Lex's Leaving Shindig

I woke up in the morning pretty tired from the night before, and already behind, after having not gotten to sleep until past 3 AM.

I had to get up and going to go out to watch a rugby match however, as we were all meeting up in Camden to watch England play Australia. Admittedly, because I got a late start, I showed up halfway through the game, but still had a chance to see and talk to people, and to have a hamburger for lunch, along with some ginger ale to settle my stomach. (Yeah, that port from the night before wasn't exactly sitting well with me). Funny though how greasy burgers and chips can be just what you need, as I felt so much better after that meal!

I had originally planned on staying out to get ready, but upon realising that I had time to go home again, I made it back to Shepherd's Bush, and flopped into bed for a half-hour nap. Seems like that wouldn't be enough time to really feel rested, but I was amazed how even those 30 minutes of sleep really refreshed me.

I then got dressed up to go out for my friend Lex's leaving party that evening in a lavender satin strapless dress and lavender stiletto heels. The heels really made the outfit, but even as I headed out for the night, I thought to myself, "These shoes are going to make your feet hurt." After all, they were five-inch heels, I feel like I should wear them now any time I want to get things down from high shelves, as they really made a significant difference in my height!

It was only after I arrived at the pub and was talking to some of the other girls that they mentioned, "Yeah, I've got my flats in my bag over there..." DUH! I can't believe I didn't think to bring flats for walking in, and just wear the shoes for the party. As I stood there aching in my ridiculously high heels, I wondered why my brain hadn't thought of that...

This pub where we were having the party was the same pub where my birthday party had been held, so it was the same sort of deal, where the entire pub was filled with just our friends. So same as the previous time we'd been there for a party, I ended up sitting out back, smoking cigars, and having entirely too confessional conversations with the group about our relations with the opposite sex.

I then came back inside to dance for a bit, and just chat to a really nice guy I'll call The Australian. The Australian is a really nice, incredibly fit guy in my running club, a classic massive 6'8" guy with a big broad chest, narrow waist, and the permanently tanned look that many Australians have. We got into a conversation about our ideal dates, wine tasting, champagne, and I could tell that it was getting a bit flirtatious. Not that I minded, for The Australian was definitely easy on the eyes, and it's always fun to have a guy paying attention to you.

Still, I got dragged out of that conversation, when one of the girls in my group of friends insisted that we do shots, and gave me tequila, but priming me by licking my hand and pouring salt on it. That really got The Australian's eyes wide, but it was only just a precursor of what was to come...

We all got to dancing, and then one of the girls grabbed an ice cube, stuck it in her mouth, and started a game where all of the girls passed the ice cube to each other by kissing each other. I think all of the guys just about died of shock to see what was happening right in front of them, all of the girls making out with each other. And so of course, when my friend Nat was looking for the next girl to pass the ice cube to, I was game to be the next in line.

The funny thing about kissing girls (as opposed to kissing boys), is that I'm always surprised by how soft girls' lips are. I always thing the attractive thing about kissing boys, is how firm their lips are, how strong their tongue is, and everything about them, from the slight scratch of the stubble on their beard to the forceful way they approach the kiss, everything is about being strong and forward. When kissing girls however, their lips are just very soft and pillowy, and it was funny how gentle it all was, as a girl would very delicately slide this ice cube with her tongue and slip it right into your mouth.

So I ended up kissing most of the girls in the room while playing this game, before of course the boys eventually wanted to get involved. With the boys, they of course would only take the ice cube from a girl and give it to another girl, although how funny that The Australian decided to pass the ice cube on to me every time? And I have to say, instantly I was reminded why I prefer kissing boys, as his strong presence, towering over me as he kissed me and passed me that ice cube with his tongue was definitely more my style...

The girls of course then kept saying to the boys that they needed to get involved, but it was hysterical how easily the girls had all been willing to kiss each other, but the boys totally freaked out about kissing each other. Eventually we got Princess and Lex to do it, but it was definitely the most lame hand-off ever, basically them gripping it in their teeth and trying to pass it teeth-to-teeth, rather than lips to lips! I think the only thing people found more horrifying that the boys kissing each other was Princess and Ruth, who are brother and sister, and everyone agreed that it would be kind of gross to have the siblings kissing each other!

As the game worked it's way around us, I ended up talking to the only guy not participating, my friend Matt (always my favourite person to talk to). It's one of Matt's sweetest and most endearing qualities, his loyalty to his girlfriend, and I can see why he thought it was probably best to avoid ever having to explain to his girlfriend why he'd been kissing bunches of random girls, even as part of a game. So he just begged off and insisted he was not playing every time a girl offered him an ice cube. Yet, as I stood there with him he asked, "Why on earth did this game NEVER come up when I was single? Not at uni, not before I met my girlfriend, and this is such an awesome game!" Alas, I have to admit, it was one of those fun times where I was glad to be single, so I could freely participate!

