After I bailed on going out with Tish last Friday night, I'd agreed to go with her to a record launch party happening tonight. Interestingly enough, I'd already been invited to the party by the guy running it already, but with Tish's second invite, I figured I definitely needed to go.
I agreed to meet Tish at a bar in Soho, and then we would go on to the nightclub where this launch party was being held together. I found myself texting back and forth with the Tall South African as I picked my way through the crowded Soho streets, having a little chat as I told him about my plans for the evening. I think the thing he doesn't realise, is how much more active my social life is than his. I always have things happening and going on, while he lives out in the countryside, with nothing happening until the weekends.
I was a bit late arriving at the bar, but given that Tish is rarely on time anyway, I wasn't worried about that. Indeed, Tish was not yet there, although her flatmate, the Blonde Dutchman, was there with a friend. We exchanged the traditional three kisses (as you do with Dutch people), and before too long Tish arrived and got us both drinks.
We went and found seats, and attempted to make conversation in the noisy bar. I never quite understand why so many people like over-priced bars like this one, but the others seemed to like it. More people arrived, including the painfully-shy-around-women chap who is good friends with the Young Dutchman. I've never quite clicked with this chap, due to his shyness coming across as snobbishness, but the Young Dutchman has always been keen for me to make an effort. So I try, I honestly do.
Slowly, I have to admit this chap seems to be warming up to me. I would never normally invest this much time and effort into someone I don't instantly click with, but I do it for the sake of the Young Dutchman. More people arrived, including Lotte, and disappointingly right after her, her fiancée (I was relating this story to the Tall South African later, and he admitted that he often feels the same, excited to see Lotte but disappointed to see that she has dragged her fiancée along with her once again. Does that girl go anywhere on her own?)
Finally, at around 10pm, we managed to herd the cats out of the bar, and get going to this nightclub (where the party had begun at 9pm). Once there, we were told to queue, despite being on the guest list (something we never do), and then when we got to the head of the queue, despite that we were on the guest list and it was only 10:15pm, they wanted to charge us £20-a-piece cover charge to get in. Are you people insane?
Tish was absolutely mortified at this, for she'd invited all of these people out, and there was no way she was going to ask us all to pay a £20 cover charge. First of all, being girls, we almost never pay a cover charge anywhere, and definitely not before midnight! She called the guy who organised the party and got him to come out to the street, where he apologised for the mix-up, but there was really nothing he could do. Quite frankly, I was thankful, as I wasn't that keen on a night in a nightclub!
I almost thought to make my excuses at that point, but as usual I struggle to leave crowds early. So I found myself walking with the Blond Dutchman, while Tish ran ahead to another club to see if we could get in. The Blonde Dutchman kept talking to me about how he prefers to be in charge of planning his own evenings, and asked me if I'd been along to some party he arranged recently. Funny, because I had not been, but I think this guy sees me so much he thinks I'm more part of his crowd than I am. Truth be told, although he's a great flirt, I barely know him.
We finally ended up at a local pub, where we got drinks (two large glasses of wine were MUCH cheaper than they'd been at the bar, and much bigger too), and we just hung out, chatting and talking to each other. I enjoyed sharing jokes with the Blonde Dutchman (he has SUCH a dirty sense of humour!), but mostly got dragged into talking with the painfully shy guy about his family trust. I know his family is well-to-do, and he has quite a bit of financial resources behind him, so I don't doubt he'll do okay with women someday despite his shyness. Alas, not so interesting to me...
Finally at around 12:30 AM, I said my good-byes to everyone to dash out to catch the last Tube (so much for an early night), and was surprised when I was subjected to a few catcalls leaving the pub by some random drunk guys. I walked quickly, acting as though I didn't realise those catcalls were for me, but of course I knew. I always find such things to be both flattering (boys think you're attractive enough to call to on the street), but yet also bizarre (does such a thing ever work to get them female attention?) And so off I went, home as quick as I could, glad to finally get home!
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