James is – exactly as Sophie said – absolutely charming, and even better-looking in the flesh. I get to Polpo five minutes late, hoping desperately that he’s the sort of person who turns up early, and that I’m not going to be sitting there looking tragic for half an hour and nursing a drink while the bar staff look at me with knowing glances. And I’m in luck.
‘Hi,’ he says, standing up as I arrive. He leans across, putting a hand on my arm, and kisses me on the cheek. He smells of something spicy and woody and sort of lemony. It’s nice.
We order a bottle of red and look at the menu. The waiters are just the right level of helpful and take our order of a few sharing plates. For some reason, I don’t feel nervous or butterflies-ish, and we chat about work, and Soph – laughing about the fact that she’s such a super-organised perfectionist – and he tells me about growing up in Yorkshire. He’s got a lovely accent.
‘Here we are,’ says the waiter, bringing a tray of assorted dishes and setting them on the table in front of us. It looks amazing.
‘I don’t know where to start,’ James says, picking up the bottle and pouring some more into our glasses.
‘These are amazing.’ I pass him a tiny little piece of sausage wrapped in pieces of dried tomato.
‘Try this.’ He offers a little arancini ball, and our fingers touch as he passes it to me before I put it in my mouth. It’s weird. I don’t feel that nervous buzz I’ve experienced with Alex, but it’s nice being with him. It’s easy, and relaxed.
When I go to the bathroom, I check my messages and both Gen and Sophie have been in touch, dying to know how I’m getting on.
I like him, I say, standing by the mirrors.
EXCELLENT news, Sophie types. I bet she’s planning a new side hustle as a dating service as we speak.
‘We’ve finished this wine, somehow,’ James says when I return, lifting up the bottle and shaking it from side to side. We’ve eaten all the food, too.
‘We could get cocktails,’ I say, spying a list on a board by the bar. ‘Unless you want to get back?’
He shakes his head and looks at me directly with his nice, kind brown eyes. ‘I’m not in any rush, are you?’
‘Not at all.’ I smile at him, and we order two negronis.
And then we drink another three, and as I stand up from the table – he’s paid the bill, and refused to take my share – I realise I feel more than a little bit fuzzy round the edges. Outside it’s not quite dark, the sky hazed a pale-around-the-edges blue, the moon a perfect half-circle.
‘Thanks for a lovely night,’ I say.
‘D’you want to call a cab?’ James looks down the street, scanning for black cabs.
‘I’ll just get the bus.’
He offers to walk me to the bus stop. We wander along, side by side, arms occasionally brushing. It’s still warm, the heat of the day radiating from the pavement and the walls of the buildings.
‘I love London at this time of night,’ he says.
‘I love London full stop.’
‘I think when you’re not from here, you really appreciate what an amazing place it is to live.’
I nod. ‘I’ve been exploring since I moved here at the beginning of the year,’ I say. I don’t mention that I’ve been covering the city on foot with the housemate I have a crush on. It’s been a while since we’ve been for a walk together – he’s been doing loads of agency work, and – I shake my head, realising that I shouldn’t be thinking about him when I’m on a real-life actual date with a handsome Yorkshireman. ‘And there’s so much to discover,’ I say, sounding like a tour guide. ‘History everywhere.’
‘That’s exactly how I feel,’ James says. We reach my stop and I see the bus is approaching.
‘Right, well, I better get going. I’ve had a really good night,’ James says.
‘Me too,’ I say, again. I’m not actually sure how you do this whole dating thing. It’s been so long that I’m completely out of practice.
‘Do you – I mean would you—’ He starts, then clears his throat. ‘Would you like to go out again? With me, I mean?’
And something about the awkwardness of the situation makes us both laugh. I nod. ‘Yes, please,’ I say. ‘I’d like that a lot.’
‘I’ll message you,’ he says.
My bus arrives, and I climb on. When I get to my seat and look back, I see he’s still standing there, waiting until I leave to make sure I’m on board safely.