Lesson one: Chill,

You won’t start a good conversation with your date if you’re nervous. So there is no chance of warming up the mood to get to know one another. Take a few deep breaths and drink some water, this will help you to be relaxed.

Lesson two: Start the conversation.

It is advised to think about what is around at the moment, like the food that the restaurant is serving. When you talked about the subject, slowly change it. This can be done simply by telling your taste for food in the example above or talking about an experience that is somewhat relatable.

Lesson three: Avoid!

Avoid asking awkward questions and talking about uninteresting topics. This has a very devastating effect on the mood. Any unnecessary question is a huge mistake.

“Are you getting these?” I asked Steely after I was done reading the third lesson of the book for him.

“I should, but I’m not.”

“Don’t worry; me neither.”

“Where did you get that, anyway?”

“My dad’s library. Now I’m beginning to wonder why he has this. I mean, who writes a 400 page long book about how to start a relationship with someone you love? And who would read it? Am I right?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure, totally. Um, will your dad notice that it’s not there?”

“I guess he didn’t even know it was there in the first place. Why?”

“Uh … I wonder if it would be possible to borrow it for a while.”

That was very unexpected, but it showed he’s willing to try.

“On second thought, I don’t think it’ll be much help. I guess I need to come up with another way.”

He sighed, of course. I was losing him. I thought of some of the Canterlot High teachers who didn’t seem to enjoy their jobs, like Cranky Doodle and Skull Mustache. And I began to understand why they may have felt that way. It was then that I decided to change my approach.

“Listen, tomorrow night, you’ll be seated at a table in a café, waiting for her to appear. You are constantly looking at the door and the clock. You are nervous, and that is normal for your first time; just don’t let any stupid thought get into your head.

“And then, she walks in. You stare at her and she will notice you and stare back. Then, you will give her a simple smile to let her know that she is on a date with you, that you’re happy to see her and you’d like her to be happy, too.” He was more attentive now.

“She starts walking toward you and then you stand up and greet her and ask her to sit down. Make sure you hold out the chair for her. She will thank you and take her seat. Then you order something, and just after that one of you will start the conversation. Don’t plan on saying anything special, just let things slip by and in the end you just need to ask her if she would like to go out with you again or not.”

He looked very shocked. “Man, the way you explained it sounds so easy!”

“That’s because it is. And I know what you are thinking: ‘What if she doesn’t like me?’ Trust me when I say you are amazing. And don’t even doubt it. You are truly SUPER MEGA AMAZING.”

“Thanks, man. You’re amazing too, you know.”

“No, man, I’m not … I am FANTASTIC!”

“You know what?” Just then he winked, and I knew what he wanted to say.

“You right!”

FANTASTIC.

Author's Notes:

Make sure to cheek out other chapters too.

Special thanks to my editor Daniel Drazen.