He walked up to her. She smiled. He smiled. He took her hand. He asked. She said yes. They’re trying something different.

They’re going on a date.

In recent years, dating someone just for the fun of it seems not to be as standard. It appears that a girl and boy need to be official to go out on a date. It may seem bizarre for two people who aren’t in a serious relationship to casually go out to dinner and a movie.

“People don’t want to deal with an actual connection much anymore,” said senior Alexis Gabb. They might be “looking for something but can’t find it, so settle for something else.”

These days, dating can mean many things. It can mean being in an open relationship, hanging out in a group, or being girlfriend and boyfriend.

To many, it seems as if getting to know each other through technology has replaced face-to-face interaction.

“Social media has played a role in it,” said MHS junior Erin Smith. It can be stress-free to talk to people over text, Twitter or Snapchat.

MHS English teacher Kelly Headley said that relationships “have always been complicated. They’ve just changed because of technology.”

The physical connection doesn’t have to be as genuine. True emotions can be hidden through simple words in text, instead of being given away by facial expressions and body language.

Nevertheless, the Internet has risks. In the case of meeting someone online, people never know who they could really be communicating with. There are several risks an individual is taking while chatting online. Since it is so easy to disguise emotions, people don’t always tell the truth.

Without the physical connection of meeting a person, people miss out on the small quirks their companion may have; the weird way he laughs, that twinkle in his eye, or simply the way he walks.

“I want to know how someone smells before I go out with them,” said Headley.

When a person meets someone online, real personalities don’t always reveal themselves. Instead, both parties are left to decide for themselves who their internet friend really is.

Although they often don’t enforce it, many girls would rather have an invitation to go out on a date in person or over the phone, rather than in text.

In texting, “a lot of emphasis on certain words” gets lost, said Gabb, “in person it’s more intimate.”

Many times, sarcasm can’t be detected in text without tone of voice and facial expressions. As quickly as it started, a conversation could end, simply because the person on the other end of the keyboard didn’t understand a joke.

Shelby Yonkoski, an MHS senior said she would “rather be asked out in person. It shows that they care and are putting in the effort.”

Talking in person, rather than text, gives both girls and boys more confidence and often more happiness. A simple smile or kind word can bring bliss to someone for hours.

When a boy wants to ask a girl on a date they may find it easier to ask over text because they don’t have to deal with face to face rejection.

MHS junior Derek Gaskins said guys don’t always ask girls on dates because the dread of refusal and the fear “of what their friends are going to think.”

By asking over text, they can hide behind their phone screens; however, it hasn’t always been that way. Boys used to essentially march up to a girl and request to go on a date.

Back when Headley was growing up, people would start as just friends, then “go out as a group,” where there were distinguished couples.

Girls and boys in recent years are on the fence on whether “hanging out” really counts as a date.

There can be benefits to hanging out in a group. “It can be a lot more comfortable,” said Yonkoski. However, “people are different around friends. They act differently in a group than they do one on one.”

“A date is more of two people going out by themselves to see if they really like each other,” said Yonkoski.

However, Smith said “it is less formal; anything in a group is easier than one on one.”

The pressure instantly decreases when more people are involved. Admittedly, a one on one date can quickly become awkward.

But that’s life; you win some, you lose some. Unless two people have plans to get married, they’re going to break up.

There will always be ups and downs. Some dates don’t go as planned; while others stay right on track.

Smith’s idea of a perfect date would simply be “going to sonic and then go fishing.” It’s simple and casual, yet fun and intimate.

Having a girl cook a meal for him and “lay under the stars on a blanket and just talk” is MHS junior Trevor McClure’s idea of a perfect date.

Most people have an impression of what their ideal date would be, whether it is simple or extravagant, laid back or adventurous; as long as it’s with the right person it has the potential to be breathtaking.

One last smile. He sneaks a kiss.

The sun goes down. The moon rises. Memories were made. Goodbyes are said. A new relationship is blossoming.