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| The HAC polo team |
In the morning when my alarm went off, it took a few deep breaths to stave off the hangover and get up and out. But the previous night, I'd promised The Chap that I would meet him at Paddington Station at 11:30 to go watch some polo being played by some guys from the HAC.
On my way there, I got a text from The Neighbour Guy noting how hung over he was, which considering his state the night before, didn't surprise me.
Even without texting, I just happened to run into The Chap at the station buying tickets, so bought my own ticket, and was introduced to two of his friends who were with him. One was a young chap who was about to head off to Sandhurst in January, and the other was a former housemate of his, who now lived in Qatar, but who was crashing on his couch whilst back in town visiting. I'd met Sandhurst Boy at least once before, but Qatari Boy was new to me. It turned out however, that he was a good friend of Caroline's, and they'd been to university together. So that was an unexpected connection!
We all took the train up to Slough, chatting all the way. I sat next to Qatari Boy, and had a good time bantering with him, but was a bit frustrated at times at how he misconstrued what I said. The Tall South African does this too. It's annoying. Boys think they hear one thing when you've actually said something else entirely, and you find yourself trying to defend a position you never really took. Irritating.
We arrived in Windsor, and went to the Waitrose to buy some picnic food and champagne. We were then joined by Caroline, Nick, and a few others, until we were a crowd of 9. Which led to a funny circumstance when we ordered cabs to take us all to the polo, and The Chap forgot to count himself and said we were 8. Eventually we all got there however, and set ourselves up out in the blazing sunshine to drink champagne, eat cheese, and watch polo.
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| The picnic detritus |
I got a text from the Tall South African, inviting me to come out and join him and The Girl for coffee (he is really determined for me to get to know her better!), but of course I was a million miles away from anywhere. Plus, I find these command performances a bit tedious, to be honest. Joel had made a comment to me about how I've got all of these "relationships masquerading as friendships", but end up with far too many male friends and I'm always simply the female friend. Interesting point, which I think deserves some serious consideration, but I'm not quite sure what to do about it.
Mostly though, it was a great day to just sit out in the sunshine, occasionally note that there was something going on with the polo, gossip with Caroline, and talk to the others. We got into a conversation about what we looked for in another person, as I always feel that Caroline's list of requirements is way too long. I maintain that the most essential thing is good banter, that I'd be happy with a guy like Jon Stewart, who is only 5'7" tall and totally grey-haired, if he was that witty! Had a bit of banter with Qatari Boy, cutting him down a few pegs with my own clever wit. The boy seemed a bit full of himself and needed to be taken down a bit, I thought!
We all ended up debating whether to head to a house party being held later that evening at a guy's place that was the location of where swingers parties are held. So we were all nervous about going, but yet curious about it at the same time. (Let me be clear, we were not actually going to a swingers party, it was just a house that was used to host them, and we were merely just going to be exploring the location).
As we discussed this, I noticed that I had a missed call from the Young Dutchman, and when I called him back he told me that he wouldn't be making it to the birthday party after all. I feel like he's been cancelling out on events a lot lately, but I suppose he has been working really hard at his new job. I find I miss him though, quite a lot.
In the end, upon realising that we could all contribute a tenner and just get a cab to the birthday party, we decided to go. In the cab, all of the boys fell asleep, whilst Caroline and I just chatted to each other in the back. Upon realising that all of the boys were out of it, we ended up chatting about threesomes, which got a few of them waking up and paying attention! I was surprised though, that Caroline had nearly had one with two guys I know. Like discussions were had, the logistics thought about. But, as we continued chatting, we realised that the logistics are tougher than one would think, to the point I just don't think I could do one simply because I couldn't focus on that many things at once...
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| At the polo, with Caroline chatting to Qatari Boy |
We arrived at the party, and were immediately welcomed in. I was a bit surprised by the crowd that was there, not too many interesting people that I really wanted to see. So, pretty quickly, we all just ended up back chatting with our same group that we'd been at the polo with. Kind of fun though, when you have spent a whole day with a group of people, and even when you've got a chance to escape them, you find that they are still the group you want to hang out and spend time with. Caroline and I had been giving back-rubs to the boys in the car (since we were seated at the very back), but now that we were out on the grass, we had fun giving proper ones to Sandhurst Boy and Qatari Boy. Definitely made a few friends with that one!
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| With Caroline on the sex swing |
Given that we were at a house that hosted swingers parties, we decided to go explore the "dungeon", which was up in the attic. Climbed up the precarious ladder (the boys helped us up there, how kind of them, and Caroline and I ended up taking photos on the sex swing and in the chains, which we then texted to the Tall South African as a joke. It was all so freaky there (with used condom wrappers and everything), that we were mostly trying to avoid touching too much!
