January Drinks with Joel

On Sunday while I was out wandering around Cambridge with my uncle, I got a surprise phone call from Joel.  Gosh, after months of always having to stalk Joel in order to keep in touch with him, I'm suddenly hearing from Joel quite a bit these days...

When I told him that the traditional Younger Member's drinks were being held on Wednesday this week, he told me he would join me there.  Wow, seeing Joel twice in one week!  This might be some kind of record...

When I arrived, I saw a few Younger Members I recognised, so I joined them, and was soon joined by other randoms.  I introduced around those I knew, and made the acquaintance of those I did.  There was a member named Jose who I had not met before, who had brought a guest named Hugh with him, who seemed rather nice.  American (he went to GW), but also French (as he'd gone to some French university I couldn't recognise or pronounce).  Obviously fluent in both languages, and I found it hard to figure out whether he was American-born who learned French or the other way around.  Rather cute and I enjoyed his company, although I wasn't sure if he had any real interest or just saw me as a way to pass the time as well.

Joel arrived, and I greeted him, grabbed him a drink, and engaged him in conversation.  We chatted a bit about his recent break-up and how much fun he'd had at the beer pong tournament on Saturday.  It was really sweet as Joel kept talking about how nice all of my friends are, and how much fun he'd had at the tournament.

I can't remember how it came up, but despite my best intentions not to talk to him about it, I found myself telling Joel about what had happened with Roofie's Brother on Saturday.  To which Joel replied, "But he's really attractive!"

Wow.  Okay, so I love Joel, but damn can he say the most insulting things at times!  I mean, is he implying that I'm not attractive enough for a guy like that?  Okay, so yes, I've had the same feeling of insecurity myself, and probably why until last Saturday I'd never thought Roofie's Brother had any interest in me as anything other than a friend.  Needless to say, it was probably the worst thing Joel could have said, feeding into my insecurities and worries about why I haven't heard from the guy since.

I was totally charmed when the banqueting staff brought out some leftover sausages and chicken from an event that must have been happening, and the staff head told me that they were for our group.  How kind of them!

Of course Joel and I couldn't manage to stay in conversation with just the two of us very long, and so we were soon joined by others.  He then got himself into a discussion with some random girl who I didn't know, and she said her shoes hurt and so they sat down to chat.  I couldn't tell if Joel was enjoying his conversation or just being polite, so I kept checking in on them every so often, but he seemed okay.  I guess it was more than that however, as later on I learned that Joel had gone home with her!

As it was though, we stayed and were chatting until after the bar closed at midnight, at which point the four of us remaining realised it was time to go.  When we got to the door, the girl that we thought was with us suddenly disappeared  and we kept waiting and waiting for her as I realised the time to catch the Tube was ticking away.  Finally, I just insisted that we should go, but tried not to comment when Joel set out walking the wrong way to get back to the Tube station that would take him home to Putney.

I instead took off in the correct direction with a lovely if yet overly-enthusiastic young pup who kept talking about how he needed to have me over his house for a cheese tasting.  Not wanting to survive this the entire Tube journey home, I bid him adieu at the Tube station and claimed I was going to walk up to Bond Street.  Doing so caused me to miss my connection, and so I caught a bus home, making it back to mine at nearly 1 AM.

At which point I texted Joel to let him know I was home safely, and was surprised while I was in bed at 1:30 AM to receive a text from him saying, "Remind me to tell you why I'm now on a sofa in Kentish Town x"  Remembering the conversation we'd been having when leaving the club, I remembered that the girl he'd been chatting to had lived in Kentish Town.  He continued, "So that girl who disappeared in the club..."  I told him I knew who he was with, to which he replied, "Yes.  Am I a bad person?  (she is rather pretty) x"  I told him simply to have some fun, which got me, "As always.  She invited me to sleep on her sofa.  Which I am now doing.  Girls are strange. Right, I'm off to sleep - in a really weird sleeping bag that I'm kind of blaming on you x"

Silly boy, who hooks up with anyone on a Wednesday night?  I have to admit, I was rather amused, and feeling like there was a bit of justice in the world to reward him for his rude comments of earlier.  Ah but after 10 years, I still adore Joel...stupid boy that he is, he always manages to make me laugh!

