Met PTC again after he took me up on a suggestion that we go to this night event at a museum we both like. I got an email from them and forwarded it to him, asking whether he was interested. He wrote me back within the half hour telling me that he'd already gotten his ticket. What?!?!? I got mine and after a modest amount of planning we met there.
It was a rainy, drizzly, somewhat miserable Friday night. I was again excited to see him but much moreso excited to check out this particular event. The museum stays open till midnight and features a DJ, live musicians accompanying the recorded tracks, and visual images projected on the walls of this huge outside space on the museum grounds. I arrived and he was already there. I waited in a surprisingly long line to check in and finally got through the doors. We met up and walked in, immediately a little taken aback by the large crowd and the visual craziness of the space. After a short period of acclimation, we decided to get a couple drinks. He paid for the drink tickets and ordered a couple of beers for us after deciding that he just could not drink the only cocktail option they had which happened to be bright pink. This decision made me secretly happy as I have had the unsavory experience of being on a date where the guy ordered an appletini ... this made him immediately unattractive to me. An appletini??? Are you kidding? You're a man!! Order a beer or scotch or something. Geez ...
Anyway ... We walked around, taking in the scene, exchanging random observations about it. I was nervous going in given the DJ and the possibility of social pressure to dance. Not knowing whether he was a dancer or a stander/watcher, I decided to hold my nervousness and wait to see whether he jumped in or hung back. Thankfully, I wasn't subjected to terrible white man dancing and we spent most of our time either watching the fun, funky people in the crowd or walking around the museum.
He studied art and makes a living as a photographer (I think. We've never actually talked about his job. I find this both odd and good). I personally prefer to visit museums alone so I can make my own judgments and evaluations about the art silently and contemplatively, so was also nervous that as we walked through the exhibits he would feel the need to expound on things. He didn't at all which was a relief. At one point though, he asked me whether I had seen anybody that I knew yet. Bizarrely, I just had. I saw a guy I had a couple dates with at the beginning of last summer who told me after our third date that he'd just gotten divorced and really wasn't ready. I think he recognized me too but wasn't sure. Needless to say, I was sort of self conscious then wondering whether he somehow sensed that I had had this little secret realization upon seeing this other fellow. I said yes and he said that he was only asking because that type of thing tends to happen at events like this. You'll randomly run into someone you went to high school with or knew at summer camp. Or, in my case, a recent divorcee you fucked last summer.
We continued to walk through the museum and made our way back outside to the music. We had a fun time chatting, commenting on the crowd. At one point, he had me send a random text response to a friend of his, during which I pretended to be an alien that had kidnapped him and was eating his brain. We both laughed and he complimented my wittiness. Blush. We also had a fun time playing with some of the toys in the museum shop and he took a video of one wiggly toy on his new fancy phone. Good times.
The museum closed, the event was over, and the drizzle had grown into full on rain. I knew he drove there and was expecting a ride home from him. We walked out and he asked me where my subway stop was. I stammered that it was about five blocks away. He said that that was far and offered me his umbrella. His umbrella. What? Um, how 'bout a ride, slick? I politely declined, sort of surprised that I was actually facing the possibility of walking to the subway, sans umbrella, in heels after midnight when this bozo could easily offer, and then give me, a ride home. In lieu of a ride in the car, he offered to walk me to the metro. I said ok and we walked.
To the wrong stop. Great. I was now wet, pissed off, and my feet were beginning to hurt. He then offered to drive me to the metro feeling bad that he'd lead us the wrong way. I accepted and we walked another couple blocks to his car. He drove me to the metro stop and again offered me his umbrella. I took it. Mainly because I was still in disbelief that I was getting dropped off somewhere other than my doorstep. He made no move to hug me goodnight so I initiated and again got the weak hug from him.
I got out, walked to the metro and thankfully caught a waiting bus which would drop me closer to my house. On the bus ride home, I wondered again whether this guy was at all interested in me. He made no move and has never even made the attempt at any physical contact. Not a pat on the back, a touch on the hand, a rub of the arm. Nothin'. What gives? Is he just shy? Is he a gentleman? Is he nervous? Is he interested in me as a friend only? Confused. Befuddled. A bit disappointed.
Meanwhile, all night I had been getting texts from The Gentleman asking where I was, telling me where he was, wanting to meet up. I was thinking all night about the fact that even though I was having fun, I really, really wanted to just be with him ... so he could stroke my hair, give me kisses, tell me good things. Needless to say, The Gentleman and I never connected this night. I went to sleep disappointed, feeling like I'd missed an opportunity to further the relationship I was definitely more attached to.
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