I’ve hung out with this guy from university twice, and I’ve already reached a logistical problem that apparently requires a committee: where does he go while I get ready?
Our first outing was coffee. For the second, he invited me to spend time with him and two of his friends, a woman and a man. He’s shy, and his friends were helping things along. It was a setup with a modest staffing budget.
I like him. We’re still getting to know each other, but when he asked whether I wanted to meet before a university event this weekend, do something together, and then head over as a pair, I was pleased. That sounds like a very nice plan.
Except I’ll need to go back to my apartment.
I need to do my makeup, fix my hair, and change for the event. I’m estimating thirty minutes, although that estimate has not been independently verified. The point is, there will be a gap between our afternoon plans and my being ready to leave.
I live alone. Inviting him upstairs seems like the obvious solution, right up until I start wondering whether inviting him upstairs means something beyond ‘you may sit indoors while I locate an earring.’
I wouldn’t mind having him there. That’s what makes this feel so silly. I’m not trying to avoid him; I’m trying to avoid accidentally giving an ordinary invitation more significance than I intend. Two hangouts feels early enough that I still don’t know what either of us would assume.
The alternative is leaving him in his car for half an hour, which feels rude. He asked to spend time with me, and I’d be offering him an extended opportunity to become familiar with his dashboard.
So now a plan I was looking forward to has acquired this tiny, stubborn complication. I want to spend the afternoon with him. I want us to go to the event together. Somewhere in between, I need access to my own bathroom.
Is ‘come up while I get ready’ a perfectly normal invitation at this stage, or have I somehow scheduled a relationship milestone between my hair and makeup?
