"Are you here?"
"Um, yeah, where else would I be?"
"Very funny. Now where are you?"
"Over by the stage, next to the stairs."
"Oh, okay, I am on my way over to you, please don't move before I get over there. I just might turn around and go home if I don't see you."
"So dramatic. Just hurry up, I might be important, but I have not achieved 'stop the world' status." I hear laughter. A minute or so went by before a familiar head of blue hair appeared before me. "I see you, keep walking straight." He looks up and I wave furiously.
"This is SO not my type of crowd." He yells into my ear a few moments later as I hug him.
I look at him innocently. "What do you mean?" I ask as several Queens glide by us in all of their glory at Pride. I indicate them with a wave of my hand. "How is this not your scene?" A smirk lights my face. "Are these not your peoples?"
"You know I prefer the quiet, intellectual types. These people running around here?" He trailed off rolling his eyes.
"Hey, don't be so judgey! I just met this one guy who might be perfect for you. He may be wearing a mesh body suit, six-inch heels and a killer wig at the moment, but he is studying law over at New England."
He looks at me with a raised brow. "You don't say? Well where is this fine specimen?"
I indicate the stage with a tilt of my chin and he turns around and his mouth falls open. "What? She is GORGEOUS!" He stares in what looks to be love-struck awe, a thing I have never before witnessed from this pretty-boy. On the stage before us, the fore mentioned law student, who goes by the stage name 'Sweet Tort', is dancing to 'Side to Side' by Ariana Grande. Suddenly without taking his eyes off the performer, he punches me hard in the arm making me yelp, jumping backward. "Why haven't you already introduced me?" He asked looking like a kid who lost his favorite toy.
"I was getting around to it. Why do you think I was working so hard to get you over here? Like you said, this isn't your type of crowd." I say with a huge grin on my face. "Maybe it should be."
He only spared me a glance long enough to make a face before looking back at the stage, he started to sway slightly to the song (he doesn't even like Ariana Grande) grinning ear to ear. I took a step back folding my arms watching in wonder as he became totally wrapped up in Sweet Tort's performance and I couldn't help but giggle at him. He's a goner; I guess I should spend time with him now because he is going to drop off of the face of the Earth soon.
I smiled at the stylish man across from me who is dressed now in dark blue jeans, a polo shirt and a very nice pair of loafers. With or without the make up and hair, Riyan is a gorgeous individual. "So how long does it take you to get done up for a performance?" I asked before shoving more nachos into my mouth followed up with some of my margarita. At Greg's insistence, we left the celebration a little early to get something to eat, I got to choose where and I wanted tex-mex. On the way to the restaurant, it quickly became apparent that I had been charged with keeping the lines of communication open because Greg was just too awestruck for conversation, even though that was his goal when he had me ask Riyan if he could join us.
Anytime Riyan asked him a question, he just giggled like a teenager. At first I was little taken aback because if anyone could talk your ear off, Greg could. I ended up having to cut him some slack however, because apparently to hear Greg tell it, my behavior was the same the night I met K-, him.
"-And, well for today's performance, it only took a little over 30 minutes for today. The performance was a little small scale, so just enough makeup for coverage and what I like to call a quick wig."
"I can't imagine that you would need a lot of makeup, your skin is practically flawless."
I cocked an eyebrow in amazement that so many words had been used and coherently too just then. I couldn't help laughing as I rolled my eyes and I look across the table at Riyan to see him turning the most adorable shade of red. "He is right though, your face is pretty awesome."
His tone was shy and demure as he spoke. "Thanks."
"Are you originally from Massachusetts?"
I looked over again at the blue haired man with a raised brow. Maybe he is starting to snap out of it, which is good because I just wanted to enjoy my nachos and margarita. The wedding is in two days, and since I am off tomorrow because I leave for Miami Sunday morning, I would like to be comatose until then.
I promptly flag the waitress down to ask for another margarita. Greg, against my wishes takes notice and narrows his eyes briefly before turning his attention back to Riyan. He can try to stop me if he wants to, but I told him yesterday that catatonic me should be way preferred over despairing me. He didn't want to agree, but I know he does, either way though he would have to take care of me and it was up to him how much work he wanted to put in.
"-So after college, I had weighed how soon I wanted to go back to school, but I didn't necessarily want to just go and get a PhD in economics. My uncle actually talked me into going to law school; he practices contract law in New Brunswick. I ended up here because I wanted to be somewhere not New Jersey; they were my second choice with my first being Duke in North Carolina."
I nod taking a sip from my new glass, a passion fruit flavored margarita. "This one is sogood! Here, try it!" I say shoving the glass toward Greg. In spite of the plate of nachos I just finished, I was starting to feel on top of the world again. Kai who? I didn't wait for him to accept or decline my offer, taking the glass back to drink more.
