*Jamie, 27- Lisbon Lover: Part 2
Pros:
SO funny and goofy
Super attractive (Blonde surfer vibe)
Insane chemistry
Really nice
Knows good restaurants
Organic connection
Amazing dancer
Gentleman
Cons:
Not the best communicator
Well that was an eventful night.
Honestly didn’t get much sleep. This guy’s like the damn energizer bunny. But I loved it. Loved every second of it. It was also nice waking up next to someone again. Waking up wrapped in someone’s arms? Is there littttterally a better feeling!? (This is when all the don’t touch me when I’m sleeping people say- “that’s my actual nightmare.”) I’m like, at a minimum- your foot better be touching my foot, and at a maximum, if I could crawl inside your skin I would. Super normal and not weird at all!
Anyway, in the morning we kept the dance party going… It started with morning kisses… innocent enough.. but you have two absolutely feral people who somehow crossed paths, so…
No complaints here.
His alarm went off… he checked his calendar and emails from bed.
J: I have a meeting in 30 minutes
He works from home so his commute is just the short walk from his room to his kitchen. 30 minutes…. He smiles and rolls on top of me for one more dance.
(Well okayyy, fioneee….if you insist super hot Lisbon lover… if you insist. I can pencil you into my very busy vacation schedule of doing nothing.)
After 30 minutes, he casually throws on a white button down and heads to his desk (business on the top, party on the bottom). He told me it wouldn’t be long so I could just chill in bed. While he was in his meeting, I was just observing his room. I wasn’t like snooping around, opening drawers… I was just ~taking it in. There was a surf board against the wall (hot), a skateboard.. hm.. he skateboards? Not a good or bad thing, just an observation. A bottle of lotion on the dresser.. thank God for me! White boys never moisturize…. and if I don’t, I’ll literally turn into an alligator. (Although now while I’m writing this, I’m realizing- I think boys have other uses for lotion, so… nevermind.)
I get on my phone to text my friends about my crazy night. Tiff will not believe what happened after she left. My front camera accidentally turned on- UUUAHHHHH (barf emoji)… what the f*uck lol. I had sweat off most of my makeup. My mascara had completely transferred onto the pillow (“Face down, ass up, that’s the way we like to f***”… you’re supposed to sing that- The 2 Live Crew version). My eyeliner was smudged down my face. I looked like a ran a marathon. I basically did run a marathon.
Anyway- after his meeting, we picked up right where we left off. Nice life right? This guy got to wake up next to a baddie, go do his meeting, and then come right back to a baddie (yeah, even if I looked like a little crackhead, I’m still a bad b*tch). Then… out of nowhere, we hear his doorbell (wtf). I’m like… “are you expecting someone…?”
J: Uhh no…
I swear to God if some Portuguese girl is about to walk in here and cuss me out…..
IDK! It’s not like I’ve built a lifetime of trust with this guy, I only met him last night!!
He goes to check who it is…. and, it’s his maid!
J: Oh I forgot she was coming today (laughing)
Me: Oh my Godd…
I frantically throw some clothes on and walk into the kitchen. Her eyes opened up when she saw me… (I don’t think she was expecting to see a girl walk out of that room). “Beautiful woman! Beautiful woman!”
She was SUCH a cute lady. I was flattered… a little embarrassed. “Hi.. nice to meet you.”
She goes “JAMIE! Come ova here!” and whips him with a t-shirt. He was laughing. The whole thing was really cute.
So Jamie actually needs to get back to work because he has a big boy job, but he tells me I can make myself at home. He puts on Netflix for me and goes to his desk. It’s kinda fun because from the couch in the living room, I can see straight into the kitchen. And his desk is right in my line of sight. Kinda hot watching a guy work. I’m half paying attention to my show, and half just staring at him. In between his meetings, he would walk over to the couch, kiss me, (make sure I’m fine bla bla), and go back to his desk. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH butterflies butterflies butterflies. Is there any girl in the world who wouldn’t love that?
Around noon he tells me that after his next meeting we’ll go out for lunch. There’s this seafood place in his neighborhood he’s been wanting to try. I changed out of the oversized clothes I slept in and back into the outfit I was wearing the night before.
J: Ready?
Me: Yeah, ready!
