h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, I've sort of alluded to it already in one of HonestIago's conversations, but the big news is that I've got another b/f! Here come the details (and there are a lot of them - you'll need a spare hour or so, I guess!)...

As I mentioned in my last journal entry, I had gone to Manchester Pride with my mates but also on my own (i.e. without Darren) and although I couldn't stay beyond about 10pm on the Sunday, I still had a pretty good time. Very late Monday morning, I drove myself back to Manchester and got back into the Pride area (i.e. the gay village) to have a wander around while my mates were waking up etc. In the meantime, I had gone into CloneZone and had bought a couple of gay cartoon books (not porn, but there were a couple of frontal nude pictures). I found a nice quiet wall next to the canal and started to have a look at them, when this nice-looking Malaysian guy came up to me and started asking me about the books. Basically, we got chatting and found out about ourselves ... his name's Alex, he's 19 and he studies Biotechnology at one of the universities in Liverpool. I did mention that I had a b/f and he did look a tiny bit disappointed, but we swopped mobile phone numbers anyway.

On Wednesday, he sent me a text message and we kept texting each other until we swopped MSN Messenger addresses, and then we started chatting online. He had invited me to go over to Liverpool for a night out with him, although he said that he was willing to have just a great friendship with me (because I was still with Darren then). However, Friday came and the break-up happened ... a few hours after I got home, I told Alex and he was very supportive about it. A day or so later, we were chatting online again and he mentioned that he had booked a room for the following Wednesday with a double bed in the hotel he works at part-time ... that was the point when I realised just how keen he was about me!

From then on, it was basically a big online flirt-fest until Wednesday finally came around ... when I got almost completely lost driving in the centre of Liverpool trying to get to Alex's flat. Fortunately, he came and found me in my car, got in and directed me to somewhere I could park, before he took me into his flat at his halls. When we got into the kitchen, he gave me a bunch of flowers ... which was my cue to show my appreciation (via the use of snogging)! After a little bit, we decided to check into the hotel room, so we got back into my car and I drove to the car park. We then checked in (a slight source of embarrassment for Alex, as the lady behind the desk pretended to treat him like an esteemed customer!) and the room itself was absolutely wonderful - a lovely view of the Mersey, a nice (if compact) bathroom with a proper bath and a king-size bed!

So what did we do? Well ... between periods of making out and fooling around, we ordered room service, had a shower and a bath together. Soon after the bath, we professed our love for each other for the first time and we decided to be b/f's there and then! So after we finally got dressed, we had a wander around the centre of Liverpool and the Albert Dock looking for somewhere to eat. We finally chose a restaurant in the middle of town, where we had our first date together. In general, it was all very nice, although I accidentally knocked my wine glass off the table and smashed it! (Something which made the date memorable, I suppose ... ) Afterwards, we went to a cocktail bar for a French Kiss each (the cocktail, that is - and delicious it was too!) before we headed back to our hotel room for the night, where ... err ... things happened!

The following morning found us cuddled up together in the huge bed ... when we finally got up, we went for breakfast (another source of embarrassment for Alex, but he took it in good part) and then went into town for a bit - we found the Body Shop and bought some massage oil and jasmine extract to add to it. We got back to the hotel, checked out and (after moving the car again) got back to his room, where we tried out the massage oil with the extract ... suffice to say, it had a strong effect on both of us but Alex in particular as more things happened! Finally, I decided that I had to go home (particularly as it was costing me a fortune for the parking meter!), so off I went - missing Alex for every moment from then.

However, all was not lost - the following Sunday, I was due to fly out to Italy for a course in Udine (an hour's train journey from Venice) and Alex had managed to meet me at the airport up until when I had to go through Passport Control, although I went with him towards the train station and gave him a kiss goodbye. For the rest of that week, once I'd worked out how to get my mobile to work in Italy, we sent each other loads of messages and phoned each other a few times.

The day I returned (the following Saturday), my family met me and we went to Oak House (hall of residence in Fallowfield) to collect my keys for the flat I'm now staying in. The following day, I packed my car and drove myself to my ex-b/f's house, where I collected the box of stuff I'd left there instead of taking it home in June (for it contained gay magazines etc.), drove back into Fallowfield and unloaded my car (with a lot of help from James - thanks mate! ). Alex came over to Manchester by train that evening, so I drove myself and James (who wanted to visit Tom in the centre of town) to pick him up before dropping James off. We got back to the halls and after showing Alex around a bit, we spent our time together doing what boyfriends do together. I also gave him the present I'd bought for him in Italy - a bottle of Emporio Armani for men - which turned out to be his absolute favourite perfume! I won't mention what else happened, but we were able to fit onto the single bed in my room reasonably comfortably!

Since he went back to Liverpool on Monday morning, we've been texting each other a lot and now that I know he'll be completely free tomorrow and Thursday, I'm gonna try and get to Liverpool tomorrow evening after Fresher's Fair (although I'll need to get back early the following morning for the last day of the fair).

So there we go ... it's amazing how quickly things can happen - here's hoping it lasts. Anyway, I've still got lots to do, so I'll leave it there for now!

Well, congratulations - again! 'Gregarious' would appear to be accurate. Oh, you are lucky.

Ivan (still single and more or less resigned to it)

Good for you Mike
Iago, repeating Ivan's sentiments

Well, Ivan, I actually chose that when I first joined h2g2 over two years ago now when I wasn't quite so gregarious, so I'm glad I've finally matched up to my user name at last!

Oh, and BTW, Fresher's Fair in Manchester this year was pretty interesting ... I was looking after the stall at the Academy for the society that used to be "Music at UMIST" and is now "Music Fellow's Opus", and we were sharing a table with the University of Manchester's Music Society (who offer slightly different things to us), so we were competing against each other a bit but we all sent people to each other's stall as well. Anyway, one of the guys who was there for most of the time was a music student called Hywel, who also turned out to be gay and was wearing a rather fetching hat and rubber tie most of the time. Well, basically, the amount of flirting and innuendo that went on between us ... not initiated by me (this time)! I have a strong suspicion that Hywel actually quite likes me, because (1) we swopped phone numbers within a couple of hours on the first day I was there and (2) when I decided to join their society yesterday (no treachery involved - the Music Fellow was supposed to join as well), Hywel wrote out my membership card and put as my name: Mikey "Sexyboy" Seaton! Although he is very flirtatious (and admittedly very nice too), I have told him about Alex and I'm definitely sticking with my boy, although I'd still love to be good friends with Hywel.

Anyway, it's LGBT Introductory Evening tonight, so hopefully I should see him and my other mates there to collect various membership cards and things. Should be fun ...

I've just worked out what I'm doing wrong - in considering doing further study, I've been looking at the wrong universities. Does Manchester take overseas students?

Errr ... I believe so, Ivan! You might have to pay quite a lot in tuition fees, though.

Anyway, just a couple of slight corrections and additions to my last reply ... Hywel is actually bisexual, as he does occasionally sleep with women, but he predominately goes after men. He particularly fancies the current outgoing male co-chair of the Manchester LGBT, Steve, and (as I found out this evening) he's rather fond of Hywel as well. Now since there has been a pub crawl tonight followed by a night in Essential (one of the major gay clubs in Manchester), there is a possibility that something between them may happen ... I will await news from the lovely Hywel tomorrow morning/afternoon. That's not to say the flirting between us has stopped - it continued this evening in front of my mates from the former UMIST LGB and a few other people, so it's fairly clear we still really like each other (although there's still no way things will go beyond that).