mandalay

luminous

two weeks ago, lauren and i went to fado to meet up with an old friend that we did a summer choir tour with in high school. neither of us particularly like the entitled over-testosteroned clientele that tends to leer from every corner in this irish chain bar, but our friend for some reason was giddy to see this awfulsome u2 cover band play so there we were.

the night went pretty well. we had a solid two hours to drink before our friend showed up with his friends so we did our best to get a buzz off the weak drinks (i switched to straight bailey's to speed up the process) and we got a good laugh at the band and enjoyed the people watching. when our friend showed up, everyone was having a good time and with the exception of his friend's brother (a royal tool who requested that i flash him and later grabbed my breast as a picture was being taken), it was a really enjoyable evening.

as things were winding down and people were getting drunker (though i had eased off to maintain a clear head to get us home), a guy came up to me while i was taking pictures of our group. he asked me about my camera, if i was a photographer, etc. i won't say that he had me at hello, but i will say the french accent didn't hurt. we hung out and talked a while. he was cute, well-dressed in a very casual way. i wasn't sure yet that i was attracted to him, but i was sure that i wasn't ready for him to leave. the bar was closing and plans were being discussed. our friends were going back to their house and we were invited. i asked the guy if he wanted to come with us and he said sure.

directions got complicated. when he found out how far south it was, he suggested we hang out at his place instead, which was only a couple of blocks away. since other people had already left though, i felt we had to go. he began to bow out. i really didn't want him to go and i said as much. that i'd really like to keep talking to him and he should come with. he seemed skeptical. i think i was extra ballsy just because the guy had approached me first so i was more sure that he was interested. i beseeched him to join us. we looked at each other and his eyes wavered.

he agreed.

in a french accent.

swoon.

from that point, we set off to my car with my rather tipsy friend lauren between us. jerome was a really good sport and helped her when she stumbled and we eventually made our way to far far south austin after a couple of very confusing phone calls with our out-of-town friend. apparently he had to go back downtown to pick up a little lost sheep but said it shouldn't be long, told us what number the apartment was and that someone may already be at the apartment so we could try to go in or wait in the lot.

so we hung out in the parking lot for a while. asked the requisite questions of each other, etc. it began to feel sort of conspiratorial and i decided to go see about the apartment. no one answered and i quietly opened the door, hoping i had remembered the number correctly, and found the annoying grabby brother passed out on the couch. i went back and retrieved lauren and jerome and we made our way into the apartment.

we all sat on the floor and tried to talk quietly so as not to rouse the sleeping beast. when the others got in, it got loud despite us and the boy and i both felt a little on the fringe, as we were relatively sober by this point and obviously the only ones. we sat looking at each other and finally amid all the chaos i quietly asked if he was ready to go. he said he was fine staying and i said "i want to go. do you want to go?" he said yes. so i stood up, told everyone we were leaving, finally managed to extricate myself (my friends seemed a smidge concerned) and we set off.

an aside: i do not make it a habit to run off with strange boys, but i don't think this is so much because i'm opposed to it as it is that most boys forward enough to approach me in a social situation are what would be referred to as "players." in fact, until this chance run-in, i had deemed fado the one place i'm most likely to get hit on by lecherous beasts in the most predictable way possible "my friend thinks you're really cute but he's too shy to say so himself." "what's your sign? i bet you're an aries. no? really?!! oh you're a leo? so i guess you're this, this, this and this." and then the one that takes the cake which transpired during a bachelorette party... "wow, you looked so good doing that... if i pay for it, will you take another blowjob shot?" my point being, i *love* meeting cute strangers who aren't players. all of my romantic and otherwise fantasies since i was a girl have involved the chance meeting. my favorite thrilling moments are the same way. a guy in an elevator in st. louis that complimented me on my eyes. the friend of a friend who invited himself into a hot tub with me and reached across to brush an eyelash from my cheek and then taught me a little rhyme before i made a wish. normal, intelligent women may not like to be hit on, but we do like to be approached.

when i pulled up to jerome's building downtown, i put the car in park and sat back. we looked at each other and i prepared myself for what was coming.

do you want to come up?

i contemplate.

i'm not sure.

you don't have to if you don't want to. nothing has to happen. but it's late and you should probably get some sleep before you drive any more.

suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure. because sleep is what's going to transpire. nonetheless, i like him. and when i weigh everything in my head, for some reason i trust the guy. so i turn off the car.

we make our way upstairs and into his apartment. it's very nice, tasteful, has some decent prints on the walls, books (thank god), and a couple of kitty cats. he pulls out his laptop to show me his photo site (per an earlier conversation) and we lean on the counter, shoulder to shoulder, as he clicks through the photos. they're actually not bad. we talk cameras and lenses (sigh), look at his gear (camera gear—get your mind out of the gutter), and then he goes to sit on his weird european sofa and asks me to join him. we end up lying there, me with my head on his chest. very peaceful. and then he says to hold on and goes to get his camera. he takes pictures of us together and we look at them on the little screen and finally he kisses me.

i will not go into detail on the rest of the evening except to say that i didn't sleep with him and it was wonderful. the next day i had that wonderful feeling of slightly swollen red lips from hours of kissing and i never felt pressured into anything. which, sadly enough, surprised me as a result of a couple of not great experiences i've had this year. i left him knowing i probably wouldn't see him again. he just got out of a relationship, and i'm moving to california. evenso, the glow that comes from a night of mind-numbing kissing is one that i wish i got to bask in more often.

posted by amanda @ 10:04 AM