I took me a long time to forgive myself for what I'd done. I thought what I did was unforgivable, cruel even. However, with almost fifteen years of hindsight, I think inevitable would have been the better word. Let me explain.
An 18-year old me, (Eoghan, pronounced "oh in"!), fresh out of school and weeks before starting college (Maynooth University, here in Ireland), had kissed what was one of my better friends at our debs. (Think end of year graduation party). The stress of having a date for the debs was very real, and to cope, most of us slightly awkward guys and girls had just asked friends to go strictly as friends. Melissa was the date of one of my best buddies. I knew Melissa very well, summer job together highlighting the time we spent together in class as well, great fun, good looking girl. Never one I had looked at as someone to try "score" as it were. A part of that was probably her obsession with Tom, the above named buddy who accepted Melissa's proposal to be her date. Now, Melissa made it no secret that if Tom were to attempt anything at all with her she would be very willing to proceed. Unfortunately for Melissa, I knew Tom had zero intentions with her and assumed that would stay the case. This is all very high-school drama stuff I get it, but just bear it in mind for now.
Debs night came, drinks were had, tears were cried, Tom hooked up with Elaine and Melissa ended up sobbing into my shoulder because I'm the sap that would listen. Again, very high school drama nonsense. If you knew me personally, you would know where this ends up straight away, so a brief synopsis, I felt bad for her, we kissed, awkward few days afterwards, and long story short we ended up going steady. She was going to a different college, but still only in Dublin so just up the road. I started university a with a one month girlfriend who was obsessed with my friend, (who I was in college with, I might add).
A quick zoom out if you don't mind. I was obsessed with Gaelic football in school, didn't care about anything else, wanted to play for Dublin, was on the development teams growing up etc. So I hardly ever drank, I almost never went out. Never really got up to any major mischief. Had a few girlfriends, but they were never the sort who would go any further than kissing and maybe second or third base. I was a good looking lad, had plenty of interest, but never any "action".
I started university in the same boat. Apparently, Melissa was the take it slow kind of girl. Now, I do need to stress, if I could go back in time and put an arm around my younger self's shoulder and give some advice, I'd tell me to cop the fuck on and break up with her. A professional might give a different analysis, but I suspect to this day that my competitive nature just couldn't sit with the fact that I knew If Tom came in and asked the question, Melissa would want him instead. I had to beat him. I had to be the one she wanted more than him. Insane I know, especially when I hadn't wanted her in the first place!!
But look, mistakes happen, people cop on and make the right decisions and things generally work out the way they are supposed to. Right? Well, I graduated from university 4 years later with a degree, a higher diploma in education and a fully intact virginity card. Those were my college years. Gone. The only thing I had learned about sex and general sexual exploration is that it's something that's given to the very very lucky. It's for others. It's still difficult to not be embarrassed by that fact, but there we were. Still going out 4+ years later. Sexless, with loads of excuses, and she was looking at houses that we should get. I was often praying in the staff room that I wouldn't get pulled into a conversation with other teachers about sex in case I said something that "outed" me. It was mortifying.
So what did I do that was so cruel and unforgivable? Dan, (a thirty something year old PE teacher) was getting married. A few of the lads from the staff room, myself included were invited on the stag. It was my first invite to a stag, and with none of MY friends there, I'll admit I was slightly outside of my comfort zone, but the lads were unbelievably sound and I was sure it would be good craic. We weren't exactly going to Las Vegas now, but a day out drinking in the local town that he grew up in, Mullingar, went by in a flash. A pint or two in every other pub on the main street meant that by about 1.30am we were in the queue for the nightclub with about half of the lads still standing and the other half god knows where! I had spent most of the night just trying to keep up with the lads, so much so that I had barely noticed Sarah, her sister and a few other local Mullingar girls nearby. (I would love to tell you Sarah's real name, we definitely exchanged names but your guess is as good as mine I'm embarrassed to say).
