Hey so I just came back from a first date from a girl I matched with online but I approached in-person and realized after I saw her face up close.

I felt the date was quite casual with neither of us being too nervous and having a good chat. However, she ended the date after an hour. We were walking around for a bit and was sitting down and chatting on a bench before it ended.

Now, most of the time my first dates tend to not have much escalation and it’s just chatting to get to know one another. However, for most of the girls I’ve met before, it was enough to move things to second dates and next stage etc even if admittedly the first date wasn’t as “exciting” as could’ve been. I’m trying to reflect on whether you guys think there’s something im doing wrong or missing on my part. Should I be escalating as much as I can during first date, am I not building enough tension by just talking? Can girls sense that you’re disinterested or shy?

Can people please give me advice, because when I think back about all my first dates, I didn’t really enjoy any of them tbh and felt disengaged. However, some organic encounters I’ve had with girls on the bus, malls, work/school conferences were some of the best interactions and most fun moments I’ve had even if it wasn’t a first date. So I’m wondering if I’m doing something wrong on first date or is it just the nature of being on dating apps and being (so far) disappointed with how people look in person?