A Double Date

Well, it was kind of a double date. I'd mentioned to Nick that I have a discount card to Strada, a local Italian restaurant, that's good for up to 4 people and he said we should take advantage of that before I go. My thoughts exactly. He suggested that I invite Yseult out and that we pair her up with one of the guys - awesome idea! After that fiasco with that weirdo Martin, she needs to meet a real gentleman and Officers are nothing if not gentlemen. Woohoo! We decided on Charlie: tall (6'3"!), blond and tanned (very Californian), well-built, muscled and physically very fit (you'd have to be considering his line of work) and, of course, very cute. He's got a great sense of humour, very easy-going and has this grin and a twinkle in his eye that's both mischievous and innocent. He makes you want to grin back. We hoped Charlie and Yseult would hit it off.

I went over to Yseult's so that Nick only had one stop to make when he came by to pick us up. Charlie had suggested that we come by his house first for some pre-dinner drinks. He also wanted to show it off and boy, did he have a house to show off! It's not done yet but what he has done to the place is absolutely gorgeous. It's a terrace house and he's turned the inside into a cosy and comfortable haven. The house feels so warm and lived-in - shabby chic maybe? - and althought it's not a new build like Yseult's, it didn't feel old, crumbly or worn-out. I love it. Yseult's got serious competition for her house! Or maybe that's just me because I do prefer old houses with character over brand new houses.

Nick gave us a quick tour of the place. The ground floor has a front room - very Moroccan feeling - and a huge dining room that opens into the kitchen. The dining room is so big that it doubles as a second sitting room; apparently, that's where people usually end up when they come over, instead of in the front room. I love the spacious kitchen because it's got huge windows and a skylight so it's really airy and light. There's even a small garden in the back but Charlie's been neglecting his mowing chores.

Upstairs has a massive bathroom and two good-sized bedrooms. Charlie had designated a room for Nick already but he's going to let it out soon. Haha. The rooms have gorgeous hardwood floors - the original floorboards I think. The pièce de résistance was Charlie's room: the entire attic is the bedroom! Hardwood floors, again, and skylights, it's an absolute palace. Beautiful.

After finishing a bottle of red, we decided to walk to the restaurant as it would only take us 10 minutes and parking in town is a nightmare. Fortunately, Strada doesn't give away reservations unless the party's over 45 minutes late; we were 30 minutes overdue. Oops!

Dinner was amazing. I love Italian food. We got a bottle of house red and some appetizers to start with. I don't remember what the other guys had but I had lobster risotto for my main course and it was sooooo good!!! Ohmygoodness, I love lobster. It was so perfect: good friends (and gorgeous men haha!), delicious Italian food, rich red wine and a lovely restaurant with just the right ambiance.

Conversation flowed really easily and I think having so much wine (we ended finishing 2 bottles at the restaurant) around really helped, too. I didn't drink that much, of course, but I must've drank enough because the comments that were coming out of my mouth! Oh my! At one point, I couldn't believe that I'd just said what I'd said - I'm not going to repeat it! - and neither could Yseult. Luckily neither of the guys had heard what I'd said. I'm terrible haha! ...It was just a little bit of wine!

After dinner we went to The Castle pub, which is on the way back to Charlie's house, and had another drink. I only had a Coke since I was craving it; the other three had lager, lager and a shot of JD (that was Yseult!). By this time, we were pretty drunk and were in no condition to be driving anywhere. We made our way back to Charlie's and called a taxi for Yseult; Nick and I had decided to crash at his instead.

It was a pretty perfect night.