Back to the Run

In the morning I had a pretty intense gym workout, but it was all arms, so I figured I was in good shape to return to my running club that evening.  It had been ages since I'd run, and I figured it was time that I got back into it, particularly if I follow through with plans to run the Medoc Marathon in September.

When I got to the run, we learned that the hare hadn't shown up to set the run, and so Sweetheart set off with a 15-minute head start to set the run.  I was a bit disappointed that Roofie and his brother hadn't shown up, but Cookie was there, and so I had a good time running with her for a bit.

I did a decent job of keeping up with everyone, but at some point after we crossed the river (I can't do long straight runs as quickly as everyone else), I lost the group, and so decided to just cut back across the river and go back to the pub.  The beauty of running in Central London, you always know your way home!

Back at the pub, I found myself chatting quite a bit with Devo and Sweetheart.  I had been wondering how Sweetheart would be with me after I'd been kissing Roofie's Brother on Tuesday, but he wrapped me up in his arms and gave me a big kiss on the lips as per usual, so I guess we're all good.

As I was standing there chatting with Devo, Sweetheart and Cookie, I got quite the shock when Qatari Boy turned out to be there!  I suppose I shouldn't have been quite as shocked as I was, given that he's friends with The Blonde, and of course she might have told him about the running club.  Yet he was one of the last people I had been expecting to see, so it really threw me.  He cuddled up to me and put an arm around me at one point, but I really just wasn't feeling it, and so just drifted away from him.  I continued to talk mostly to Devo, where we got into chatting about trail maintenance on the Appalachian Trail.  I'd had no idea that we had a passion for the Appalachian Trail in common, it was a really neat conversation.

Finally towards the end of the evening (after I stayed much later than I'd intended due to Devo buying me a beer), I chatted to the Scottish Lawyer for a bit, but realised I needed to get going.  Qatari Boy made as to walk out and leave with me, but I lost him as we all moved upstairs, and I'll admit I perhaps stayed saying good-bye to Devo a bit longer than I should have, and hence when I was finally ready to go, Qatari Boy was nowhere to be seen.  So my little plan on that front was a success.

On the Tube home I sent him a quick note to apologise for missing him as I was leaving (being gracious), and got the following reply back:  "Not at all dear, have an interview tomorrow and am dreadfully exhausted - you look hot in running gear - definitely worth the chase!  We are forever fans, my dear."

How sweet, but as usual it just remains too little, too late.  We've moved on, I'm afraid...

Beerpong Tournament

Playing beer pong

 I was woken up at around 9 AM by the sound of the Tall South African opening my door, returning from the night out before.  He'd called me at the club last night to say he wouldn't be coming home, that he was very drunk and with a (female) friend who had missed the train, and so was just going to get a hotel room with her.  At the time, I hadn't believed his insistence that he was going to behave, and simply told him that I would see him in the morning.  Yet when I saw his bedraggled and exhausted appearance, I had no doubt that he'd simply had a very rough night.  

I laughed, smiled at him and patted the space beside me in bed, and he shucked off his shirt and crawled into bed with me with a groan of relief.  We tried to sleep some more, but mostly ended up just chatting about this and that.  It's always actually one of my favourite things with him, just lying in bed and talking.  It's so funny, as if you had asked me a year ago if we would be in bed together and sleeping with him was the last thing on my mind, I never would have believed it.  Yet it's strange, I really just can't imagine sleeping with him now, even as he was half-naked in my bed.  It's just more of a comfort thing, where we enjoy just being there and talking.

Finally at around 11 AM we got up and got our acts together.  I made breakfast, we got dressed, and made our way out to Bermondsy for the beer pong tournament.  I'd invited Joel to come along so we could catch up, and so once we arrived at the station, the Tall South African and I waited a bit for him.

Joel arrived quite nearly on time, and told me what I already knew, that he and his girlfriend had officially broken up, although I didn't realise it had only been the night before.  Gosh, that one really dragged on for way too long.