"I'm sorry. She normally isn't like this." I hear him say suddenly. "She is going through a break up of sorts. She's really a nice person. Please don't judge us."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Riyan says offering a warm smile. "I know how that can be. So you were engaged then?" He asks indicating the ring on my finger.
Greg looked at me through narrowed eyes as he spoke. "No, she is still engaged. That is why I said of sorts. The man she 'broke up with'," he puts quotes around the words with his fingers, "He is getting married this weekend."
Riyan's face becomes a mixture of disbelief and amazement. "What?"
"She was silly enough to fall for him anyway. They work together sometimes you see. This is how she is choosing to cope, nachos and margaritas, but I don't approve really."
"It's a great idea." I say as I reach over to take one of his taquitos. "And don't think I didn't try Riyan. I did. I really, really did." I said as I jabbed the taquito in his direction my words slurring a bit. "I tried so hard." I shake my head dropping it down and I bite the taquito.
Greg hugged me close then rubbed circles on my back. "Of coarse you did. Calm down please before you get too excited. Riyan and I want finish our food before it's time to leave. You want some more nachos?" I shake my head again. "Well fajitas then, I don't want to carry you." He stops the waitress to ask for the fajitas as she passes by. "My reward for being such a good friend is that I get to let her cry on my shoulder until she flies to Miami on Sunday."
"Oh, I was hoping maybe we could go out tomorrow night or Saturday. That is if you wanted to."
Greg actually growled as he hugged me again tightly. "Ow!" I pushed his arm away moving over a bit. "Well, I guess I can release you from your duties for a few hours tomorrow night. See? I can be reasonable."
"I will be lucky if she remembers she said this tomorrow, but here's to hoping."
"I will remember. I mostly want to do this because I knew the two of you would hit it off so well. When I met Riyan the other day, I just knew that you would like him, see, so I can't get in the way of something that I worked so hard to accomplish." I turn to regard the law student slapping my hands down onto the table leaning forward. "I had to practically beg him to come today Riyan. If I had told him about you and what you were doing at Pride, he wouldn't have shown up."
"No?" The man said arching a brow as he looked at Greg, the corners of his lips turned down slightly.
I shake my head emphatically. "Never. He can't stand Pride; he thinks the people that attend are too extra. You are an exception of coarse, you should have seen the look on his face when he saw-"
"Here, have another taquito." Greg said anxiously as he shoved the roll into my mouth.
"Seriously, I love you. What on earth would I ever do without you? Riyan? Where is he? Did you scare him off?" I asked as we entered my apartment.
"Quiet, he is right behind us."
Since I was riding piggyback, I turned my head as much as I could to look over my shoulder, which hurt, a lot. "Riyan? You are SO lucky to have a guy like this in your life. Seriously. Wha-OOF!" I was dropped onto my bed suddenly. "That was rude!" I watch him as he takes off my shoes setting them on the floor by my bed. He then swings my legs up onto the bed and covers me with the throw blanket. The room is spinning just a little as I lay back. "Where are you going? I ask when I see him leaving. "It's tomorrowthat you get a few hours, get over here and give me your shoulder!" He looks absolutely mortified as his eyes dart back and forth between Riyan and I causing me to feel like I might have said that a little too strongly, but given my state, the feeling was short lived.
Riyan starts to back away toward my bedroom door. "It's okay, I can see myself out. Call me later?" He quickly exits and we here the door shut seconds later.
"Woman! If you have ruined my chances..." He snatches the pillow from under my head and immediately pummels me with it. "I will neverforgive you!"
"OW!" I try to defend myself, but whom was I kidding? "Greg! Greg, you are golden, the man likes you! OOF! Greg!" I attempt to roll away to the other side of the bed but in my inebriated state, I roll too fast and in the blink of an eye, I am on the floor in a tangle of limbs and blanket.
"Serves you right." He says as he comes around to stand over me. "Look Gabe, I get that you are going through a rough time, but seriously, if you ruin this-"
"I told you, he is totally into you." I said half moaning half crying. "Everything will be fine, unlike me." I feel him take ahold of my arms and like magic I am suddenly on the bed again. I fall back onto the bed rolling onto my side. I start ugly crying. "What the hell? I can't even be drunk and oblivious!" I feel the cover being placed over me again.
"I knew this would happen." He said as he picked up the pillow tossing it at the headboard. He lay down beside me and pulled me over to him. "You didn't want to listen though. I am here and will always be here, why don't you get some rest?"
I snort rather loudly as I nod my head. "I really am so lucky to have you, Dear."
He plants a kiss on the top of my head. "Yes. You are."
I wrap my arm around him. "I love you."
"I love you, too."