It looked and felt like a set-up.

There we were, having post-dinner drinks at Dempsey Hill, when I suddenly got a call on my work mobile from her boyfriend.

"Hi T, this is A's boyfriend J."

Next thing I know, he's there with his co-worker to join us about half an hour later.

Before they arrived, A wasted no time in telling me what a solid guy this John fella was. "Eh, he is the MACHO type k? Very stable kind one."

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes, and told her in my most neutral voice that I never liked muscular guys.

"But he makes a lot of money! Pays for his own apartment at Clarke Quay!"

Again, I wasn't impressed.

So he came, sat next to me, and we made polite conversation while A and J indulged in a very public display of affection. He's from Oklahoma, works as a risk manager, been here for 3 years, goes home once or twice a year, has also travelled extensively around Asia. Cute enough and obviously spends time at the gym.

I talked a lot about my experience backpacking with E, about my time spent in Japan. He listened attentively and paid for our drinks.

We ended up hanging out till 1 in the morning on a weekday night.

As we walked to A's car, he asked me for my number casually. And texted me that night, saying it was nice to have met me and hope to see me again soon.

I blew him off unintentionally. Told him that it was "always nice to meet new people", and that I wouldn't be joining them for drinks on Friday night and to see him again some time. I didn't realize how cold and uninterested my text must have sounded, because I was trying not to sound desperate.

It's been a while since I last "dated", I guess.