He was a bit hungover and obviously just wanting to talk, so we found a quiet spot on the couch to curl up and chat, just the two of us.  Apparently he'd hooked up with a girl the night before, and was wondering what to do about it.  I laughed when he explained that she was our age and claimed to have slept with only two people, pointing out to him that this was mathematically impossible (assuming she wasn't divorced or had weird religious issues).

With Joel and my beerpong partner, Maddie

Joel then got up to have a wee (he has the world's smallest bladder!) and told me to save our spot on the couch.  It was then when he walked away, that was when Roofie's Brother spotted me from across the room.  I was so delighted to see him, I patted the spot next to me on the couch, and he came over to join me.  Talked to him about our knees and this and that for a bit, but too quickly Joel returned, and I felt obligated to stand and involve Joel in the conversation.  I love talking to Joel, but I really do wish I could have talked to Roofie's Brother a bit more.

Too quickly anyway, it was time for the tournament to start.  Roofie and his brother came out in these funny Grecian costumes, and did this absolutely hilarious dance that had me nearly wetting my pants with laughter.  

Roofie and his brother doing their dance

We then got into the tournament, which was just general rounds of ongoing madness, as everyone tried to figure out which games they were playing in, and constantly chasing down ping pong balls bouncing all over the flat.  I discovered I'm absolutely rubbish at the game, and outside of our assigned games, generally just wandered around and checked in on the scores, chatted with people like Matt and Mo, and tried to talk to Joel.  Although let's face it, this was quite possibly the worst place to try and have a serious catch-up with someone, in a tiny flat filled with at least 60 people in the middle of a beer pong tournament.

I did manage to chat to The Blonde a little bit about her break-up with the Tall South African, although she told me absolutely nothing new.  Everything she told me I'd already heard from the Tall South African, so it was nice to know they were on the same page, even if it wasn't very interesting.

Roofie's Brother then came in and found me, as his costume was coming apart, and he wanted me to help fix it.  It was just a matter of refastening the velcro closure around the little thin robe he was wearing, but as I ran my hands around his waist, I couldn't help but notice how fit he was, how hard and solid his body was.  Kind of flirtatious, but we were all just having fun at this event, and so I gave him a pat once he was all fixed up, and sent him on his way.

The competition started to wind down, as we were running out of beer and people were just tired of playing.  I don't think my partner and I ever played our final game.  So they started to move tables aside and announce the quarter-final games.  And suddenly in the middle of the room, being the loud, obnoxious, larger-than-life character he always is, was the Giant Australian!

Playing the tournament

I'd had no idea he was coming, and think it has been at least over a year since I've seen him last.  We haven't spoken in ages, and I had no idea what was going on with him, or us, or anything right then.  I thought about being shy or hesitant, but then decided to just go for it, and so bounded down the steps I was standing on to go greet him.  As soon as he saw me, his face lit up and he wrapped me up in a giant hug, as I did the same to him.  Regardless of what is in our pasts, it was just so good to see him.  On a fundamental level, we just like each other, you know?

The teams in fancy dress

From that moment on, the Giant Australian never let go of me.  In every conversation we had with anyone, he stood there with an arm wrapped around me, and I around him.  And he just felt so....comfortable.  He's absolutely massive (hence the name), but his hard body has a little bit of give to it, the soft feel of a belly that is no longer quite rock-hard abs.  Yet lest you think that's some sort of critique, I really like that feel about him, as it makes him that much more huggable.  Solid, yet comforting.  I will confess, it might have been the alcohol, but if we had been alone, I would have happily climbed into bed with him, stripped naked and just snuggled up to him.  I had never really thought about quite how much I like his body, but he just seemed to fit perfectly.

Now of course I realise that the entire world must have wondered what was going on there, as the two of us were seeming very close.  Yet I rather hope that everyone was too tipsy to really notice, even as I sat on a couch with him and he kept casually stroking the inside of my thigh.  I mean, on the surface it was all very innocent (I still don't know the current state of his relationship), and we could argue that it was all just being very friendly.  But c'mon, we all know better...

Still, I was quite surprised at one point when this drunk girl I didn't know came up to me in a moment where I was standing away from the Giant Australian and said to me, "You're much prettier than your man, you know."

