The Real Non-Date Date Kinda

So last night I got to hang out with Pierce. It wasn't a date or a planned event. I didn't message him "see you tonight" even though I knew he was planning on going... I am part stalker btw... because we weren't going together or even going to meet each other. We just both happened to be going to the same place.



Now I hoped that last night would pan out so that Pierce and I could get some one on one time, but my expectations were not high.


I get there and its wall to wall people. I see one person that I "know" and he sort of knows me. Matt knows who I am by my face. I doubt he knows my name, and while this guy is salesman nice (to everyone) he more often than not tries to get away from me asap. Its like I've got cooties.


So I say "Hi" to Matt, he says "Hi" in return. There's an awkward moment, and Matt flees.

I go to the bar, grab a drink, a stiff drink, and look around for other people I might know or want to get to know. The group of people is ecclectic at best. There's locals dressed "as you are", business types dressed accordingly with fancy suits and well coiffed hair (obviously gay or completely new to town), and a mix of ordinary well adjusted people who dressed normal for being where we were and outside in the heat.

I'm busy watching the show when Pierce walks in. He sees me, gives me a hug, and stays to chat a bit. Mostly just talking about who is here and who we know. I mention that I only know Matt and point out where he is. Shortly thereafter, Pierce excuses himself and says something about going to say Hi to Matt. To be honest, I wasn't listening. I was trying to watch the show and heard that he was going, and tuned out.


About 20 minutes later, when the show was over, Pierce returns to me and we talk. We talk about his work and my potential work, and this thing and that thing... and politics and BP.. He may or may not have made joking references to being too busy in college trying to get laid, and I may or may not have described my bed to him with a little too much detail (hey it fit in with the conversation I swear)... and.. then Pierce excuses himself to go to the bathroom saying quite clearly that he'll be right back.


This time.. unlike the last time we'd hung out... It wasn't said awkwardly or like he felt I needed some kind of pathetic reassurance in order to extracate himself... this time he said it solidly as a promise of "We're not done here." There was no question about it.


But I also didn't want to just sit there twiddling my thumbs waiting for him to return. I wanted to talk to a few of the performers, and took that chance to do so.. while keeping an eye on the spot where I was, watching for his return.


I barely got a few words in with a couple performers before I saw him return looking for me. (insert big grin and an inner happy dance) So I tried to catch his eye to show him where I was. He saw me talking to the performers and came and sat down a few feet away from my new position and waited. (insert swoon)


He didn't seem irritated. He just sat and waited. Patiently. Until I finished doing what I was doing. He didn't come over and try to horn in on the conversation or try to pull me away. He just waited. He didn't seem impatient or signal me to hurry up. He just waited his turn, patiently.


I seriously wanted to take him home and fuck him something rotten for that. After years of my ex being grumpy and impatient and belittling whatever it was I wanted to do... and being upset with me if I didn't do what he wanted to do and just socially been a complete pain in my ass... This was a breath of fresh air, and had we been in a relationship, Pierce would have gotten some mad crazy girl sex. Just sayin.


Left to my own devices, I probably would have prolonged my interaction with the performers quite a bit longer.. but seeing Pierce look so deliciously patient and waiting for me.. I cut out of the conversation before I would have otherwise.


Sexy intelligent man vs really cool important people who won't remember your name tomorrow? Uh sexy man please!


So I sat down next to Pierce, and we talked some more. And talked. And talked. Though it didn't seem like time was really passing, other than that crazy ache to kiss him and the visual of the sun setting, I'm not sure time really passed at all while we talked.


And he was sweet. Seriously sweet. At one point the sun was in my face when I would turn to talk to him, he, of his own accord, moved his head between mine and the sun blocking it completely from hitting my face. He did this without calling attention to what he was doing. He didn't even say "is that better" like he was expecting a thank you or calling attention to his chivalry. He just did it, and seemed pleased enough that in doing so the conversation continued to flow. He held that position, moving slightly in response to any change in my position, until the sun itself had moved to a less problematic spot. (How can I not swoon?)


We got up to refresh our drinks, and he stayed with me... not like a leech, he wasn't glued to my side.. but near me. We continue talking once we've gotten new drinks, and as we're finishing our drinks, Pierce mentions that he needs to go. I agree that its probably time to go, though in all honesty I wasn't ready to part. I had no idea what time it was, but I was pretty sure by the fact that we were the last people there that it was in fact time to go home.


"You want to walk out together?" Pierce asks.


I barely catch it and I think that's what he said.

"Yeah, that'd be great." I reply.

We coordinate our exit, and walk out together. As we approach every juncture where we could have parted ways, he says "I need to go (insert direction).." with a silent hestitation implying "which direction are you?" while almost guiding me seamlessly along as we walked together.


We went part of the way to our cars together, alas there was a fork in the road where we parted ways. We hugged quickly. Said we'd had a good time.

"Until next time" he said... or maybe it was "I'll see you around, at the next thing" ? I don't recall.

All I know is that there is something there. It might be as simple as friendship, or it might be something more. We'll see.