Sasha, Ben, and I were at Finn’s on a Thursday for our weekly dose of karaoke and booze. We were sipping Dirty Shirleys in a booth under the low lights, chatting and assessing the crowd and waiting our turn up on stage. In between renditions of Sweet Caroline and I Want It That Way, I saw him: tall, dark, and handsome, laughing wildly at something his friend had said. He wore colored denim pants, a blue henley, and a necklace. I couldn’t stop watching him, feeling an attraction that was equal parts exciting and terrifying.
“I’m going to talk to that guy. I want to date him,” I said to Sasha. She followed my gaze toward the group of men.
“The one who looks like John Mayer?” she asked. I nodded.
“Get it, Pal,” she responded. She passed the information along to our friend, gesturing towards the other side of the bar: “Ben, Allie wants to date that guy.” I laughed, mildly embarrassed by my uncharacteristically brazen attitude, but still energized by my earlier proclamation.
Sasha and I took to the stage for Wagon Wheel, and we downed another pair of drinks. I couldn’t take my attention from that guy, and I willed him not to leave before I gained the courage necessary to go chat with him. Returning to our booth, we brainstormed around how I might introduce myself. It became a story of I’ll go over there in juuuuust a minute until I was tired of hearing myself talk about it. Fearing humiliation and feeling foolish, I abandoned my fantasies, and I told Sasha and Ben to drop it.
Ben stood up and headed to the restroom, I made a comment bemoaning singledom, and then Sasha and I joined the bar’s chorus of Call Me Maybe. When Ben returned, scooting in across the table, he gave Sasha a look, a clear attempt to communicate…something. And it suddenly clicked.
“You did NOT,” I said. “Ben, you did NOT,” I reiterated, with increased volume and urgency. He smirked, and I grabbed Sasha’s forearm. “Sasha, we are leaving now.”
“Al, he’s here,” she replied.
And there he was, with a broad smile, taking a seat beside Ben, across from me.
“Hi,” I mustered, squirming slightly. My cheeks were on fire.
“Hey,” he said. “I’m Pete.”
