Going Out With Friends

Friday night, I really didn't want to go anywhere. This has been quite a recurring theme lately, which sometimes I endulge and sometimes I force myself to go out. So when Evie called and asked if I was going to Partyman's Happy Hour, I was less than movitated.

However this was Partyman's happy hour. I've mentioned Partyman in the past about how he always has the best looking men there and throws the best parties. This is a dating connection I don't want to lose, not to mention that Partyman is one of Don's friends and Don would probably be attending.

So I raised myself from my dead apathetic woe-is-me stay-at-home dulldrum and got myself pretty. This was also the day before Halloween so many places in town were having Pre-Halloween parties, so Evie and I decided to dress up. We weren't sure that the protocol was on the Partyman's happy hour but we decided to err on the side of festive.

My costume was a last minute creation and very basic. I dressed in all black, and had a red cape. I put on extra makeup with lots of black eyeliner, and extra pale foundation. I could have been a lot of different things.

Evie said we needed to stop by Goodwill to get some finishing touches. I wanted to get some vampire teeth (come on, talking all vampy and biting peoples necks? Yeah baby!) but they didn't have any. They did however have a very evil trident/devil's pitchfork. So I went as a she-devil, in a costume that was extremely easy to "ditch" should I want to look normal, or as normal as all black can be.

I really wanted to pull of "sexy", but I just wasn't feeling it and everything sexy I had seemed to make me look 600 lbs. So I went with semi-sexy but comfortable. I figure if you're going to look like crap, at least you should be comfy, right? Evie however had on a modern version of a 1950's dress with some awesome looking 5-inch heels. She looked hot in what she called her 1950's corporate wife outfit. She could have called it whatever, most men would not have cared.

I won't go into all the crap that went down in actually getting to the happy hour. But it ends with Evie talking me into waiting around for her boyfriend and taking the bus downtown. I'd not taken public transportation in Austin, so it was really outside my comfort zone, but she assured me it would be ok and that her boyfriend would be able to give me directions to get back to my car (parked at his place).

So finally we get to the happy hour. We are the only people dressed up for Halloween. Evie's outfit can pass for just being dressed up for going out. Mine however was obvious "Halloween". So being that I was already stressed out from pushing myself to go out, the crap that kept me from getting to the happy hour earlier than this, and the bus ride... I removed my cape and sat down my trident the minute we got to the bar. I did not have the energy to "sell" the costume but just wanted a drink.

There were quite the mix of Partyman's regulars, and of course Don. Don said hi to me and asked how I was. I of course lied and said I was good in the happiest tone which wasn't too hard to pull off since I was happy to see him.

I mingled and drank, and had fun. The more I drink the more friendly and daring I get. I tend to forget some of my social anxiety and relax. So I chilled with some friends.

At my table there was Evie and her man, a woman that I want to hate but can't, a woman that I'd met once and while I like her she's a little too energetic for me, and Don. Don spent most of evening sitting next to me, but talking to Ms Can't-hate-her and Ms Energy. As usual, he gave me just enough attention to be polite and make me feel comfortable. At one point though, he turned his chair to face Ms Energy so they could more....

**** Ok I have to stop telling this tale, take a break, and come back to it. This actually is a good story and not just some humdrum sad tale of woe. So let me try this again. ****

Ok.. I arrived, dropped my cape and trident, got a tea with vodka squeeze of lemon, and returned to the table. Don and I talked a little bit.. mostly the small talk "What's New?" stuff. Don socially is a little bit like me. Doesn't usually stay talking to the same people all night and instead talks to everyone in the room. So its hard to say who he likes and who he doesn't, unless he just doesn't talk to you at all. We both spent the night talking to pretty much everyone.

My costume though did get its uses. Since my costume was very versatile and easy to remove (and not on me), it became the "toy" of the evening. When I purchased the trident, I imagined it being a very good (or bad) thing for me when I'm drunk. A good flirting thing "Be careful or I'll strike you with my trident" or "I love my trident.. I like long hard poky things". "Oh did I poke you? I swear you were begging for it."

Since I wasn't using my costume, Ms Energy took it up.. I actually offered the cape to her since it was chilly and she was cold. She was hilarious. She was also way buzzing. I actually was being quite a "devil" despite the fact that she had the costume on, and the few that observed my machinations... once they were told it was really my costume.. agreed that I was the true devil not in need of a costume.

I encouraged her to take the trident. She was reluctant at first, then embraced it with such aplomb that I could not help but give into my evil streak. It actually brought out quite the evil streak in Don as well, who was sitting in between us. He quite flirtily mentioned that the trident end would be painful, but the staff end of it was quite doable, and he'd think people would prefer to be poked with that side instead. It did not help that the staff end was in fact pointed at the end and "ribbed for her pleasure". There actually were quite a series of bad sexual innuendos about the trident, making it the best conversation piece of the night. Best $6 I've ever spent.

I went to get refill of my drink, and Ms Energy decided to join me. I decided that if she was wearing my costume that she needed to be evil and that I would encourage her. On the way to the bar, she poked and prodded every cute man on the way. There was one really good looking man by the bar, and I devil-in-her-ear encouraged her to go poke him.

"See him... He is in definite need of a good poking! Go.. he must be poked!"

She laughed and resisted. She was sober enough to realize that he was really cute and not worth making him mad. Tsk tsk.. these sober people. She eventually did poke him.. or she tried to.. but he saw her coming and deftly moved out her way. Which we all chided him in not liking a good poke. He came back with something witty, but I've forgotten.

I was devil-in-her-ear the entire night, and had a blast. At one point though, yes Don did move his chair to speak closer and more one on one with her, and I tried not to be jealous. A few minutes after moving his chair towards her, he moved it back and his leg then rested against mine.. it was spontaneous and unintentional, as he made a noise like I'd purposely put my leg to contact his (much like the noise of scoffing at someone being jealous who has no right to be).. and I had I just hoped that he wouldn't notice. He didn't move his leg from mine though.

Towards the end of my night, Don and I got to talking about his personality profile and mine. He had his saved on his phone and began to show me. He didn't hand me the phone, instead held it close to him between us.. At one point we were nearly cheek to cheek watching his phone. I could smell his scent... not cologne, not aftershave, but his scent.. My heart began to flutter, and I wanted closer. We finished messing with his phone rather suddenly after that. I awkwardly said I need to go get another drink. He mentioned that he didn't need another drink, but he'd come...

I thought he was coming to the bar with me. So as we both stood up, I turned my back to him and walked to the bar. When I looked around again, he was no where to be seen. Confused, I got my drink and went back to the table. He wasn't there either. Maybe he went to the restroom. I waited and chatted with the table.

Time passed. More time passed. I asked the table if they knew where he went, trying not to sound like a naggy GF. No one knew.

"I last saw him with P, but I have no idea."

So I waited. It'd been a half hour. If he'd left without saying anything, I was going to... Oh hell, I was starting to get pissed as it was. I was pretty sure that we were starting to be friends if nothing else, and leaving without saying "bye" is just rude.

So.. I txt'd him. "Did you leave?"

He didnt' reply. So when Evie and her man decided to leave.. I figured why not. Since I didn't know how to really get back to my car without them (or without spending a crapload on a taxi or begging someone I don't know that well for a ride), I decided to call it a night. So we walked to the bus stop.

Just as the bus pulls up, I get a txt from Don.

"I gave P a ride home."

I had no idea if that meant he was coming back to the party or not, and for the transportation reasons I txt'd back.

"Oh. Well I'm on my way home now."

And it ended like that. I went home.