Page 50 of London, Love, & A Little Something Irish

I savor the feeling of his arms around me. They’re so big and strong I just want to melt into them after my extremely embarrassing moment.

“You good?” He asks. This is definitely a British way of asking “how are you?” Or “whats up?” I like how it sounds.

“I’m good! I just had one of the most embarrassing moments of my life but you know, I’m good,” I tell him as I chuckle nervously. The nerves are still working on leaving my body.

He takes my expression in and furrows his brow. “What happened?” He grins like he’s waiting for how I’m going to entertain him. He motions me over to a seat outside.

“So I’m basically a balance-challenged person, right?” I laugh.

He grins.

When I was a kid, I was fine. I took a few tumbles here and there, but I’m happy to report no bones were broken. Somewhere along the lines of teenagehood and now adulthood, my balance became abysmal. Maybe it’s the fact I stopped doing dance after I was 17? I don’t know.

“So here I am, on the tube, standing up too soon, while the train is still moving. But I do this all the time! It’s basic tube etiquette, right? But apparently, my feet are not as firmlyplanted on the ground as I think they are and they decide to fail me today.”

“I start tipping to the side, skidding, my arms flailing—trying to find something to grab onto.And instead of gracefully catching myself… I fall,” I continue.

“But I don’t justfall. No. I fall onto a seat. Ahumanseat. And Isit,” I say very dramatically.

I see his smile getting bigger.

“I have successfully fallen into a middle-aged man’s lap. The poor guy was probably just zoning out, contemplating life, and then—boom. Surprise, sir, here’s a full-grown woman on you!”

Nathan’s laughing now.

“I sit there, in thiscomplete stranger’s lap,for what is probably only three seconds but feels like forever. My dignity? Gone. So much so, I didn’t even want to look at the man as I got off the train.”

The train stopped, and I launched myself off of him, muttering, “Sorry,” without making any eye contact. I sprinted out of the train doors, heat rushing up my neck. And once I was safely out on the platform, I exhaled.

Then I started laughing. Ah, life. Only me.

“That sounds so much like you, Nataly,” he says as he continues to laugh.

“Graceful is my middle name,” I say as I laugh too.

I’ve also been thinking how to eat like a graceful lady in front of a man I’m extremely attracted to. I feel I’m just like Drew Barrymore inGoing the Distance, where Justin Long says, “you’ve got a little sauce,” and while her entire face is covered she asks, “where?” And he points to her whole half bottom of her face and says, “in this general area.”

That’s me. I get stuff everywhere. How am I supposed to impress this attractive guy who Idefinitely wantto kiss me in the near future if all I’ve got is food everywhere?!

But it’s fine. After laughing about my mishap, I feel lighter. Like maybe it’s okay if I spill crepe jam all over me.

The waiter comes over to take our drinks orders and I have a look at the menu. Apple & cinnamon crepe with salted caramel? Count me in.

The waiter comes back and takes our order.

“I’ll take the Kinder Bueno crepe,” Nathan says. It’s got Nutella in it.

“You’re like chocolate’s number one fan, aren’t you?” I smile as I rest my chin on my hand.

“For sure. One of my friends in school always had his mum put a chocolate bar in his lunch box and he never cared for it. I would always take it every day,” he replies.

I laugh. “That’s hilarious.”

We move onto different conversations about our favorite foods. Our crepes arrive, mine looking extra delicious with the salted caramel on top. Nathan’s is basically covered in chocolate.

Then, we shift onto the topic of animals.

“I remember looking up some of the interview questions for Hollister and seeing one online that said they might ask what animal we would be if we had to be one and why,” I laugh as I tell him this. I have no idea if that was actually accurate, but I totally prepared myself in case I was.

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