You've got to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince.
This is the story of one woman dating 100 men in an effort to find Mr Right
Last week turned out to be quite different from the one planned. On Tuesday I went out with Man number 7 (Scouser) as planned. He took me out to dinner. I then cancelled the date with Man number 6 (Richard Gere-alike) the next day and didn’t confirm the loosely arranged date Friday with Man number 8. The truth is that after the dinner with Man number 7, I didn’t want to go out with anyone else.
That doesn’t mean that I won’t – I just didn’t want to that week. I actually ended up going out with No 7 on Saturday too (date number 3). We went drinking and to a club. I can’t remember the last time I got on so well with someone. We were standing outside a bar talking and laughing and he kept on looking at my mouth. My friend calls it ‘the flirting triangle’ – when a man looks at your eyes and then down to your mouth when you’re talking. It is quite sexy and if you want to know what I mean think about how inappropriate it would be to stare intently at the mouth of a platonic friend while they’re talking! Anyway, the looks and the little touches and how closely we were standing made the atmosphere really charged - it was intense.
I was mid-sentence when he suddenly grabbed me and kissed me.
Pass me a bucket of cold water please.
I’ve developed a VERY strong infatuation. The type of thing that makes him look like a movie star through a soft focus lense. The type of thing that makes you not want to eat! Yes. Seriously!
It’s so bad that I’ve had to orchestrate a break from seeing him so that I can get a grip. He probably thinks I don’t phone him and I don’t seem over keen to see him because I’m not interested – but it’s because I’m too interested too soon and it’s scary.
I’ve only met the man three times for god’s sake – it’s got to be hormones (bloody hormones again!). Good old oxytocin. (the ‘love’ or bonding chemical in the brain, if you didn’t know). I’m Oxy-toxic!
When we were in the club, he asked me if I’d go back to his place and I said no. He said: “Right answer.” (And he seemed pleased. That’s an unusual reaction for a man who’s just been turned down for sex). And if my oxytocin levels have risen to this level just by having a few snogs, can you imagine how I’d be feeling if I had gone back to his place? I don’t think I’d be able to get through the day!
You might think I’m unromantic or cold. I’m not (I can assure you, what I’m feeling is definitely not cold!), I just want to be practical and sensible. I don’t even know the guy. Everything I feel is based on conclusions I’ve drawn from what I’ve seen so far (which has all been very lovely) and I could be projecting my own ideals on to him. He could turn out to be very different to who I now think he is. Even the most idealistic and starry-eyed people must have to admit that it’s better to be cautious at this early point.
Right now, he seems sharp, intelligent, funny and charming and I honestly can’t stop thinking about him and I feel a kind of sick tightening somewhere in the middle of me that is painful and pleasurable at the same time. I feel normal for short periods of time as I get on with everyday stuff and then as I remember I’ve met him it’s suddenly like someone’s jump-started my heart.
It’s been so long –SO long since I’ve felt like this. It feels dangerous.