I hesitated when she suggested we prolong our time together by hopping on the back of her bike — the idea of riding through the busy streets of Austin on the back of a motorcycle made me uneasy. But it was clear she was a pro — with an extra helmet and everything — and she promised to go slow. So, quieting my inhibitions, I hopped on. Together, we whipped through the rolling hills to a nearby lake, where crowds of grackle birds chattered in the sunlit grass — a whole region I hadn’t known about, in spite of its proximity to my apartment. Already, dating had pulled me out of my comfort zone. It was bringing me to new corners of the city — showing me that even the most familiar places have their secrets. This was precisely the sort of motivation I needed to begin exploring, with a new fervor, on my own.