Okay, she was drunk, but what a random thing to say.  Glad to know I was looking pretty, but a very unusual thing to comment on.  Particularly as she didn't actually know that we weren't dating.  Who would say that to someone about their boyfriend?  Still, I just went back to the Giant Australian and snuggled into him.  Sure, he's got a bit of a receding hairline and is still loud and arrogant at times, but as he pulled me in tighter, I couldn't deny that I loved being close to him.  Buried my face in his chest and just breathed him in a bit as he held on tight to me.  Just sort of wish I could have stayed there forever.

Yet the final game was played and it was time to pack up and go.  Everyone seemed to get a bit scrambled as we tried to figure out what we were doing next, with some people wanting to head home to catch the last Tube, and some heading off to another pub.  I found Roofie's Brother in his room, changing out of his silly costume, and upon being assured that he would join us at the pub, headed off with Joel.

The teams discussing strategy

We walked along looking for this place, and at the critical moment, Joel decided to head home to catch the last train, but assuring me that he'd had a most wonderful time.  I then headed on to the nearby pub, where I joined the Ginger Lawyer and a few others, and found Devo's wife buying me another drink (which to be honest, I really didn't need).

I stayed on a bit, but after realising that Matt, Joel, and the Giant Australian had failed to join, I figured I'd really had enough to drink, and it was time to go home.  So I booked a mini cab, and Sweetheart said he would come back with me.

When I got the text that the cab was there, I wanted to say my good-byes, but with so little time before the cab went, I had to make them quick.  So there was really only one person I wanted to say goodbye to, and that was Roofie's Brother.

So I went and found him, tapped him on the shoulder, and expected we'd have our usual two kisses on each cheek.  Except then he kissed me full on the mouth!  And at first it seemed somewhat like the kisses I have with Sweetheart or Princess, just a quick peck on the lips, almost a sweet and friendly gesture.

But somehow this was different.  It was like electricity that zinged all of the way through my body.  Nothing friendly about this, I can't remember ever having a kiss before that made me feel like that.  I'd been so surprised by the first kiss I couldn't properly react, but instead of just leaving it, I went back for another.  And another.  Almost like I wanted to reinforce to him after my initial shock how much I loved kissing him.  It was like a drug or some magnetic pull. I'd never known simple kisses could be like that.  It's so hard to describe, because there was no tongue or anything crazy, but it was a stunning revelation for me, what it was like to kiss him.  I don't know if anybody even noticed, it all seemed to happen so quickly, and then people were pulling him in one direction and I was being pulled away by Sweetheart to go grab the cab.  Our hands lingered, holding on to each other as long as we could, and then he was gone, and I was being pulled outside.

In truth, I was reeling.  Did that just happen?  Did I seriously just kiss Roofie's Brother?  I'd seriously never gotten an indication from him that he liked me as anything more than a friend, I'd never imagined that a guy like that would go for me.

But beyond that, it was that kiss.  So different from any kiss I've known before.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it.  We were all very drunk, maybe the secret of it was just a lot of alcohol.  Maybe we'll never even speak of it again.  But all of a sudden I can't stop thinking about it.  And hoping he kisses me like that again.

Mid-game play

When I got into the cab with Sweetheart, my head was spinning.  I couldn't even think of what to say when he was asking me about seeing the Giant Australian that evening.  I babbled on something about how it was really good to see him, that we hadn't really talked about his relationship or mine, but had just enjoyed each other's company.  But in truth, after spending so much time in the Giant Australian's arms all night, he was definitely not the person I was thinking about.  What the hell had just happened back there with Roofie's Brother?

When we arrived at my place, I gave Sweetheart the usual kiss on the lips that I always do, but I would honestly have avoided it if I could without raising suspicion, as I rather would have preferred to keep my lips as they were, with the soft tingle of Roofie's Brother's kiss on them.  At least however, as my nose slightly bumped his, it reinforced to me how different that kiss had been.  How charged with electricity and excitement.

