For some reason I tried to keep up with Mel at the start of the park run. It didn’t work and I went really slowly after the first two minutes as I tried to get my breath back. She didn’t hang around at the end so I didn’t see her again.

But more fun was popping out to see Ellie and Stephen this afternoon. They’d been to an exhibition and then I met them for tea and scones, and there was a nice waiter and I couldn’t help but say that it wasn’t quite the same without having a naked man serving us.

Even Stephen couldn’t let that go and asked what I meant, so I let Ellie explain. She made sure he knew it didn’t get rowdy but I could tell he was jealous, because who wouldn’t be? Then Ellie said that he hadn’t complained about what happened when she called him up unexpectedly the same evening and stayed over and he went red.

Well, I wanted to stir up trouble, so I said that maybe Stephen should serve us two afternoon tea in the nude. Stephen went even redder and Ellie said it sounded like a great idea, and Stephen said no way, and he reckoned I really didn’t want to see him naked. But I kind of did, for the fun of it.

So we said it was a deal, and he kept saying no, and I said would he do it if I did it, and he asked if I meant at the same time and I said no, but he’d have to do it next time, and for the first time I saw him checking me out, imagining what I’d look like naked. He actually looked kind of interested. Then I said or maybe Ellie should do it and he felt like he was turning the tables by saying he’d do it if she did first.

So he was floored when Ellie said fine, but she’d make a deal with all of us: we’d spin our now empty water bottle on the table and whoever it pointed to had to bring tea and scones, in the nude, to the other two. Stephen really didn’t want this either but I told him he had a two in three chance of being served afternoon tea by a naked woman and if he was any kind of a man he’d take those odds, plus we were sitting either side of him at a four sided table so the chances of him getting it were more likely one in four.

Before he could complain Ellie cleared a space, spun the bottle, and… she’s going to be serving us afternoon tea in the nude next weekend! Stephen was very relieved, Ellie seemed more than happy to be honest, and I’m kind of disappointed it didn’t pick me.