I was on the pull that night, and I did warm a bloke's sheets by day's end, but it was also the evening I met
him
.
He is out of place,
I thought. He didn't fit the room.
The pub was crowded with Canary Wharf city-boys β and he was one of the clique too β but unlike his colleagues, his suit
fit
. But it wasn't just his tailoring that set him apart, or his stature and easy charisma for that matter.
No, there was something... Arg! It's hard to articulate.
He wasn't the centre of attention in his group, but his friends worked for his approval β most likely without even realising it. He wielded a subtle power. And it was no accident, I knew. He was in complete control.
Everything he did was calculated and precise: how he spoke, what he said, how he moved, the way he surveyed the room...
Of course, he knew I was studying him. Those eyes (God, I'm getting wet just thinking about them), those eyes didn't miss a thing.
Now, I'm used to boys staring at my tits (I like that they do, I admit) but invariably they'll continue to smirk, baring wolves' teeth. And some irreverent, rabid pup will bark a lewd, no doubt well thought-out, reflection about my character while the pack howls.
Fuck the patriarchy!
His
consideration, however, was altogether different. He saw
me
. And he knew that I saw
him
.
It freaked me out.
In hindsight, I believe my reaction belied my sense that he knew something about me that I did not.
For the rest of the evening, my friend and I flirted, enjoying the attention of men, but I avoided the man who seemed to know me, affording him only a few glances. Okay, more than a few. But we didn't speak.
That is, until last orders, when I hugged my bestie good night and locked arms with the handsome twenty-something who I intended to bed. This is the moment
he
decided to approach me.
"Here is my number," he said, handing me a folded piece of thick, white paper (seriously, it felt like cardboard), and then he said farewell to the both of us. "Enjoy your evening."
What? My night-partner and I laughed at the incident. "Can you believe that guy?"
But I knew this very well: I
was
going to phone.
The next morning, when I woke up in a foreign bed, I reached for my purse and opened the folded paper. It read, "Christopher F.," followed by a number, written neatly with a fountain pen.
--
I worked up the courage and phoned him two days later.
Let's see what you got, Mr. F.
"Hello."
His voice was warm and deep.
"Hi, Christopher? My name's Sam. Samantha." Why was my voice quivering? "You gave me your numberβ"
"At the Fox and Wasp."
"Yes."
"I'm pleased you called, Samantha."
Those words made me stupidly giddy.
What the hell?
I thought.
"I'd like to meet," he said. "Would you be comfortable with that?"
Would I?
Yes,
I thought.
"No," I said. "Not yet."
Look, I've seen American Psycho and Britain has their fair few. You never know what people are capable of. I needed to make an effort at due diligence, right? Unlike my one-night stands, I didn't fully know Christopher's intentions. I mean, I was pretty sure he wanted to fuck me, but there was obviously something more. God, it's funny to think what I would have done had I known the extent of his desires!
As much as I wanted to ride out the silence, I couldn't do it. "Can we talk?" I said. "Before we meet. Get to know each other a bit."
"That is an excellent idea, Samantha."
"Just Sam. Please."
"Sam... I like that."
I swear my cunt gushed.
"What do you want to talk about?" he said.
"I can't now," I said quickly. "Need to go. I'll text you my email. Mail me."
"Of course," he replied.
"Bye."
"Goodbye, Sam."
I fell backwards onto my bed.
Smooth as fuck,
I thought wryly.
After tapping my phone on my forehead for ten minutes, I messaged him my email. And then I went for a long-ass run in the rain.
--
His email arrived that very evening.
I'm happy to share intimate details with you. I'm a heart-on-my-sleeve kinda gal, in case you were wondering. But his email is private.
Let me tell you, rather, what surprised me.
Given our brief interaction, I totally expected his email to be a one-liner. "Tell me about yourself." Or, "Why were you watching me?" Instead, his letter was a
proper
letter, elegant and engaging.
Christopher can string a sentence together. I fancy myself a writer (I do creative writing courses and shit) and I recognise style when I see it. He's a proficient writer, and I
really
liked that.
He asked a ton of questions about a variety of topics, subjects that were mostly of interest to me (fancy that), and his queries hinted at his own knowledge and curiosity. He genuinely cared about my opinion, or so it felt. I was sceptical, of course. I've had enough showoff men feign interest as a means to an end.