When I got into my flat, I found the Tall South African tucked up in bed on my floor.  I tried talking to him for a bit, but my head was too jumbled to really make sense of my thoughts.  All I could say to him was, "I think I flirt with too many men."  Because all of a sudden, with all of those boys this evening, I realised the one I wanted to focus my attention on probably had no clue, as I'd kissed him just like I do so many other boys, and had then in response to his kiss immediately run away and gone home.  God, I'd probably totally screwed it up.  Maybe it was just a drunken kiss and we'll never talk about it again.  But what a night...and what a kiss to remember!

The Young Dutchman and the Rower

I had been dreaming about the Young Dutchman rather vividly last night, one of those classic dreams that don't make any sense, as we were wearing white-tie and got caught in a rainstorm.  Some people I know spend ages trying to interpret dreams, but I generally think that they're just a reflection of what's on your mind at the moment.  Still, I was surprised at how real the dream was, as though he was right there with me.  So imagine my surprise when I woke up to my phone ringing, with the Young Dutchman calling to say, "Rise and shine!"  I was so startled, I almost wanted to ask him if he'd had the same dream.

Logic dictates a much simpler explanation, which is that I hadn't spoken to him since I'd gotten back from the US, and so we were overdue for a call.  Still, the early morning phone call was unusual for him, and it struck me that perhaps we sense each other more than I'd originally imagined.

It reminded me of an incident with my brother while I was at home in the US, where he was asking me to guess something entirely random, with no context or clues.  And so I just took a moment, stared into his eyes, and suddenly I knew the answer, exactly as though it had just come straight from his head into mine.  He was startled when I told him the answer so confidently and correctly, and I explained quite honestly, that I'd just read his mind.  And of course, I hadn't really, as I have no talent for ESP.  Yet there is something about knowing someone particularly well, the thread that connects you, in a way that you can sense them and know their thoughts even without them saying a word.  Those individuals in our lives are truly rare, but my brother is one.  And perhaps the Young Dutchman is another.

In the evening, I was unsure if the Young Dutchman and I were due to meet for drinks, so I waited to hear from him, but got a text from him at around 8 PM that he was on his way over to the club.  That meant I didn't have much time to change, but figuring I was only going out with him, I just threw on a black dress, left my hair straight, and dashed out of the house.

I spotted him as soon as I made it into the club, on the opposite side of the bar, and our eyes locked instantly.  Yet I got waylaid on my way over to talk to him, and was then glad when he came and found me instead.  I know sometimes I'm happy to leave him to be his social butterfly self, but tonight I'd really just come out to see him, and luckily he seemed to be of the same mind about me.

Someone got me a drink and we retired to a set of sofas, with him seated in a chair for one and me sitting on the arm of it to chat to him.  It was really good to talk to him about my job offer, work, Google, and just catch up on each other for a bit.  Eventually others came and joined us, I got a chance to talk to a few other people I hadn't spoken to in a while, but when he came back, despite other seats being open, he squeezed back in the chair with me.  I don't know, it was funny, but we just wanted to be with each other this evening.  He was doing his usual chatting up of pretty blondes at the bar occasionally, but you could tell his heart just wasn't in it.

At some point we ended up out at the bar, and I got separated from him for a bit, although our eyes kept meeting across the room.  We were so bored with who we were talking to.

Then a dinner let out, and the bar became flooded with a few people, and although I got stuck chatting to some new chap from the O&C for a bit, I eventually escaped back to the side of the Young Dutchman.  Where I then found him talking to a rather large Australian who looked like a former rugby player.  Turned out he was, but then had given up rugby for rowing, and ended up rowing in the Olympics.  Wow.

I then somehow ended up chatting to him by myself for a bit, and you could tell he was keen, but not quite sure what to say.  (I've heard this is a problem with Olympic-level athletes, that they spend so much time training that they forget how to do normal human interaction).  I was fine with cajoling the conversation however, until he said to me, "What are you doing later?  Going to any parties?"  I was vague (no way did I want to go out tonight), and then he asked, "You doing any lines tonight?"  Ummm...drugs?  No way.  He might have meant it as an innocent question, but no way am I going to be interested in a guy who thinks that's in any way that's a good form of entertainment.

