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5
KLEIN
Last night felt like a dream.Like it didn’t actually happen. When I got home, I almost immediately fell asleep.
I grab my phone and text Andre. It’s already after 11am, so he may be up.
Sorry I didn’t get to say ‘goodbye’ last night. You did awesome. It was great to see you.
I lay back in bed, thinking about Mateo. He was so distant, yet I feel like I’ve known him for a lot longer than just last night. I guess that can happen when you’re intimate with someone.
Andre texts back.
Glad you could come out! How late did you end up staying?
I left a little after 1. How did the rest of the night go?
It went really great. Crowd was amazing. What are you up to now? Want to get some brunch?
I’d normally spend the weekend alone in my apartment, running errands, or catching up on work. But I’m in the mood to hang out with someone this morning.
Meet you at Winkel? Locust and S 12th St? In one hour?
Andre replies.
See you there.
I take my time getting ready. I’m exhausted but I can’t sleep in any longer.
I really enjoy living in the city. Everything is close, even if it isn’t. My apartment on the corner of Walnut and South 12thStreet is only a few blocks from my office and the courthouse. Tons of great restaurants, cafes, and bars are within walking distance. I almost never even need to get a cab.
When I first moved into my apartment it was really convenient for dating. I could arrange a date without having to go too far. When a date was really bad, I could end it early and be back home within ten minutes. Now, the restaurants are convenient for picking up dinner when I don’t feel like cooking something.
Eventually, I got tired of dating apps. It started to feel like I was scraping around in the bottom of the barrel, so I deleted them all and threw myself into my work instead.
Still, while I walk the couple of blocks from my apartment to meet Andre, I tell myself I should get back to going out more. It’s easy to feel that way on a warm July day like this. The city feels so active. Everyone wants to be out.
But it’s also easy for me to get wrapped up in my work. And when fall comes and the summer weather is gone, I know I’ll probably retreat back to staying home most of the time.
I might as well enjoy summer while it’s here.
Andre has already grabbed a small table outside Winkel. He’s got his sunglasses on, soaking up the sun on his dark skin. He must have had his eyes closed because he doesn’t react until I pull out my chair.
“Hey, Andre.”
“Hey!” He pulls off his sunglasses and rubs his eyes with his palms. “The sun was almost putting me back to sleep.”
“Were you up late after you left?” I ask, picking up a menu.
“I didn’t get out of Sinners until after 3. But it was also just a long day. I had to start work at 8am yesterday.”
A waiter comes by and takes our order. I order an iced latté and waffles. Andre orders orange juice and French toast.
“How come you were at Sinnersso late? Don’t they close at 2?” I ask.
“Yeah. But it took me a while to get paid. Vinny said he’d come up to the booth and pay me at 2. I was all packed up and waiting for him until 2:30 but he never showed up.”
