I was working in Indonesia (Jakarta) in 2011 for a long project which would take a few years. I was single as I had broken up with my ex who moved to Miami to do an internship in hotel management. I went to visit her as we tried to do LD but I got some anonymous messages on FB from friends of friends who said she had been cheating on me, which turned out to be true. So I was more than happy to take up my company' offer to send me to Jakarta and move on. I had been with this girl for 3 years and it was very up and down, prior to that it was another 3 year relationship which was also up and down. So I drew a line in the sand and said to myself I'm never going to get serious with a girl ever again 'unless she is 'perfect'! No compromises!! no more lunatics or unfaithfuls please.

After a few months I'd made friends with a group of fun locals and expats from all different nationalities and all in my age group of early to mid 20s, and started dating 1 or 2 girls outside of the group. I was invited to a birthday party in a club for, the girl of which whose birthday it was in our group really liked me. She was a nice girl but wasn't my cup of tea and I didn't want to lead her on. I was quite tired as it was a Friday, I'd been working all week and had already organised a dinner date with a girl I'd met the weekend previously. So I declined to go. I went on the dinner date which turned out to be quite successful. By 10pm I was in a taxi on my way home.
I was getting texts and phone calls telling me I had to go to this club while I was in the taxi. The club was actually en route on my way home, so I thought it, why not? and went - planning to have 1 or 2 drinks then go to bed.

After a couple of drinks and getting pestered heavily by the birthday girl who was already drunk by that time, the most incredible thing happened. One of her friends from outside of our group, brought a friend with her, who happened to be doing nothing that evening and was coerced into going, as she had recently broken up with her boyfriend. I was introduced, and literally my heart plummeted!! She was singularly the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. I was completely mesmerized! My mood completely switched from trying to find a fire escape to get out of the place to wanting to get down on one knee and offer my hand in marriage to this girl!

As I tried to get chatting to her, buy her drinks, find situations where we would be able to speak etc, she was having none of it because the birthday girl was acting so clingy towards me and getting very touchy-feely, and me being polite, I wasn't going to just chuck her off and tell her to stay away, as she was a friend after all as well. Turned out the girl thought that she was my GF and that I was just trying to get a 2nd girl or something! She had heard this is what a lot of expatriate guys get up to in Jakarta, which absolutely never crossed my mind at all. So her opinion of me at the time was that i was a for trying to flirt with her!! Disaster ...!

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I managed to get her number from one of her friends, and managed to set something up so we could meet one afternoon just as friends for chit chat etc. And it took a couple of weeks thereafter to convince her that I did not have a GF - especially not the aforementioned girl - and that was a all a misunderstanding ... that i'd love to take her out on a date, etc. Less than 2 months after that, we were an item. And 3 years later, we are married, home owners in London! and would like to start a family within the next few years.