Unbelievable

I moved to Reading in July and didn't know a soul, so the first thing I did was look around for groups to join.  I joined the bridge club, I went to the tennis club, and I found an online meetup group that was planning a picnic in August at Christchurch meadow, which my flat overlooks, so of course I signed up for that.  Then I promptly forgot about it.

i also signed up for online dating, and had contacted quite a few people through that.  When I saw the picnic in my diary, I invited one of the women I'd been talking to, but hadn't met.  I figured, it was outdoors, in a large group, it was perfect.

This morning, I received an email from someone else I'd contacted on the dating service (but who had never responded) saying she was going to be at the picnic!  I thought, wow, that's awkward, but it's outdoors, in a large group, it would be fine.

Then I found out they had cancelled the picnic, and were going to meet in a local pub!  Right, two girls from the same dating site in a pub. I wasn't sure how to handle this, but as long as it was a large group, it would be fine.

It turned out there were five of us, I was the only guy, and the two girls sat on either side of me.  And I was much more interested in one of the other girls.

In case you didn't think it could get more awkward, the other two girls started talking about Internet dating, and all of the negative experiences they had with men.  When one of them asked, "Have any of you tried internet dating?" mercifully all three of us were silent.  I changed the subject.

So far, things were going fine--neither girl knew I'd met the other on the same dating website; they didn't know each other; I'd given them both a similar amount of attention; all I had to do was say goodbye and I was home free.  One had to go to work and the other one wanted to walk to Caversham Court, which was perfect--I could say goodbye to the first in the parking lot, and then catch up with the second.  Except the first decided to go to Caversham Court as well, and then we all walked back together, and I had to decide to walk one to her car or the other to her bike.  I briefly considered running away, or jumping into traffic, but in the end I stayed with the one I invited.  Seemed the gentlemanly thing to do.

Now I need to call the other girl...