Hello chaps and chapesses!
If I had a time machine, and could go back to any one of my memories and relive it, I'd go back to mine and Graeme's first date. Well, maybe not 'relive' it, but be a fly on the wall.
I was really, really nervous before our first date. Nauseous, shaking, the works. We'd met online, and had been emailing and texting for about a fortnight before meeting in person. In all his messages, Graeme seemed like a Genuinely Nice Fella, and we seemed to be getting along well, so a part of me was scared that it was too good to be true, and that meeting in person would burst the bubble.
We'd planned to meet at the Cross in Chester. For those of you who aren't familiar with Chester, the Cross is a monument in the middle of town, at the point where the four main streets meet. I had to walk up the length of one of these streets to get there, and was worried that it would be a bit awkward if Graeme was waiting there, saw me walking up the road and a) decided he didn't like the look of me and scarpered, or b) made eye contact and then had to wait an awkward couple of minutes while I hurried up to meet him while still trying to look classy, calm and collected.
The solution, suggested by a good and wise friend of mine, was to walk along the Rows, rather than the main road. The Rows are covered walkways with shops, cafes and bars, above the main shops that are at street level. I made my way along the Rows, had a peek to make sure Graeme had turned up, and then went over to him.
The first things that struck me were his height (he is 6 foot 4), his greying hair, and his deep, manly voice. After that initial first impression, my memory of the evening is a bit patchy. I remember that we had a few drinks in Bar Lounge. I remember that we chatted quite easily and comfortably. I remember that there were no awkward silences, and we never ran out of things to talk about. I remember there was chemistry. I remember Graeme walking me home like a gentleman. I remember our first kiss. But there's also a lot that I don't remember.
If I could go back, I'd pay more attention to the details - what we talked about, how we responded to each other, that sort of thing. I'd also like to have that first-date-excitement again - not the nausea and anxiety, but the butterflies in my tummy. Know what I mean?
I'm happy to say that first date was a success, and we had a second date that week, then a third and a fourth, and we're still loved up nearly two and a half years later. I'll stop now, before the soppiness makes you feel sick.
