Late night

A late night added to my sleep debt, making it hard to get up this morning. I tried not to doze on the train to Shepherd's Bush, but inevitably, I did. I stopped off to get a Caffè Nero coffee to perk me up, which I drank on the way to the office.

Once again, the first set of meetings had me sitting in one of the little phone boxes. However, a meeting with in the late morning, the weekly catch-up with AV, and my one-on-one were all productive in-person sessions. I had a late lunch and opted for the least healthy option: pasta. I hoped it would set me up for the evening, but it ended up making me drowsy towards the end of the workday.

There had been some tentative plans for drinks with the team, but only a few people seemed interested. Since I had already rearranged my regular drinks with C for tonight, I decided not to hang around. Instead, I made a dash home and then back into town. That way, I could change and avoid carrying my work bag into central London.

C had just arrived at The White Horse, and I met her at the back of the bar queue. Sometimes, the music is so loud that I can't hear anyone talk—today was one of those days. So, we took our drinks and stood outside in the drizzle until I spotted three people vacating a table just about sheltered by an awning. We spent the evening there, discussing everything from her recent move to the best Tupperware for storing fresh food and "earthing" mattresses. While I went to the bathroom, C chatted with the next table, who had bought "something" from the rose seller, which required them to take a rose. That flower ended up with C, who then passed it on to the next table. The recipient was delighted.

As the pub began to close, we moved to the front to finish our last drinks. I should have realised when C went inside just after the last orders that she would return with more drinks, albeit half-pints. While we were drinking them, one of the remaining customers asked C for a light, and we struck up a conversation. Somehow, the topic shifted to the smoothness of C's skin. I have no idea how.

I should have noticed I was running late when the streets of central London seemed quieter than I expected. I arrived at Waterloo around 12:15 am, just missing the last train. After taking a tube and bus home, I finally got in at 1:30 am.

So much for catching up on sleep.