Dublin, a Date and a Reunion

I got back last night and meant to post it then, but here you go. I'm just going to call Saturday today and Schedule it, hush. Oh, and I'm just going to go chronologically with all the minutiae. Read if you want.

I'd been looking forward to today for months. I'd been planning to go to the cinema and then go for dinner at Jerry's house, but he cancelled that a few days before. Luckily, Ciarán then invited me into town and Jerry would still be there for the CTYI reunion (there's one for Dublin CTYIzens every Saturday) so I still went up.

I got up at 8am and took the 9.35 train, which got me to Dublin for 10.40-ish. I found my way to Grafton St. by 11, then went shopping for a late Christmas present for Jerry because I lose things. I had to go to literally ten clothes shops looking for a hat as he'd requested, and I hate clothes shops. Anyway, I didn't have any luck finding a hat so then I just went to Tiger and got a few things. Tiger is a delightfully odd shop. I got him novelty party glasses, a pedometer, pens and a notebook. I think it was the most I've ever spent on a birthday present for someone. Getting older can suck sometimes. 

Once I'd finished that (at 11.50) I went to the Disney store, where I was supposed to meet Ciarán at 12. I got impatient and hung out with CTYI people for a while, then went back to the Disney store until he finally turned up. Quite impressively, considering the hug from behind knocked me over. Good job. 

I gave Jerry his present and he seemed happy enough, but it's hard to tell with him. I tried. It gets a bit foggy from here, but I think myself and Ciarán went off somewhere. Uncommunicative as always, Ciarán didn't say it was a date but it totally was. We went snack shopping and managed to spend €14 on sweets in EuroGiant, which is kind of disgraceful but yeah. I had a tenner handy so I spent that, thinking I'd get change later. I did, indirectly. Anyway. Then Ciarán brought me to an ice-cream shop he likes called Murphys. 

He bought a 3-flavour icecream that we shared. I chose strawberry and caramel and he chose cinammon, which he said was divine. Not that exact word but whatever. We went down the back and I showed him my dress as it was finally warm enough to temporarily take off my hoody. I then put it back on and leaned on him and we shared the ice-cream. Totally not a date at all, guys. Use your words, Ciarán. 

After that, we went back to the Rock Gardens and chatted. We always saw someone with an amazing blond afro, and there's only one person I know with hair that great. We debated over whether it was Ogden for a while until eventually he said hi and we talked for ages. He was doing his Maths assignments (he's in his first year of studying Mathematics in Trinity), which were fairly complicated. Anyway, Ogden is really awesome. He advised me to try get the Naughton scholarship; he got it, and he gets €5,000 a year for college (niiiice). I'd been planning to do that anyway but it was a good reminder.

Around half 2, CTYIzens left came back from Asia Market and filled up the Rock Gardens, as they do. Some girl had a ukulele and they were singing along to things. There was also a preponderance of fezzes worn by Whovians. I kept thinking about bloody Kay. Anyway, Ciarán and Ogden were doing Diablo stuff as Ogden also spouted maths formulae, which is something he tends to do. Then Odgen left because his girlfriend had an interview with Intel, I think, and we hung out for a bit. 

Eventually, we all walked to Apache Pizza, as is traditional. I thought there were only five of us going, but once we got there there were at least twelve and probably more. Someone ordered three communal pizzas and we all dug in. Did I mention I love these people? I had a big downer, though, because suddenly I realised that I was missing €20. Dad had given me €50 that morning and asked me to give him €15 back, and I should have had at least €25 euro left but I had €3 in coins. When I said that, Dáire was an angel and gave me a fiver. Also, John Joe had arrived, it was great to see him. 

The pizzas were great. I texted Seán the whole time off Ciarán's phone, which was funny because we were both pretending Ciarán couldn't see the messages. Handy way to let him know things. Tommy/Fez let me use his phone to check cinema times. I was planning to go see The Theory of Everything with Jerry and Ciarán, but at the last minute Jerry pulled out because he supposedly didn't want to be a third wheel. That was sad. We did hug a lot as I was leaving, though, and then he said he'd been planning to pay for my ticket anyway (because he is a ridiculously good person) and then gave me a tenner saying he didn't want it back. So now I'm a bad person. I'll pay them back eventually, I promise. Then I hugged everyone, and oh wow CTYI is amazing for replenishing hug stores, it just makes me super happy. 

Then myself and Ciarán left and walked to the Savoy. Ciarán bought tickets for The Theory of Everything (€8 each) (more debt) (well, it was a date so I don't know if it counts). The movie was pretty good, better in the first half (interesting, since I'd read the first half of the screenplay. It's a really fantastic screenplay). There was some awkwardness wondering if/when certain things would be said/done, but anyway. We held hands during. Ciarán's dad was waiting outside the cinema when it ended and he walked us back to Tara Street so I could get my train. His dad invited me to stay over sometime. I then couldn't find my ticket and had to buy another (argh). I don't actually remember if we hugged goodbye but I assume we did. 

That night Ciarán asked me out over Skype messenger, not following the script at all. I was apparently coaching Seán for nothing. So I got him to call me and redo it, which was better. I said yes. So it seems I have a boyfriend now. Hm.

I skyped Kay for a while, though not for as long as the night before (jesus, that conversation) while texting Ciarán. In fairness, Kay lives in Cork and I miss him a ton whereas Ciarán's around steadily, so I think that's fair. 

So that was the day. Quite eventful, and an inevitability finally came to pass. Tada.