I guess showing the bond that Matt and I have, with his girlfriend not present, I was the only girl he seemed to feel safe hanging out with. Yet that meant that every time I tried to simply escape or take a breather, Matt was always grabbing me to dance with him! Still, as I say, Matt is one of my favourite people to hang out with, and it was good fun as we spun around dancing to U2 and The Killers, just bouncing around and twirling each other around the dance floor.

The only time that I managed to escape the dance floor was when the girls insisted that I dance on the tables, which I was surprised at what a positive reception that got. Still, in those towering heels, I was feeling a bit unstable and got down at the first opportunity. (How do strippers do it, I wonder?)

Finally at the end of the evening, things started getting really interesting. People started getting into really close and intense conversations, and I think everyone was really raising eyebrows at S and D. S is one of my dearest friends, a sweet and wholesome-looking girl who nevertheless surprises me at times with her capacity for drink. I suppose it doesn't help that she'd announced to me at the start of the evening that she really felt like cutting lose that night. And there at the end of the evening, S was heading home with D. The thing is, S has a boyfriend in the Special Forces in Afghanistan. And from all of my conversations with her, I know she genuinely likes him and misses him, but I think that missing him gets to be a bit much at times.

Still, everybody knows that S has a boyfriend, including D. A few people even started murmuring, "Her boyfriend is in the Special Forces. Do you think we should start planning D's funeral?" Yet for quite a while now, S and D seem to have a very close relationship, to the point she's told me that she's stayed at D's house, in D's bed, although "just to sleep because I was out late and needed a place to stay." So who is to say that S and D going home together was actually going to result in anything beyond two friends just talking and having a place to crash?

Yet I think about why Matt refused to participate in the ice cube game, even though on the whole it was just some harmless fun. It's because he realised that if it was something he would feel uncomfortable telling his girlfriend about, that meant it was something he shouldn't be doing. So I rather wonder how S's boyfriend would feel about knowing his girlfriend went home with another boy, even if just to sleep.

But it's not for me or for any of us to judge. They're all adults, and capable of making their own decisions. So I just told everybody who was watching this the same thing I was thinking: "It's none of our business."

Still watching this and a few other close relationships forming that evening, when this guy Jay asked me what I would be doing for the evening, I quite firmly said, "Going home. Alone. I see all these people every week, and I don't sh*t on my own doorstep." Seriously, the drama and agony I've saved myself over the years by closely adhering to this policy has convinced me that it's the right way to go.

So then it was humorous when I headed out with the crowds to catch a night bus, and I found The Australian tagging along with me. I was in the hyper mood that I get into when I'm still awake at 4:30 AM and high on adrenaline, so I invited him to come along with me to the night buses despite all of his arguments that we should just catch a cab. I just made it clear that I was going to be catching the night bus and heading home to my house, and whether he wanted to come along for the journey was up to him.

When a bus towards Oxford Circus came down the street just as I was talking, The Australian grudgingly climbed on board with me, with me chattering about how much fun and adventure the night bus is, particularly at 4:30 AM, a great way to see the city in the stillness of the middle of the night. The Australian seemed just grumpy and tired and a bit annoyed at me for dragging him onto the bus, until we got to Oxford Street.

You see, once we got close towards Oxford Circus, we could see the Oxford Street Christmas lights all lit up, and as the bus silently rolled down the street, we just oohed and ahhed at the breathtakingly beautiful blue twinkling lights that stretched ahead of us down the street. We got off, needing to change buses, and even just as The Australian started to insist that it was pointless of me to wait for another bus, the exact bus I needed rolled down the street. (You have to understand, such easy connections with the night bus NEVER normally happen, but it was apparently my lucky night). In my confidence about night buses, I bet The Australian that I would be home by 5:15 AM.

Turns out that the night bus that had just appeared worked for The Australian too, so he joined me on the upper deck of the bus. We continued our journey through Oxford Circus, and at last he smiled and agreed with me that the lights were indeed magical. We then continued chatting about boys, girls, and dating all of the way home, as he attempted to talk me out of my conviction that sleeping with boys too early was never a good idea, and how I always preferred to just proceed slowly and see if the guy came up to scratch. The Australian of course thought that was a terrible idea, but what would you expect of a drunk boy who is making his way home with a girl he'd obviously like to sleep with? Still, too bad for him, because of the whole "don't sh*t on your own doorstep" policy (I see him every week at the running club), and I just really didn't want to get into that awkwardness. He is quite fit though, and I'll bet he would be fun to play with...

Finally my stop arrived, so even though my mouth tasted gross and disgusting like cigars, I gave The Australian one final kiss. No ice cubes, no discrete little pecks, just a full-on, on the mouth, open mouthed, kiss. Oh my, why is it so much fun to kiss cute boys like that? I wish it could have lasted a bit longer, but I couldn't miss my stop, so I bounded off the bus and out into the night.

I lost my bet with The Australian by five minutes, arriving home at my flat at 5:20 AM. I texted him to let him know I was home safe, only to get a text back at 6 AM saying, "Phucking buses! I feel asleep and ended up in Richmond!" Guess he'd been a bit more intoxicated than I thought... Good for me for stopping at just a kiss!

But yes, it was a great night to be single...