once again was easy. She had done well during the obstacle course portion of the date, but not in a way that particularly stood out. Getting to talk with her, though, changed that a little bit. She spoke to him about how she grew up with a single mom, because her dad left them when she was just a toddler, and how her mom had spent her life teaching her to be self-sufficient and tough. So that while she 'might to be physically strong or physically tough, that she’s definitely tough on the inside.’ It was a little bit of an emotional moment, and it gave some good insight to Serena as a person, where she came from. So she was definitely an easy choice for that group date’s rose after having had their conversation.
The following day meant a one on one date. And the first of the one on one’s went to Sofia, another of the girls he’d had a solid first connection with. The date card had read:
Sofia,
In the clouds or by the sea, let’s see how far our love can take us.
Picking Sofia up for their date in a rented Jeep with no top to it, the two drove to a helipad where a helicopter was waiting to take them for a ride. Sofia excitedly expressed that she had never been in a helicopter before. They stayed cozied up together, Noah with an arm around her, as they flew over Pacific Coast Highway, getting a beautiful overlook of the ocean, and the cities that lined it. Finally touching down in Santa Monica, specifically close to the renound Santa Monica Pier, their date really was getting to the more fun part. They were happy to have had the closeness and the nice view, but getting to the pier and getting to be playful was even better.
They went on several of the rides, and while they were in line for the infamous ferris wheel, Sofia mentioned how when she was in high school, she used to make jokes about how she wanted her first kiss to be at the top of a ferris wheel - like she had seen in cliche teen movies and tv shows. So, naturally, Noah did kiss her when they reached the top - despite it not being her first kiss, it definitely made her happy, and Noah was happy to give that to her. The rest of the day was spent enjoying fried and sugary foods, and playing a few of the carnival style games along the boardwalk. Noah ended up winning a giant stuffed tiger for her and Sofia thanked him with yet another kiss.
Going into the night portion of their date, Noah had high hopes. It had been such a pleasant day, and Sofia really was a great girl, he just hoped that they might ease passed some of those more simple subjects they’d been on thus far. Between the first night and what conversations they had during the day portion of the date, it had been pretty surface level - what do you usually do for fun, what’s your favorite type of food, what kind of people do you usually associate with. He definitely wanted to know more about her, and hoped that going into this part of the date that he would get her to open up a little bit. It didn’t start out too well; something about the more intimate setting so different from the earlier part of their day seemed to bring out more of a quiet, almost shy version of Sofia. When Noah asked her if everything was okay, she admitted to the fact that she had a history of catching feelings for guys very quickly, and that history also panned out into things not going her way. Considering the circumstances that they found themselves in, Noah could understand her apprehension.
More was said on her history with dating guys she fell hard and fast for, only to either be burned by them or to never have them reciprocate those feelings in the first place, and how that made her sort of cold and closed off for a time. But friends of hers had really encouraged her to give this journey a try, and be open, and sort of push herself to be herself, and it was really that sentiment in the girl’s confession that ultimately had Noah giving her the date rose. He could relate to a lot of what she felt about this environment, given he had once been in her shoes on that side of things, too.
After the first two dates, Noah was feeling great. There had been minimal drama involved, and he had gotten the opportunity to talk to most of the girls that had been out with him at any point. It allowed for him to still carry over that excitement he had been feeling at the beginning of the week, going into the second group date. The group date that’s card read:
Danielle, Kendall, Destiney, Harmony, Spencer, Renee, Natalia, Amanda, Chelsea.
Hope you can cheer us on to a victory in love.