We started having the craic with Sarah and her sister as a group at first, and then it became apparent, even to very drunk me that Sarah had her eyes on me. Now I wasn't exactly behaving like Casanova here, but I'd obviously said enough to hold her interest. Decision time came when sister started pulling at Sarah's hand to get her going home. I'll never forget these words, drunken me remembers this night patchily, but this line vividly. "No you go ahead, I'm going home with Eoin, yea?". Eyes locked on mine for every word. Zero chance of misinterpretation. I glanced around at the leftovers of our bunch. We were all over the place. I could slip away and nobody would know. "I'll get her home yeah, no hassle". Decision made. As I locked arms with Sarah and gave one last look over my shoulder to double check my "getaway", my heart was thumping in my chest. Hopefully nobody had noticed me slinking away.
A taxi rank was found fast enough, Sarah was in her home town so guided me straight there. Even in the short queue for a taxi, I was simultaneously inventing elaborate excuses for the lads for why I had left early (as if they'd even notice) and also making poor attempts at convincing myself that I could just drop her to her door, tell her I had a girlfriend and that I couldn't do this to her. I couldn't do this. It was wrong. We were in the taxi. It was still wrong. All of those thoughts started to drift away when she leaned in and kissed me while squeezing the inside of my thigh and letting her hand nudge up against my rapidly growing dick. My instinctive, chimpanzee brain took over. This was fine. I don't care anymore if I'm cheating, I wanted this right now. Her already short dress soon had my right hand brushing over her lace panties and making her gasp into my mouth as we kissed.
This gave me my first feeling of taking control in the whole situation. There was a lot of new stuff happening for me right here, but I swear if there was an international competition for hand use, I would medal. I was completely in my wheelhouse. After all, it was the height of sexual activity I had had! I knew I was good here. I can still feel that sensation of how wet she was instantly when my fingers found that slight protruding mound running down the center of what were some very sheer and lacy panties. The taxi ride was all too short, but was probably for the best as I needed to feel some skin on my now rock hard dick.
Twenty euro was hastily thrown to the taxi man and we walked up to Sarah's house. Sarah had a house. I hadn't even asked. I was still in my early 20's, I still lived in the world of shared houses. I inquisitively asked if we needed to be quiet. "No, all good. My son is at his dad's for the weekend". This was said as casually as if she had told me her family situation already. Which, to be fair, she probably had. "Ah right, that's cool". How old was Sarah? She had kids. Well she's done this before then, that makes one of us. My anxiety tripled. Did I need to worry about who was in here? Was this all an elaborate prank with me as the joke? Sarah was 28. She had told me as we all guessed each other's ages. Relax Eoin. I reasoned with myself. Just go with it.
It didn't make sense to me that she actually just wanted to sleep with me. Perfect hindsight again here, she just wanted to fuck and let the rest was just be the rest. But I had developed such a warped idea of what sex was and could be that I had no clue that it could be like this. Of course, I wasn't thinking about any of this then, I was just thinking if I was about to make a huge mistake.
"Are you okay?"
The question snapped me back to reality. "Still fancy that cup of tea?". The slight grin told me that there was to be no tea. "Yea, yea of course. Sorry, I thought I left my wallet in the taxi, but I have it here, all good". Monkey-brain kicks in again. Especially as she opens her door with one hand pushing it open, and pulled me in by my belt with her free hand. The door is closed, and I'm in her house. The newest of new territory, but my rock hard dick was doing the thinking now.
In what looked like a practiced move, she kicked off her heels and dropped till her eyes were level with my mouth, rolled her shoulder back and dropped and caught her jacket behind her before it hit the floor. She was absolutely stunning in that moment. Maybe 5'4, jet black hair, she looked athletic without looking thin. She had thin lips which leant to her mischievous smile, a genuinely really attractive girl. Her eyes were a deep green, another glimpse of the night which remains incredibly vivid.
I shut my jaw quickly enough to stop her thinking she had brought home someone who'd just escaped the mental institute.