I just didn't want to go to the party. I don't
know why; I'm usually pretty social. And
Bob is OK, if a bit smarmy sometimes.
He's fun to look at, if nothing else. But the
thought of the party just left me cold.
Matthew was more enthusiastic. Not
because he's any more a party animal
than I am, but just because he'd been
working very hard lately--to the point of
illness and exhaustion--and I think he just
wanted to kick back and enjoy himself.
So, anyway, he really wanted to go. And I
guessed it was just as well . . . Bob
certainly owed us a lot of favors, and this
invitation was certainly the closest he'd
come to repaying them.
The party was in full swing by the time we
got there. Wall to wall people . . . at least
75 from what I could tell. I didn't know any
of them but Bob at first, but I eventually
met up with a few friends and
acquantences.
Things were so hectic, I lost sight of
Matthew pretty early. I just started to look
around for him when my friend Jeremy
ran into me.
"Hey man," he said. Jeremy is pretty
much a dream boat. We had slept with
each other once, years ago, but he'd been
too aggressive for my tastes, and we'd
remained pretty good friends after that.
"Hey, baby," I said, kissing his smooth,
angular cheek. "You seen Matthew?"
"Nope, but you'd better watch out. Doug is
here."
My breath caught in my throat. I'd
promised to be friends with Doug when I
broke up with him, but in actuality, he
made just made me too uncomfortable. It
was obvious he still had it bad for me, not
to mention his obvious distaste for my
new boyfriend.
I sighed and decided to . . .