Welcome to “Meet Cute,” where we get up close and sometimes personal with our newest crush. This time around, we’re chatting with Deepti Vempati from Love Is Blind Season 2. 

Deepti Vempati, a 31-year-old information data analyst from Chicago has always wanted a unique love story. It’s why she resisted an arranged marriage, despite urgings from her parents. And Love Is Blind, the experiment where contestants attempt to make a connection — and in some cases, even fall in love — without ever seeing one another, might be as unique as it gets.

Throughout Season 2, Vempati falls for Abishek “Shake” Chatterjee, a 33-year-old veterinarian/house DJ. (Huge spoilers incoming.) But after weeks of feeling his palpable ambivalence towards her (and those viewers who heard his, uh, choice comments about her know it wasn’t in her head), Vempati leaves him at the altar, choosing to put herself first.

“I don’t think he realizes what he just lost,” she says in the show’s finale. “A little time from now, he’s going to look back and realize he lost the best thing of his life and when that day comes, I’ll be long gone.” And after watching that insane Love Is Blind Season 2 reunion, it’s clear that they’re better off on their… own journeys.

Ahead, Vempati fills out our “Meet Cute” dating profile and tells us about what it’s like to get back out there after getting engaged behind a glowing blue wall. 

Name: Deepti Vempati Netflix project: Love Is Blind Season 2 Instagram account: @lifewithdeeps DOB: January 30 Star sign: Aquarius Hometown: Bloomington, Illinois Favorite food: That’s a tough one. It’s so mood-dependent! I would say avocado toast. It’s my go-to all the time. Favorite Netflix show: Ozark Netflix crush: Nick Lachey! Sorry, Vanessa. Love language: Quality time 

On a first date, I always… talk about family. 

My perfect date would be… something unique. Going to dinner is fun, but I hate the mundane boringness of it. If someone thinks outside the box, that just sets them aside. 

The most unattractive quality in a partner is… someone who’s not self-aware and doesn’t know when to shut up. I just need someone who can read the room. 

What would your dating app profile say? I always say I’m a product of two cultures intertwined into one soul. I also like to vocalize that I value high emotional intelligence. But I cannot do dating apps anymore. I tried [after filming the show], and I was just like, ‘Oh, this is terrible.’ You can't get anything meaningful out of people, and it takes so long to even set up a date! It's so much better and easier for me to go on dates when I meet people organically, because then you'll have already made that connection.

After seeing the show, tons of people are probably sliding into your DMs. What kind of messages would you actually respond to? I would respond to something clever. Lots of people have been just reaching out [after watching] the show and are just like, ‘Hi.’ Like, you really think I'm going to respond to a ‘hi’? I just like somebody who is unique in what they say and put out there. If he’s cute and says something clever, it’ll reel me in.

Do you believe in soulmates? Absolutely. But I don’t think everyone finds their soulmate in their lifetime. I hope I’m in the lucky few that do.

Before signing up for the show, did you believe you could fall in love with someone without seeing them? Absolutely. I've always been of the mindset that connecting on a deeper level just makes someone way more attractive. I just am the type of person that will love you no matter what, because looks fade.

Throughout the series, we see Shake waver about his feelings for you. But in Episode 10, you completely flip the script, instead leaving him at the altar. What led you to make that decision? We had this date [in Episode 9] where we got massages. We tried this exercise of looking into each other's eyes, because apparently if you do that, you tend to connect on a different level. From that moment, I just knew. I was like, ‘What am I doing? Why am I trying to convince someone to love me or to see my worth? That's not who I am.’ In that moment, I realized, ‘I'm trying to please this person to see me, when in reality, do I even like him? Do I even want him? Are these the qualities I'm looking for in a husband?’ That's when my mindset changed to be like, ‘You know what? I just don't think this is my person.’

Have you always been able to put yourself first? No! When it comes to love, I feel like I'm blinded, ironically. I just put that person on a pedestal. I always do things for them and go out of my way to be better. I’m, like, worshiping them! But that's not always reciprocated.

I was stuck in this six-year relationship before Love Is Blind, and I would always make excuses for his behavior. You know how people say you accept the love you think you deserve? That's me to a T. I see the good in people always, but I never put myself first. I would always put his needs before mine, and I'm realizing after the show that I just need to be able to see my worth. You have to make sure you put yourself first so that you attract better.

Now for the question on everyone’s minds: Post-Love Is Blind, are you dating? I’ve tried! I haven't been dating as much because, emotionally, I know all this is coming out, so I'm like, ‘Okay, just need to prepare for it.’

In the reunion, Kyle says he wished he had picked you in the pods. How did that make you feel? Is there anything going on there? Kyle is one of my best friends — I literally hang out with him all the time. I adore Kyle, and he is the best human ever, and for him to publicly say that made me feel so happy. We have built this amazing friendship, and he was my second choice in the pods. I was very confused if I should go with Shake or Kyle the whole time. But to hear him say that just validates my feelings.

Has the show changed your approach to finding love? It’s completely changed my trajectory with dating. Now I just really value connecting on a deeper level and asking the hard questions up front about religion and how we're going to raise our kids. It's not first date type of talk, but I think it’s important to get to those questions within the first couple dates. I'm not trying to waste my time. I'm getting older. I don't have time to just casually be like, ‘Oh, let's just see how it goes.’

I think the biggest takeaway from this experience is having confidence and knowing my self-worth. I've always struggled with that. I was always the ugly duckling growing up; I blossomed later in life, which I'm grateful for, because it's shaped me into who I am today. But I think through this experience, I realized I place a lot of importance on what other people think of me. You can see that during the first half of filming: I was very submissive to [Shake’s] thoughts and his perception of me. Instead of putting the ball in his court, I need to just exude confidence. The biggest thing I’ve learned is don’t forget who you are as a person. Go through life with the utmost respect for yourself.

After the show, do you think your soulmate could actually be in your Instagram DMs? It depends who it is. Is it Zac Efron? He can give me a ‘hi!’

This interview was edited for length and clarity.