I'd brought my swimsuit, and lots of people were going into the pool and the hot tub, so I went and changed into mine. Yet when I got a glimpse of that hot tub water...it just freaked me out. No way was I going in! So instead I ended up dancing around with people in the living room (where there was a stripper pole right in the middle), and just having fun. I was surprised though at how many people commented on how amazing I looked in my swimsuit, which was surprising given that: 1) It's a one-piece, while every single other girl there was wearing a bikini, and 2) What girl EVER feels skinny and attractive in a swimsuit? Most brutal item of clothing there is! I can't believe I was just wandering around in it, but definitely the right thing to tell a girl who is wearing one, that she looks good in it, because there's no other way I would have survived that..
It was nearing midnight when The Chap and a few others decided to head home, to catch the last trains. Yet, Caroline and I agreed that we were having fun and wanted to stay, so as Caroline said to me, "I think the problem of how to get home will be one for Future Caroline and Future A to solve." Somehow, at the time, this seemed like a totally good and rational idea.
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| Enjoying drinks at the party |
Not liking the hot tub, we then decided to go check out the bouncy castle. Given that I was running around in my swimsuit, I didn't have shoes on, and so was walking slowly. I was totally surprised then when Qatari Boy came up behind me and said, "You don't have shoes on? I guess I'll just have to carry you then", and picked me up in one fell swoop. I didn't even have time to react, before he was just walking across the grass with me in his arms. As a girl who hasn't been feeling exactly lightweight and slender these days, it was amazing how he just picked me up and carried me. And okay, I'll admit that any guy that strong suddenly seems a bit more attractive than he had just moments before.
We jumped around in the bouncy castle, although I was a bit cautious about my knee. Mostly though, we ended up laughing so much that it was one of those things where you can barely breathe you are laughing so much. How much fun was that?
At one point, the boys went off to the kitchens to return a little girl we found to her parents (what on earth was a child doing awake at this hour?), and Caroline checked in with me about my thoughts on Qatari Boy. Would I be okay if she left me alone with him? I'm always grateful for girls who look out for each other like that, and I asked her a bit more about him, since they'd been good friends all through university. She assured me that he was actually one of the best guys she'd ever known, a true gentleman and a real sweetheart. She wanted to make sure I was okay, but assured me that he was one of the really good guys out there, and I'd be fine with him. It was strange for me, as he was black, which was a completely new one for me. We all have our "types", and that has never been mine. But between the good-natured banter and the incredible show of strength, I had to admit what had originally been something I hadn't liked, was now turning into a Beatrice-and-Benedick type attraction. Plus, he lives in Qatar. Not like I have to really worry about how much I like him long-term, this is all just a bit of fun. So I gave Caroline a wink, and thanked her for her input, and told her she was fine to head off with Sandhurst Boy and leave me with Qatari Boy.
So when the boys returned, Caroline headed off with Sandhurst Boy, and I stayed there with Qatari Boy, lying on the inflatable bouncy castle, chatting and looking up at the stars. Until at one point he just sat up, leaned over and kissed me.
I love that moment, when you can be out with someone, and it's not even awkward, it's just the natural progression of all your evening's flirtations and banter, where the dance and the game-playing finally end, and you just give in to the magnetic pull. I like you, and you like me. Sometimes it really is that simple.
We then alternated between kissing like mad and then just lying back and looking up at the stars for a while. It was amazing out in the countryside how much more we could see than one does in the middle of London.
I wasn't keen on having an audience for anything, but when we noticed Suraya come out, obviously lost and alone, we invited her to come join us. It was a funny night, as she ended up snuggled up on his other side (I don't think it was a sexual thing, it was just that she was cold), but still funny in light of the conversation Caroline and I had earlier about threesomes. Nothing much happened except us all sitting there, talking, and watching the shooting stars, but I still think it was a fun experience for Qatari Boy!
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| The crowds sitting out with the bouncy castles behind |
Suraya eventually left us, we stayed there a while longer just kissing again now that she was gone, until we realised that it was probably time to go. He carried me back over the grass (again, something I absolutely loved), and we went up to the house to see what was going on with the other folks trying to leave. We'd been promised that shuttles would be running all night from the house, but when we called the number, nobody was picking up. How on earth were we supposed to get home now?
Back at the house, we ran into Caroline and Sandhurst Boy. Caroline revealed to me that she'd spent nearly the past half-hour searching for a condom in this place. I guess she and Sandhurst Boy were getting along, but that fact was both kind of bizarre (considering what this place is for) and scary (considering what this place is for).