TBH, I didn’t need that much time to get ready. I didn’t have any of my makeup with me obviously, so I was going totally fresh- faced. (No- he doesn’t get a gold star for liking me without makeup- I look totally fine without makeup :) GASP…a girl that’s happy with herself in 2023 when we’re constantly told that we need to fix something… shocking. I probably just wished I had my tweezers to pluck out my chin hairs, but besides that, good to go.)
We did a short walk through his neighborhood to get to the restaurant. Yay, it was the first time I was seeing Alfama during the day. I loved this little old neighborhood. The narrow cobblestone streets, the steep hills, the historic buildings. We get to the restaurant and it’s a super low-key spot on the street basically. All the tables were outside, and they had these big grills running where they grill up the seafood that was caught that morning (Yummmm). We ordered two different fish dishes and snacked on the olives on the table while talking. Interesting sitting across from someone in the daylight, isn’t it? (Am I supposed to act like your tongue wasn’t down my throat this morning?) Anyway we got our food- super simple and fresh. Fish, lemon, tomatoes. I think that’s what I liked about the cuisine, just good ingredients prepared in a simple way, that just blows your mind. I liked that he was a foodie like me. We both appreciated a good meal.
After lunch we had some time before his next meeting, so we decided to get a light workout in. Some cardio. A little yoga (downward dog). I’m not gonna lie though, kissing someone after eating fish that was still in the ocean a few hours before means you’re both gonna smell like a fish market. But whatever… at least it was both of us. I hung out for a bit more at his place. (I didn’t want to overstay my welcome, but I obviously liked the company). He told me he had to go to his moms house but would be back for dinner and we could meet up. Fabulous. I was so happy I had someone to hang out with in the city. This really worked out!
Anyway, I went home, took a shower, got a blow out (I love getting blow dries on vacation <3), changed, and texted him.
J: I’m still in Cascais, I don’t think I’m gonna make it for dinner
………. hm….
Me: No worries!
PSA- If I ever just say “no worries exclamation point”… nothing before or after.. be worried. Because I’m f*cking annoyed.
I had to get myself together real quick. Manage expectations 101. This was a vacation fling. It was fun. Great memory. Got a lot of good laughs. But this guy doesn’t actually owe me anything. I wasn’t annoyed that he wasn’t getting dinner with me. I’m not that obsessive lol. There’s just two things that are important to me. Communication and planning. Like I said, I’m generally really chill.. I don’t care if you’re running late and I don’t even care if you have to change or cancel plans. All I care about is that you tell me, so I’m not waiting around like a f*cking idot. Just let me know so I can make other plans (before I reach out to you). I mean, I don’t think that’s asking for too much- we’re not in our teens or early 20’s anymore.
Whatever- I went on a walk with my fresh blow dry. Got a slice of pizza and just people watched. It was a Wednesday but I swear, every night is a party night in Lisbon. Pink Street was fully packed. Everyone was out drinking and having fun. I didn’t have Wifi, but right when I passed the bar I was at where I met Jamie, I got connected, and I got a text from him.
J: 11:38: “Only just got back now :/”
J: 11:45: “You out in Lisbon?”
Me: 11:46: “I just went on a walk haha. Walked around pink street and actually just got connected to the wifi where I met you”
No response… Ooooookayyy. Whatever, I had already come to terms with the fact that this was fun, but I would probably never see him again. It’s hard to tell when you first meet someone if they’re just not that interested, or they’re just not the best communicators. Either way, I was not going to stick around to find out. I just didn’t wanna be disappointed. I was supposed to leave Lisbon the next day anyway to visit one of my gorgeous platonic guy friends in Comporta for the beach portion of my trip. So I had already decided I was gonna take the early train. Let this beautiful memory be a beautiful memory.
The next morning Jamie sent me a voicenote. He said since his messages weren’t going through to me, he assumed I was already out and about without wifi, and passed out and went to sleep. Totally fair. He did double text, it’s not like he didn’t try. I think my guard just very quickly went back up. He told me that he had lunch plans with his mom and sister, but would be free after if I was still around. (He just had a flight at 9 pm for a business trip). I didn’t respond to that text. It’s not that I was mad, I just didn’t want to risk getting disappointed twice. (Do you see how overprotective I am of myself and how BIZZARE it was that I just dropped my guard so quickly with him the day before).
