I tilted my head to let her know where I wanted to be focusing.
“Hey, hon, I was just about to ask the gentleman behind you for his name before you parked your luscious ass on the stool between us, that is.” She turned around and immediately did a double take.
She and I had done this particular routine too many times for her to miss a beat. As if on cue she spoke up, “Oh pardon me,kind sir.” She extended her hand, those perfect teeth flashing. “I’m Ayako, and the lovely man you were just conversing with is my friend Milo.” She pronounced it in Spanish, Mee-loh, like I preferred, as she waved a hand in my direction.
The guy looked at us like he was starting to suspect he was being punked, but he played along and extended his hand first to Ayako and then to me.
“I’m Thomas, nice to meet you both.” He winked as we shook hands, then turned to Ayako. “Would you like a glass of champagne, miss?”
“Yes, please! And its Ayako,” she said, waving her hand at him. “It’s an open bar. We’ll be on a first name basis soon enough.”
He chuckled at her and nodded. “Fair enough. Give me a minute.” Then he looked at my empty flute and raised an eyebrow. I lifted my glass to let him know a refill would be much appreciated.
While he turned to get our drinks, Ayako tried to engage in a silent conversation with her eyeballs that I had no hope of understanding, even as sober as I was. So I just shook my head to indicate she needed toplay it cool.
“Here you go.” He passed around flutes and lifted his own. “To kind strangers.”
We all raised our glasses in a toast and drank in silence. After a moment my mind started to wander. How was a man this hot and seemingly socially competent here by himself? He had to be waiting for someone to join him and killing time with me. Just as I was about to inquire, I heard a woman’s voice call out.
“Tom! There you are. Please tell me there are mocktails, because I’m thirsty.”
Figured.
The three of us turned in the direction of the voice, and I saw a very beautiful and very pregnant woman dressed in astunning purple silk gown walking toward us, holding hands with an equally dashing man. I noticed the matching weddings bands they werewearing and immediately felt annoyed at the butterflies fluttering in my stomach when I realized she probably wasn’t carrying Thomas-who-I’d-only-met-five-minutes-ago’s baby.
The man in question waved over the new arrivals. “Hey, guys! Thanks for saving me from sitting through dinner with boring rich people.”
The woman came up to us and kissed him on the cheek, while the guy gave him the bro half hug/back slap combo. Thomas looked over at us and spoke to his friends. “Guys, these are my new friends, Ayako and Milo.” He waved his hands in the direction of the new arrivals while looking at us. “This is my best friend Sanjay and hismuchbetter half, Priya.”
We did the appropriate introductions and then proceeded to help Priya figure out what non-alcoholic drink she could have that, in her words, “wouldn’t make her want to stab us in the neck for drinking champagne while she drank soda.”
Ayako and I loved her immediately and I was about to ask her where she was sitting to see if our tables were close by, when the MC announced that people should start heading to their tables. Thomas gave me a long look, as if he was struggling with whether or not to say whatever was on his mind.
I was disappointed when after a few seconds he just raised his hand.
“Have a good dinner, Milo.” He said my name perfectly. Most people struggled with the Spanish pronunciation. I wondered where he’d learned it, but I never got to ask because after I nodded and waved back, Tom just walked away.
Ayako, who knew me a little too well and could probably tell I was disappointed, gave him some side-eye and mouthed “his loss.” I finished up my drink and looked around to spot whereThomas and his friends were sitting. I almost choked when I saw them take their seats at a table right next to the stage. The tables I knew for a fact went for ten grand a plate. I heard a whistle from my side as I tried to pick my jaw off the floor.
I turned around to find Ayako looking very impressed by Tom’s status at the very top of the gala food chain. “Damn he was pretty low-key for a dude dropping thirty grand on Friday night dinner. He’s just like you like ’em, too.” She lifted a hand, so it was hovering way above my head. “Huge and looks like he could fuck your lights out.” I would not deny what we both knew was true. That was very much my type.
“We don’t even know he’s gay,” I offered, prompting an eye roll from Ayako.
“I’m going to point out the facts,” she said, holding up two perfectly manicured pointy bright pink nails. “We’re at an LGBT benefit and the guy dropped ten grand a piece for three tickets. If that’s not commitment to the cause I don’t know what is. So there’s at least aslimchance the dude’s into dick. He was certainly eyeing your privates with interest.” She gave my crotch area a pointed look, like there was some kind of indicator down there I was too dumb to notice.
I sighed and gestured to the other side of the room. “Fine, youmaybe on to something. Let’s go find our seats way back there.” Ayako sipped the last of her champagne and signaled for another as I made my way to our table.
Just as I was sitting down I opened my Instagram app and saw a new post from my ex, which only worsened my sinking mood. It looked like the adoption he and his partner were working on finally went through. I scrolled through his recent posts and saw photo after photo of a tired but elated couple, looking adoringly at the bundled infant in their arms.
I didn’t even know why seeing the photos made me feel like someone was squeezing my heart out. Paul wasn’t a guy I wantedto co-parent a kid with. At least not based on how he behaved while we were dating. It wasn’t even about the baby though; it was about how fast he’d found someone whom he wanted to make that kind of commitment with. Yet when we were together he could barely agree to keep a toothbrush at my place.
When would I find someone who saw me as their forever person? Who looked at me and saw exactly who they wanted? Not just a warm body to pass the time with until their soul mate came along.
Andthatwas my other problem, despite all the firsthand knowledge I had of just how fucked up relationships could be, I was still holding out for some kind of fairytale. I always jumped in too fast, gave too much, put all of myself out there, andeverytime ended up getting my heart crushed. Why were these photos even bringing all of this up? I didn’t have any feelings for Paul, and we’d been barely speaking when we broke things off over two years ago.
Why did I care?
“Oh no you don’t,” Ayako whispered as she swiftly took my phone from my hand and put it in her clutch.
