That was the day our lives changed forever. Dan was manning the barbecue and I asked him for a burger and…bam.
Well, not bam as in instant love. Bam as in I thought, Mmm. Look at those eyes. Look at those arms. He’s nice. He was wearing a blue T-shirt, which brought out his eyes. He had a chef’s apron round his waist, and he was flipping burgers really efficiently. Like he knew what he was doing. Like he was king of the burgers.
The funny thing is, I’d never have thought “ability to flip burgers” would be on the list of attributes I was looking for in a man. But there you go.
Watching him work that barbecue, cheerfully smiling all the while…I was impressed.
So I went to ask Alison who he was (“old college friend, works in property, really nice guy”) and made flirty conversation with him. And when that didn’t yield any results, I got Alison to invite us both to supper. And when that didn’t work, I bumped into him in the City “by accident” twice, including once in a very low-cut top (almost hooker-like, but I was getting a bit desperate). And then finally, finally, he noticed me and asked me out and it was love at, you know, about fifth sight.
In his defense (he says now), he was getting over another relationship and wasn’t really “out there.”
Also: We have slightly edited this story when we tell other people. Like, the low-cut hooker top. No one needs to know about that.
Anyway. Rewind to the point: Our eyes met over the barbecue and that was the beginning. One of those kismet moments that influence your life forever. A moment to cherish. A moment to mark, a decade later, with lunch at the Bar.
We like the Bar. It has great food and we love the vibe. Dan and I like a lot of the same things, actually—films, stand-up comedy, walks—although we have healthy differences too. You’ll never see me getting on a bike for exercise, for example. And you’ll never see Dan doing Christmas shopping. He has no interest in presents, and his birthday becomes an actual tussle. (Me: “You must want something. Think.” Dan [hunted]: “Get me…er…I think we’re out of pesto. Get me a jar of that.” Me: “A jar of pesto? For your birthday?”)
A woman in a black dress shows us to our table and presents us with two large gray folders.
“It’s a new menu,” she tells us. “Your waitress will be with you shortly.”
A new menu! As she leaves, I look up at Dan and I can see the unmistakable spark in his eye.
“Oh really?” I say teasingly. “You think?”
“Easy.” He nods.
“Big-head,” I retort.
“Challenge accepted. You have paper?”
“Of course.”
I always have paper and pens in my bag, because we’re always playing this game. I hand him a rollerball and a page torn out of my notebook and take the same for myself.
“OK,” I say. “Game on.”
The pair of us fall silent, devouring the menu with our eyes. There’s both bream and turbot, which makes things tricky…but even so, I know what Dan’s going to order. He’ll try to double-bluff me, but I’ll still catch him out. I know just how his mind weaves and winds.
“Done.” Dan scribbles a few words on the page and folds it over.
“Done!” I write my answer and fold my own paper over, just as our waitress arrives at the table.
“Would you like to order drinks?”
“Absolutely, and food too.” I smile at her. “I’d like a Negroni, then the scallops and the chicken.”
“A gin and tonic for me,” says Dan, when she’s finished writing. “Then the scallops also, and the bream.”
The waitress moves away and we wait till she’s out of earshot. Then:
“Got you!” I push my piece of paper toward Dan. “Although I didn’t say G&T. I thought you’d have champagne.”
“I got everything. Slam dunk.” Dan hands me his paper, and I see Negroni, scallops, chicken in his neat hand.
“Damn!” I exclaim. “I thought you’d guess langoustines.”
“With polenta? Please.” He grins and refreshes my water.
“I know you nearly put turbot.” I can’t help showing off, proving how well I know him. “It was between that and the bream, but you wanted the saffron fennel that came with the bream.”
Dan’s grin widens. Got him.
“By the way,” I add, shaking my napkin out, “I spoke to—”
“Oh, good! What did she—”
“It’s fine.”
“Great.” Dan sips his water, and I mentally tick that topic off the list.