Even If Forever Doesn't Work

III

"No, actually, why?"

"I know this nice Italian place, wanna have dinner?" He asks.

"Sure." I accept.

"Here's my number call me." He says placing a tissue on the table with his digits on it.

"Sure." I say.

"That's how you get dates?" Eddie said as soon as the guy was out of earshot.

"Yeah."

"You're so chill." Danny says.

"Well, because I don't like him." I say.

"What?" Danny says skeptically.

"You see that guy?" I point. "He's asked me out four times. Then there's that guy." I point again. "I rejected him five times, for being such a creep. That guy too."

"Why?" Eddie asks.

"I don't know, because dates in New York always end in bed. I don't wanna sleep with a guy I met in less than twenty-four hours, and if I'm looking for someone which I won't be, he's got to pass my qualifications. I wanna have a nice relationship, not a one night stand with every guy in every block of New York."

"Well, that's one feisty New Yorker."  Danny interjects.

"What do you look for in a guy?" Liam asks.

"Well, he's got to be taller than I am, someone sweet and interesting. And someone who proves all my signs." I enumerated.

"Signs?" Eddie asks.

"I've set some things that if ever this guy does it, he's the one."

They all crack up.

"Yeah yeah, at least I'm getting dates."  I gloated on the other two.

I had work. I was needed in a shoot downtown. I entered the studio, white walls surrounded me and racks of clothes. I met up with the photographer for a short brief of what I was gonna do. It was a shoot for a small start up company. They offered good money so I accepted. After hair and make up it was on to the clothes. Animal prints was the theme.

I've put on ten different outfits, shot fifteen frames each and I was getting tired. After the shoot I got the money and I was good to go. The photographer said he liked me and would recommend me to some of the companies he worked for.

On the way home I just thought about what Liam asked. No one really cared about my situation before. Jenny and Mr. Trib always went off somewhere when Christmas came. I always spent Christmas alone, it wasn't new or anything.

I got back to our building and I went straight to my apartment. I catch Liam in the balcony. He was just there, zoned out, thinking to himself. I sat beside him.

"I got kicked out of home." I confess.

"What? Really?" He turns.

"I came out to mom and dad, and they just didn't want me anymore. No more holidays together, no more anything together."

He hugs me tightly. I wasn't anymore affected by it. I was ok. I'm doing good already.