As we still debated how to get home, Qatari Boy showed me a bedroom where we could stay, but given the state of this house, I was way too freaked out by all of the germs to even possibly think about staying. I wanted to go home, and I wanted to go home right away. I didn't care about the cost.
Finally, Suraya told me that she and Justin had managed to book a cab back to his, and we were welcome to come along. So we rode with them, and one arrived back in Hampstead, convinced the driver to take us the rest of the way home for a bit more money. In the end, we left Caroline and Sandhurst Boy at the house, but they had seemed fine to stay... I guess they were having a bit more fun! (Qatari Boy spent a bit of the journey home ranting about this, about how he hates that she does that, how one-night stands are just the worst, as are the people who engage in them. Which of course, made me wonder what the hell he thought of me in light of all that we'd been doing, and made me think that girls are caught in a horrible Catch-22, where you can't win with boys no matter what you do!)
The journey back to mine took longer than I expected, but given that it meant I would get to sleep in my own bed, seemed like the best £18 I'd ever spent. We spent the whole journey back with him stroking my leg and me telling stories about the London Underground. I think he was beginning to realise that I wasn't kidding about being bizarrely clever, but luckily he seemed amused by it.
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| On the dancefloor, with cider in hand |
We spent the next morning lazing around in bed (how fortunate that neither of us had to get up for work!) just kissing and enjoying one of those mornings that makes the night before worth it. He did beg for some coffee, and I had to feed him some terrible instant stuff I found in my cupboard that my mother had left behind. I really do need to get some proper coffee for my guests!
At around 11:30 AM, I got up to try and get some work done, while I left him sleeping. I caught Caroline online, and she admitted that while she was still at Sandhurst Boy's place, she'd escaped the weirdo house, and they'd had a fun night. We'll see what happens from here on out.
At around noon, Tall South African called me, and I had this weirdly odd conversation while trying to talk to him, yet completely aware of the boy still in my bed. I'd let him know that via text, so I didn't have to say too much on the phone, but I think he was having fun torturing me knowing that I couldn't really talk.
Still, luckily he didn't want to talk too much about that, as per usual it was all about him and wanting to know what I thought of The Girl. What was there to say really? She seemed nice, but totally ordinary, there was nothing in particular that struck me about her. Yet, of course I realised that the usual, "She seems nice" platitudes weren't going to work here, what he obviously wanted was for me to go on and on about how amazing she is. Hence I made some crack about how she seems nicer than he is, which came back to bite me later when he called back in the evening. Apparently he'd told her as much, she'd been thrilled to gain my approval, and he was now a bit irate, considering that he's my friend first. Ah, but doesn't the boy realise it's all a strategy game? It's more important at this point for The Girl to like me (I know I've got him already), so I've got to play to that audience. I'm always a bit perplexed at the inability of so many men to think about the long-term game plan. He's particularly bad at it, doing what I call, "winning the battle to lose the war." Think about it boys, you need to see the whole picture. I finally hang up with him with the sense that he's mad at me but I don't even know how to talk myself out of it...just will have to give him some time to himself and he'll forget about it and forgive me, I think. At least that's often the easiest way out of a fight with almost any boy!
Finally Qatari Boy woke up again around 1 PM, and we ended up chatting about books and relationships. I tried to make the point by talking about other girls and boys that I liked him, but I was fully aware of the fact that he lives in Qatar, and I don't expect much to come of this. Not sure if that relieved him or disappointed him. He did finally admit what I'd been telling him, that I'm too ridiculously clever for my own good. Which made him laugh, saying, "I've known this all along, but I was hoping to avoid telling you to keep you off-guard! But that you got it out of me, I guess should be expected from a girl as clever as you." We agreed that he had my number, and that he owed me dinner since I'd paid for all of the cabs everywhere. Given that he lives in Qatar, who knows when he'll end up taking me out to dinner, but I think he was still intrigued enough to want to make sure that happens.
I had a conference call at 2 PM, so he decided to get going right before that. He kissed me good-bye right before the call, and after our first kiss was pretty tame, begged for another. So I turned up the heat, which had him quickly pulling away and noting that in another few seconds he was going to be tempted to drag me right back to bed. Made me laugh.
I got some work done (not as much as I should have), and eventually took a nap later in the day. But the best part of the day was in the evening, when the Young Dutchman called, just for a post-work catch-up call. I decided not to tell him anything about Qatari Boy, as I figure the Young Dutchman doesn't need to know everything about my life. Yet, it was so good to talk to him, as I miss him a lot these days. I like at least how he's been doing these post-work calls, I like that we at least get to talk regularly. After such an exhausting day though, I could hardly wait to turn in for bed that evening!
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