Thursday 20th June, 2024 in 2024

So, dinner with Joanne last night. It wasn’t quite the relaxed catch-up I’d hoped for. She ended up running thirty minutes late, thankfully texting to apologise, but it threw the whole evening a bit.
We decided on Trulllo - an Italian place in Islington. We both opted for Scottish langoustines for our mains and shared a bottle of their Chardonnay, “Gaia & Rey”. The food was fantastic, Trullo really doesn’t disappoint. The langoustines were perfectly cooked, and the Chardonnay was a great match with its light minerality.
The conversation, however, was a little strained. There’s a definite awkwardness there that wasn’t there before. We tried to stick to safe topics, reminiscing about old times. We ended up laughing uproariously about that time we convinced ourselves we could learn flamenco dancing online and ended up looking like ungraceful flamingos in my living room. Despite the laughs though, I can’t shake the feeling that something is off. There’s a barrier there, and even the delicious food and the lovely wine couldn’t quite bring it down.
Now I’m faced with a dilemma. Do I text her and see if everything’s alright? It feels a bit awkward to bring it up directly, especially if there isn’t actually an issue. The last thing I want to do is come across as paranoid. On the other hand, if there is something wrong, and I don’t say anything, it might just fester.
I really don’t know what to do. Maybe I’ll sleep on it and see how I feel in the morning.