Friday night, I was all set to go home and have an early night, but of course I didn't. I went up out local pub for a quick pint (which turned into three), and then left with a view to coming back later (I'd put a jumper on to come back to the UK, and was much too hot in the busy pub).

A girl came into the pub and sat at a table nearby who looked remarkably like someone who I used to share a house with (lets call he A). I decided quite quickly that she probably wasn't who I first thought she was (she was prettier than A), a view that was confirmed when one of her friends called by a name that wasn't A -lets call her B.

So I go home to change and have a break from drinking, but in turns out to only be a very short break and I'm back up there in just over an hour. I'm a little disapointed to discover that B isn't in there, although one of her frends still is.

Anyway, I'm delighted when a little while later B comes back in in slightly different clothes and looking even better. I figure I might as well go and talk to her anyway; I'd probably rather talk to her than the real A anyway.

Unfortunately, the group of people I'm stitting with has grown now to include 7 or 8 people, including my brother and his girlfriend and I don't really want to approach her with that much of an audience. But when she and her mate stand up and put their coats on I figure 'it's now or never', and (unusually) chose 'now'.

('I thought I knew you, but I realise I don't' is less lame than 'Don't I know you from somewhere?', right?)

So I go over to her as she is on her way out and say something like 'Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you something?' She doesn't so a start by confirming that she is the same girl who was sitting there earlier, and she has changed her clothes. She is and she had. So then I ask her if I was correct in thinking she was called B, and she said yes. I explained that looked a little like someone called A, but obviously she wasn't. Bizarrely, her friend turns out to be called A.

Anyway, after that I told her 'in fact, on closer inspection, you're a shade prettier than she was', and she smiles. And then I can't think of anything else to say so I say 'nice to meet you' or somesuch and let her go on her way.

Almost immediately, I realise I should have said something about wanting to know who she really was, and suggested we meet up, but it's too late.

I'm crap!

James.