Annie and Ian

I want a relationship like Annie and Ian's. They are roommate #2's friends and tonight we went to their house to watch rugby. I already tried to have a back up plan to get me out of it after a polite amount of time, but ended up having so much fun, I stayed til the game was over. We ordered take out Indian from a place near Chalk Farm and Camden called Maharani, and it was the best goddamned food I've ever had in my life. Okay, I know I say that a lot, but dear Lord, it was unbelievable. I'm not going to go all food writer and describe the nuances of flavor. I'm on holiday. I don't feel like it. I'll just say I had two plates and that I said at least ten times, "God, this is good." I wasn't the only one saying it. Everyone in the room was in heaven. Roomie #2 had stumbled upon this place by accident and was guided solely by his nose. We had lamb biryani, sauteed spinach and simple buttered eggplant. I hate eggplant but this stuff was gold. I actually enjoyed the rugby match. Who knew? It's a rather civilized sport, very organized and polite. Plus, the guys are totally hot. Okay, so that's why I liked it. So sue me.

Perhaps one of the most unexpected highlights of the evening was watching Annie and Ian interact. She is animated and intense and he is quiet and kind. He lets her go wild and she never talks over him or tries to get her way. Their love was totally obvious. They weren't overt about it, but they could be seen cuddling close together and kissing every now and then. For once, I didn't find it annoying. Maybe because their love was so believable and real, it wasn't up for show or just some temporary attraction. They'd been together awhile and I was fully convinced they were in it for the right reasons. More so, they were in it together. Annie is French and a bit hotheaded and Ian is reserved but very well spoken and eager to speak his mind. Together, they butted heads from time to time, but he always allowed her to make a point, and she him. It was a lovely give and take. I'm making more observations every day about what makes people good for each other. I watch couples all over the place. This is a town of love. I'm not sure how much of it is fleeting and how much is lasting, but I can see a difference in this country as opposed to the U.S. Here, it's more of an art. There are flowers. There are nice dinners, romance, hand holding. Even couples making out at the train platform signify some sort of longing. Lovers who simply can't bear to part. There's pure cinema in that. For me, though, the biggest difference is communication. I've been longing for it for some time now from a partner. To me, it's as natural as breathing, but men on the whole don't seem to be able to do it. Or maybe it's just the men I know. I crave it, I require it, I think. Here, every man I've met is a natural communicator. Even Roomie #1's young friends communicated with me at length. Sure it was about deep fried snickers, but they had something to say. Then, they spoke with each other. About politics, about television and sports, about tea. Men here talk. Ian had so many brilliant things to say about everything. All night. We watched Strictly Come Dancing, which is the original Dancing with the Stars. He had stuff to say about that, stuff to say about how news is filtered in different publications, about the obesity problem in England, about nutrition, about rugby and even about Johnny Depp. His friend from downstairs came up and even though he was a quiet guy, he joined in the conversation. Everyone was talking. I love that. I love hearing people's opinions and I love having a forum open for discussing things. I love that I just spent an evening with strangers and have learned even more about what I want from a relationship. Funny I had to come to another country to discover that.