So anyway, before my train, I was rushing to try to find a salon where I could squeeze in a wax. I needed a wax- like neck down, before I was on the beach in a swimsuit. Are you guys thinking… wait…. Nay… you did this whole dance marathon with this guy WITHOUT A WAX!?!…. Uhhh… Yeah (shrug emoji). I wasn’t expecting it so I wasn’t prepared!!! Clearly it was a non-issue. Ladies- this just goes to show, so many of the things we’re insecure about…..these men don’t care!!! ANYWAY- I’m waiting for my appointment and texting my friend in Comporta about my arrival time. He was having a crazy day at work, and wouldn’t have been able to pick me up until later. I told him not to stress (I hate being a difficult guest), and that there was a later train. I’d just take that one. (Oh sh*t…… I already checked out of my Airbnb.. You literally cannot walk around the cobblestone streets of Libson with luggage-unless you have a death wish). Hmm…. if only I knew someone with an apartment in the city where I could go burn some time before my train……… (can you picture my little grin).
I texted Jamie back…. I can be really forgiving when I need something I want to be. I’m kiddingggg lol. I told him that I was thinking of taking a later train and asked if I could come over with my luggage. Of course he said yes and said he would text me when he got back from his lunch. It was perfect timing because the woman really messed up my wax so the hotel comped me a cheesecake and a margarita (and I got a full refund woohoo!). So by the time I was done, he was home from lunch.
I Ubered to his place and rang the doorbell. He was on his balcony and shouted down at me “Oy”. I looked up… “Hi… I’m back.” Damn, it’s hard not to smile when you see him. He came down and hugged me and took my bags. It’s an old building so there’s no elevator. He went up the 3 flights of stairs and I followed. He was silly and sweet as usual. Funny and flirty. Hot and horny (lol). As much as my guard was up before, as soon as I’m in his presence again, it just drops. What is it with this guy!? He had a meeting shortly after I got there so I just hung out in his living room watching “Never Have I Ever” until he was done. He came and sat with me on the couch… we had enough time for [insert name of Michael Jordan documentary here].
It was……………..obviously amazing, like amazing, amazing.. but is anyone really surprised at this point.
Anyway, after, we both had to get ready for our trips. I had to reorganize some of my bags. Just consolidate a few things to make it easier for me to carry on the train. Repack a bit. He had his business trip that night also, so he was also packing.
J: Am I forgetting anything?
Me: Phone, keys, wallet? Passport?…Chargers?..
J: Yeah, I’ve got it.
Me: Okay then I think you’re all set
We were zipping up our suitcases, tying our shoes… just getting ready to head out the door. And I couldn’t help but to look at him and laugh.
J: What?
Me: Nothing.. It’s gonna sound weird… but it’s just kinda funny… I feel like in the past 48 hours- not even.. we had this little micro “relationship.” Like I met your friends, we went out for dinner, the next day I’m on your couch with no makeup on watching TV… I met your MAID (lol), and now even though we’re going to two different places, it’s almost like we’re about to go on a trip together”
He laughed, “Oh yeah you did meet my friends… and my maid!! Yeah that’s funny… Does feel like longer than 48 hours.”
We ordered our Ubers and he carried my suitcases down. We had to walk up his street a bit, since it’s a part of the old town where Ubers aren’t allowed to go. He was pulling my luggage up the cobblestone street (love a gentleman). I was kinda thinking…. how are we gonna say goodbye?.. Is it gonna be awkward? I mean, we totally get along like good friends… but is this gonna be weird? I mean how do you say, thanks for the great time, have a nice life? I mean I’m not delusional, I didn’t expect more from this. As much as I really, really enjoyed it and loved being around him. (And that’s on maturity, baby).
His Uber got there just a minute before mine. He basically lives off a street where there’s a famous tram that passes on the corner. (Hence the reason Ubers aren’t really allowed to stop there). So his Uber parks, the tram is stopped right behind it, there’s a bunch of cars honking right behind the tram, and his Uber driver is shouting at him to hurry up and get in. It was complete chaos. Jamie is like “Uhh… I gotta go, text me when your Uber comes. Bye.”
AHAHA… Oh man, I was like so grateful that saved us from a long, drawn out goodbye. The thing is, I was so grateful I met him. He literally made my trip so much better. I just didn’t wanna be too mushy and actually say it. I smiled and waved at him as the Uber pulled away.
Ah…
Modern romance, old town.
TO BE CONTINUED…..
Dating 101 Key Take Aways:
Not everyone communicates the same way, and it’s not always that serious. For sure have a standard for yourself, but also chill the f out a bit.
