Dating Nightmare Part 2 By Leah Scarpati

Part 1, Part 2.

I'm pleased to say that I have a different slant on the subject now. I'm so fickle...all it takes is a month of dating with a TDH rugby playing fireman and the dating garden's all rosy! All the time I was complaining about the crap first dates with guys I very easily found something wrong with (often when there probably wasn't actually anything wrong with them); I wasn't really thinking too far ahead. Just meeting the right person to 'click' with....fancy the arse off, have a laugh with, have an interesting conversation with and for the feeling to be mutual was kind of the first (and biggest) hurdle.

But then, I found myself on date 2, 3 , 4, 5, 6 and, oh my God.......this was possibly heading into a relationship! Shock Horror!! But I haven't been in a relationship for longer than I'd care to admit and I'd forgotten the dating etiquette. How many dates classify a relationship? Do you have to have 'that conversation'? How do you approach the subject without looking like a cling-on desperado when all you want to know is where you stand? Are you casually dating, therefore seeing other people? What do you introduce him as? Your boyfriend? Your current shag? Squeeze? Or as I was settling for, the bloke I've been dating.

Picture this: - It's been 6 dates. It's coming up to Christmas. The card shops are full of sloppy 'Boyfriend' cards or ones emblazoned 'To the one I love'. I'm standing there with a highly amused mate, looking flummoxed and feeling a bit pathetically panicky. I mean, doesn't what you choose make a statement? And what if you've both got different ideas of what's going on? So I played it safe...ish. A Purple Ronnie (To someone Special) card. Funny, opt for funny. Anyway, ater a couple of drunken conversations about taking things slow, seeing how we go and awkwardly being introduced to one of his friends as 'a mate'. 'The conversation' was definitely on the cards. And so it was kind of decided.....

We're not 'just' dating anymore, we like each other, we're not seeing any other people, nor have the intention to - and by introducing me to people as his girlfriend (which they all presumed I was anyway) it doesn't mean things are heading off at a million miles an hour. And I know where I stand, more importantly! So I really like him, particularly because he doesn't think I'm fat and that my lumpy bits are in fact quite nice! (Mad, 'cos even I don't think that!). And I already know that I can go out and get embarrassingly shit-faced and he'd still want to see me again because that's what I did on our first date (that's a completely different blog...).

So yes, at the minute, the garden's rosey. But it's still early days, nice exciting early days and unfortunately when you're picking out cards or changing your details on your MySPACE site, you can only pick single or in a relationship...there's no choice to pick, 'just started seeing a guy I like'. So, if you happen to be reading this Mr...(you know who you are) don't freak out!

Comments System Prototype Version 1.0 by Mo

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