So I quickly moved myself away from him, and found myself thrust into conversation with an incredibly tall blonde guy I'd noticed earlier in the evening.  Something about him struck me as very familiar, and I guess it was made clear when it was revealed that he was an Olympic rower of some merit, apparently rowing in several Olympics from Sydney 2000 onwards.  I thought he was with some girl, but he seemed fine enough with chatting to me, and the Young Dutchman seemed to take to him as well, so I was fine spending time chatting with them.  He was a very rough around the edges Australian, but amusing and interesting enough.

Things got a little bit awkward when he assumed that the Young Dutchman and I were a couple, leading to the awkward explanation that I never like to have to utter out loud.  The Young Dutchman explained that our relationship is more sibling-like, and we're each other's dearest friends.  Nobody ever seems to buy that, and when this guy pressed me further when the Young Dutchman had wandered away, I tried to clarify:  "When you know you're going to be with somebody for the rest of your life, if that's a romantic relationship, there's only one way that ends, and neither of us are ready for marriage."  Yet, this guy continued to press the point, that perhaps the Young Dutchman just needed to grow up a little, and then we'd get married.

I don't see this happening, but the fact remains that I'm the most significant, long-term female relationship in his life after his mother.  And I have to admit, he's really the most important guy in my life outside of my family.  And I feel about him more the way that his mother once described it to me, that we "are each other's family in London."  Yet it's very hard to explain that closeness to people without them thinking that you must be harbouring some secret desire for each other.  Maybe we are, but in which case, it's secret even from us!

Anyway, this guy seemed to finally accept that the Young Dutchman and I weren't a couple, and then turned more attention to me.  I had to admit, that although he wasn't particularly smooth or charming, he was a very fit, tall, good-looking Australian.  Even taller than the Tall South African.  Not a bad way to amuse oneself for an evening.

He kept wrapping an arm around me, and grabbing my arse, which I didn't exactly mind, but I was too sober to even think of this going anywhere.

Made a comment about how I found him interesting, he apparently found me interesting too, saying "That's a very British thing to say."  Then he asked for my card.

Didn't kiss him to say good-bye though, got so distracted jumping for a cab, as I wanted it to be clear I wasn't going home with him.  A little too clear perhaps.  Let's see if he ever gets in touch.

Sophie's Birthday

At the club at Sophie's birthday

The Young Dutchman had said earlier in the week that we should meet before Sophie’s birthday party for drinks in the evening, but given that I hadn’t heard anything from him, I wasn’t sure if we were still on, until I got a text at 6:15pm saying, “I’ll be there in 30 minutes.”  Given that I was still frantically working on a project and wasn’t even showered, this was quite the surprise!  I’d only ever intended to be there at 7:30 PM (the Young Dutchman normally never makes it anywhere before 8 PM), and so when I arrived at 7:45 PM, that wasn’t doing badly.  

Not like it mattered, for I arrived at the same time as Hong Kong Boy, and we found the Young Dutchman fully ensconced in a crowd of people, as apparently he’d planned to catch up with quite a few people this evening.  Oh well, I’ve long said that parties are the worst places to catch up with people, and with the Young Dutchman in particular.  So I had a nice time chatting instead with Hong Kong Boy and his girlfriend, only talking to the Young Dutchman here and there.

At 8:45pm we decided to stay for one more drink, and I offered to get the round for myself, Hong Kong Boy and the Young Dutchman, except it took me so long to get served it was almost exactly 9 PM before they took my order.  It reminded me of why I rarely go to the Lansdowne anymore, and I do think I shall have to start making some serious use of the pool or totally reconsider my membership.  I’ll have to check my bill later about that.

We stayed until about 9:30, when we realised that since Sophie’s party had started an hour previously, it was really time for us to go.  Five of us piled into a cab, which got us there for a little over £5.  I paid the driver and people threw random coins at me, to the point that I think I might have been paid more by others than the actual fare.  Hmmm…so I came out ahead there.

Then when we got to the club, I stopped at the coat check, where I chatted to Sophie (the only time I would be able to talk to the birthday girl all evening) and when I got to the head of the line, the coat check girl said she wouldn’t be able to take my coat until she got some more change.  Well, after winning the pub quiz last Sunday, my coin purse was incredibly heavy, so I offered that I might be able to help her out.  Counting by the light of her iPhone in the darkened club, we were able to count out £19, but she only took £18 and gave me a £20 note, saying, “Well, the coat check costs £2 anyway”.  It was only later when I walked away that I thought about the math of that and realised I’d just been PAID £2 to check my coat.  £4 if you really think about the value of what I received.  So I was doing quite well financially this evening!

