The Divine Chemistry

I know what you're thinking: It must be fun being a sex blogger... Right? I mean, sure, I don’t tell anyone that I sleep with that I do it, but there’s a certain shallwesay confidence that comes with knowing I’m going to write about their penises and dissect their performance. With that confidence, or “arrogance” as some would call it, I know that I can turn on the charm (in some way/shape/form/level of inebriation) and at least claim a moderate level of success.

But that illusion has now been smashed, cruelly, by the events of last night. Even a journalistically hard-nosed professional blogger such as myself would have to admit that events did not go as planned. I’m getting ahead of myself; let me set the scene...

Luke and I have been dating for a couple of weeks now. I would like to stress that we were kicking it old school on this front; in fact we were being positively Austenian in terms of self-restraint. Which is why, on date number four, we hadn’t so much as put hands up thick-knit jumpers. I think I was approaching a new record.

We met up for drinks as our (mutual) local – take note of that for later as you picture future awkward encounters – and were having a lovely time. He is funny and intelligent and interested in the world, and at least for the time being I was managing to persuade him that I was too. Despite being the preamble to the most awkward/embarrassing events of my life, it was extremely good fun.

After the pub we went back to his, on his suggestion I hasten to add; I was still being chaste and trying to pretend I didn’t mind either way. It’s still well below freezing in London, and his flat was like the arctic tundra. So we got under a blanket on the sofa and snuggled up. It was actually kind of romantic...

We started kissing, and I twisted myself round to face him. He put his arms around me and... Stopped. I was confused. But not to worry, I was confident that there was more kissing to come.

I will now quote word for word the most mortifying sentence I have ever heard.

Luke: “Is it just me or is there no chemistry between you and me?”

Me: “!?!”

Ohmotherfuckingholygod. Did that just happen? Did that actually just happen?! But I’m a sex blogger! It’s, like, my god-given ability to make people think they have chemistry with me. That’s how I manage to write this bloody blog in the first place! I cannot physically believe that he said that. Especially when he could have just shagged me and THEN told me! Not fair. Not fair at all.

[Also, it renders this entire post completely pointless. Apart from for the sake of allowing you all to share in my cringing embarrassment, which I suppose has some value. *Sigh*]

So there we were. I hadn’t really registered it until then, but I think I’d been mentally putting rather a lot of eggs into the Luke basket. And now they lay smashed underfoot like so many little Humpty Dumptys under the hooves of all the King’s horses. And amongst those shattered eggs were the fragments of my pride and self-confidence. How had I misread this so badly?! No chemistry? No fucking chemistry?!

I realised that in the 17 silent seconds since Luke asked that fateful rhetorical question, I had shifted all the way to the far end of the sofa, and crossed my arms. I didn’t even notice I was doing it, but I’m pretty sure there’s got to be something to that whole “defensive body language” thing. I may have been – for the first time ever – rendered utterly speechless, but my angry little arms were speaking volumes.

Eventually he said “Does it make it worse if I say I’d really like us to be friends?”

Yes. Yes it fucking does.

I should actually say at this point that despite my furious tone, and despite the wonderful mileage anecdotally, I didn’t actually feel that pissed off. For someone with such a propensity for blind rage and high drama, I just felt... Disappointed.

... A revelation which leads me to believe that Luke was right all along. Maybe we didn’t have the necessary spark after all? I mean, he didn’t rip my clothes off, but I wasn’t ripping his off either. I know I was attempting to be chaste, but I’ve never managed it before so what was it about Luke that meant I could?! Yes, I’d apparently hoped for quite a lot after our first few dates, but was I just making do because on paper we’re so well suited?

Luke walked me home and gave me a kiss on the cheek (ouch). I got into my bed and screwed my face up to see if I could have a little cry. But there was nothing. I think, in all honesty, despite this being the most humiliating moment of my life to date, I’m actually not heartbroken over the loss of Luke. And lest we forget, he and I are going to be friends after all...

I wonder how that one will pan out? I’ll keep you posted.

BeDJ