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Lunch with Jack

We both recall the very first words we ever said to each other and it makes us laugh any time one of us brings it up.


I was leaving work and walking through the lobby to get outside. The usual Security Guard was Adam - who is gorgeous - and I liked saying 'goodbye' to him every afternoon. Without my glasses on, everyone looks the same to me so when I saw a guy in a suit at the concierge desk, I happily called out: "Bye Adam!"


The guy in the suit shook his head and called back sternly "I'm NOT Adam"


and that was how Jack and I met.


A few days after our 'meeting', I had to attend fire training for the building. In the room were a bunch of employees from every business included in the building - one of them was Jack.


There was a vacant seat next to him, so there I sat.


I beamed up at him "Hello not Adam!"


Haha.


Jack rolled his eyes "Hello annoying small person"


We both laughed. We talked and laughed together all through 'fire training' and have been really close friends ever since. We swapped numbers that day and every day we'd make time to 'hang out' - even if was just for a few minutes of insulting each other and laughing. We made plans and hung out on weekends and just grew closer and closer. A year went by and I invited Jack to my birthday dinner...


...and yesterday, he invited me to his :)


I had a wonderful time.


Jack loves Asian food so it didn't surprise me that he was having lunch at a 'roast duck' Chinese restaurant in Northbridge.


I was the first to arrive as Jack, his boyfriend Kane and their room-mate Natsu (who is NOT Chinese at all, he's a 6 foot tall, white GINGER guy for goodness sakes) had already gotten to the place and saved us all a table. I wasn't wearing my glasses (vanity) so I squinted and hoped to see a familiar face when Jack and Kane both stood and waved.


Ah. There you are!


Shortly after I arrived, Jack's friends Drakey and Harry arrived and that was it. No one else. I was the only girl with 2 gay couples.


Who would have thought it, eh?


What I liked best and what I wanted to write about today was how much Jack looked after me. I was anxious to be in an unfamiliar place with new people and Jack knew me well enough to understand that. As the guys were talking, trading insults (why do guys always do that?) and comparing technological stories about "ram", "coding" and "gaming", Jack would lean over and 'mansplain' to me what was going on. Sometimes, Jack would even call out "Hey guys - Janet doesn't know what you mean - can you explain/cut it out/talk about something else/give me a moment to tell Janet what's going on" which was really, really cool.


When the waitress came to take our order, I was sat the furtherest away from her so it was going to be difficult to give my order. I was anxious about this. I didn't need to be, though - because Jack made a point of asking me what I wanted, nodding, then making it very loud and clear to the waitress what to add to her notepad "for Janet" and nodding in satisfaction when she repeated all our orders back to us.


I felt so looked after. So validated and so important.


This was Jack's big day but he was going all out to make sure I was included.


It meant a lot to me.


Jack:
- took care to remember/know I wasn't 'tech savvy' in any way so he took time to explain things to me
- although he didn't make too big a deal of it, Jack let his friends know I was a bit out of my depth and to be gentle and considerate with me around
- knew I didn't really know anyone apart from him and didn't get annoyed when I stuck close to his side. He was patient, caring and actually pretty protective over me, which I loved.
- recognised when I was anxious (I thought I was pretty good at hiding this?) and took great care to help me - whether it was making sure my order got taken in a busy, noisy restaurant or in explaining what the different Asian meals were and knowing me well so that he could recommend the things I liked.


I hope to do the same for any friends in future when they come to dinner with me/my friends and they feel as awkward and out of place as I did.

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