Determined not to drink much, I accepted when Hong Kong Boy offered to get me a drink, and then sipped it slowly to hang onto it all evening.  I did not want to pay over-priced bar prices for drinks.  Particularly as this was one of those bars that played the music so loudly, the only way to talk to people was to shout directly into their ears, and hence made it very hard to circulate.

I spent much of my time chatting to Hong Kong Boy, got roped into conversation for a bit with a guy Sophie had met through horse vaulting, and again mostly missed the Young Dutchman.  I weaved my way in and out among people I knew, trying to make sure I said hello to the people I should, and then realising that I was getting stuck in conversation with people I didn’t.  I also got totally surprised at one point when a boy I know (and know for always being drunk), came up behind me out of nowhere and picked me up quite high in the air.  And on the one hand it’s somewhat flattering to realise that you’re light enough for a boy to pick up as though you are a feather, but on the other hand quite alarming to realise how easily a boy can toss you about the room if he wants to! 

(I was wearing a red dress that evening that I’ve never quite understood its effect on the boys, but the Young Dutchman complimented me on it the instant he saw me that evening, and I was finding myself the target of quite a bit of attention.  I guess it was like waving a red flag at a bull with a drunk boy, he just through I was something pretty he wanted to play with). 

I finally texted The Blonde and the Tall South African at around 11 PM to ask if they were coming (they had originally said they were), as the Tall South African had originally asked if he could stay with me this evening.  I had to admit I was somewhat relieved when The Blonde replied that they’d gotten to talking and decided not to come, and so he would be staying at hers this evening.  Given how much I had to do the next day, this was welcome news indeed. 

The back part of the club at Sophie's birthday

 I stayed a bit longer, but finally when it was nearing midnight, figured I was time to head home whilst I could still catch the Tube.  A much tamer Sophie’s birthday than last year, but I suppose that’s a good thing.  It was finally as I was leaving that the Young Dutchman caught me, wanting to chat just as I wanted to go. 

It was funny to me, as things were so loud in this place you really had to shout directly in people’s ears, but with him, instead of yelling in people’s ears, we actually just stood there, my cheek pressed against his, whispering in each other’s ears.  And it was that sort of weird intimacy I only ever really experience with him.  I struggle to explain this to people, how it’s not some tingling sexual excitement, but more felt like….we were hugging without arms.  Just ensconced in the warmth of his embrace.  I can only imagine how it looked, the two of us standing there, faces pressed together, but it was nice after missing him all evening, to finally get to talk to him for a bit. 

He told me that he’d talked to the Lovely Dutch Girl for over an hour about the status of things with her fiancée, as she’d told him that they were broken up, but perhaps she’d been a bit unclear about that with him.  Apparently he finally told her, “If you don’t end it, we will.”  To which I replied with surprise, “We can DO that?”  Gosh, I wish I’d known this before!  Because Lord knows, I’m not the biggest fan of the fiancée.   In truth, I think he’s kidding somewhat, but knowing him, maybe he’s not. 

He also expressed his annoyance at how everyone he saw kept asking him how the new job was going.  “New job?  I’ve been working there since August!”  Yet, I don’t think he realises how much he has disappeared since he started working.  Nobody has seen him in ages.  Even I, the person he is probably closest to, struggles to see him as much as I would like.  We only stay in touch as well as we do at this point I think because of how we make sure to have a lengthy chat on the phone at least once a week.  I miss how frequently we used to talk though, I really do.  At least I know I haven’t been replaced with anyone else, just work! 

Finally some bouncer started hassling me about being too near the stairs, which he thought had me blocking them, and I needed to get going anyway If the original point of not missing the train was to be upheld.  So I gave him a kiss good-bye, and bounded off to get my coat and catch the train.  Ran into the birthday girl outside and gave her my good-byes, which I was glad to get a chance to do.  Might have been leaving the party early at just after midnight, but it was time to get home.