Here goes....
Went on holiday to Menorca at the start of May last year with a couple of mates. I'd not long turned 29, and had been in various relationships in my 20s without ever really thinking I'd met the one for me. I'd not 'given up' or anything on women, but equally I was quite happy plodding along and women and relationships were firmly on the backburner. Certainly in Menorca at the start of their season, where its not exactly renowned as a big holiday romance type destination. Little did I know.....
We arrived Sunday 1st May. I was horrifically hungover. We'd had an early flight out from Manchester, and I was still drinking in my hometown of York at 2am :) Naturally, as soon as we arrived and checked in, we headed for the nearest bar. I noticed 2 girls sitting on a table the other end of the pub. They had folders and stuff with them so assumed they worked in the resort in one form or another. Didn't get talking to them that day but one of them caught my eye, she looked lovely. I probably looked like shit!
As a creature of habit, we went back to the bar the following night, where they again rocked up. It was right at the start of the season there, so pretty quiet, which made it easy to start chatting to people in the pub. Shots and beers also loosen up the tongue! So I get talking to her from across the bar, kinda shouting almost. I can easily tell she has a Yorkshire accent. She swings round to our side of the bar, and we get the usual niceties out the way. Undoubtedly she recognises my strong Yorkshire tones and asks where I'm from.....''York'' I reply. Her next question is pretty relevant....''do you like Shed Seven?''. When Shed Seven are your favourite band, and someone asks if you like them, then you know you're onto a good thing!
We got on like a house on fire that night, chatting away like we'd known each other for years. She was/is from Hull so I was doing the 'playground' thing of taking the piss but in a nice way, and I guess it worked as she thought I was a bit of a twat but equally kept laughing :) Later that evening, I walked back to our accommodation, and hers was a few minutes round the corner, so we hugged and said we'd see each other the following night. She pulled me back in for a 2nd hug before we went our separate ways, and I knew at that moment that there was something there. When I got in I said to my mate that even this early, I thought there was potentially something special there.
The rest of the week, we spent our evenings in the same bar (much to my friends disdain haha) so I could bump into her. We were getting on really well, but sadly we were leaving on the Friday so Thursday was the final night of what was an all too brief holiday. Again the drinks and chat was flowing, and a Welsh guy who'd also been in the bar most of the week was commenting on how we'd make a lovely couple. It was getting late so I walked her back to her accommodation. We just sat in the stairwell, then her balcony, chatting about things, like old friends. It was one of those nights that I really didn't want to end. Sadly it did have to as she had work in the morning and we had a flight home. We'd already swapped numbers/FB etc and she leaned in for a kiss before I walked off. I knew, at that very moment, that life wasn't going to be the same ever again, and its a fucking incredible feeling.
It was so depressing to come home. The usual holiday blues coupled with meeting this incredible girl who I had to leave. Without knowing exactly how she felt, I was desperate to see her again but equally didn't want to come on too strong. But what did I have to lose? I told her that I needed to see her again, she said she wanted to see me again too. First day back at work I find a gap in the rota and book a return flight (flying visit Friday 24th to Sunday 26th June). 6 weeks to wait.....
To cut a long story short, we shared an incredible weekend when I flew back. It was nice to just be myself and her, no distractions by having mates in tow or anything. We'd spoken loads in that 6 weeks, but I'd never been so nervous as that afternoon when I'd check into my hotel and went outside to meet her. I can usually mask nerves with jokes or inane chat, but I was really struggling this time. When you want something so bad, I knew this was the most important weekend of my life and I had to get it right. At this moment I'm still unsure how she views me; I had an inkling she liked me cos otherwise she wouldn't have wanted me to come back, but I was really hoping it wasn't one way traffic with the feelings. It's hard to properly gauge when it's a ''holiday romance'', but my instincts were positive.
Annoyingly, I didn't get chance to get out again to Menorca to see her before she flew home at the end of October. We talked everyday and we were close, but we made the sensible decision to wait until she arrived home before exploring our options for going forward. Thankfully, all that spark that we had only intensified when she was back in Blighty, and we were soon in a proper relationship. A relationship that has gone from strength to strength since. We've been to gigs, on holidays, couple of football games (she's a Hull fan so we went to both games last season), we have an incredible amount of things in common, and I adore her personality. We spent an amazing winter together.
Her job is a summer destination rep for Thomas Cook, and she was in Santorini this summer. I was lucky enough to fly out 3 times to see her, and also was invited to her brothers wedding in August that she came back for. It's obviously not a 'conventional' relationship with her working away for up to 6 months over summer, but it has plenty of positives as I love to travel and got to see Santorini numerous times :) she's hoping for Italy or Croatia next year which gives scope for some more great trips.
Before all that, we have plenty lined up; loads of gigs, including seeing Shed Seven 3 times this coming tour. We're going to Dublin, to Prague and Berlin in January, to Nuremberg in 4 weeks, to Tenerife in January. She's an adventurous girl which matches my personality perfectly.
She really is everything I could ever ask for from a girlfriend, and so much more besides. I feel incredibly lucky that we crossed paths when we did, and often wonder Sliding Doors type things of if we'd drank in a different bar, or stayed in a different area of Menorca.
Some things are just meant to be.
Edit....forgot to add, she flies home tomorrow from Santorini, which has probably influenced this wall of text! :)
