Heh heh....smooth, Dee. Real smooth
That's great, kitty. I remember after my marriage broke up feeling exactly the same as you, and having similar experiences until I met my partner and was brave enough to be vulnerable with him. I found it incredibly difficult and quite scary. It took a long time before I was as smooth and cool with him as I am now
The date sounds lovely. You never know, he may be hanging back to look smooth, or could even have a problem with drink himself and is not ready to face it. Or maybe he just thinks you waaaaaayy out of his league :-)
Anyway, I think the way you handled yourself and the way you're viewing things is brilliant!!