The Party: A Short Story
I had ulterior motives for coming to this party.
I was going to go regardless, but once Rick mentioned his roommate invited an old friend of mine, it was now imperative that I attend.
On the night of, I arrive around an hour late with my friends. As soon as we entered, I surveyed the room to see if it picked up on familiar faces other than Rick and was mildly disappointed. We greet him & mingle a bit, but mostly stay within our bubble. There was an overwhelming whiteness in this space.
Rick's roommate then approached us to direct us to his homemade apple cider. As he spoke to us, a wave of familiarity washed over me. Where have I seen him before? Then it clicked. Oh my god, I met him at the funeral.
Now it all made sense…Rick had mentioned that his roommate had lost a friend recently, that's why we have a mutual. The mutual friend that passed and the mutual friend still living. I glanced at him. I searched to see if there was a similar look of recognition on his face. We rode in a car together to visit our friend's grave, rode back to the city, spent a few hours together and yet, nothing…
Perhaps he just didn't want to remember that day. So I left it alone. Thanked him for the cider, and let him be. I couldn't even remember his name…
We sat out back to mix and mingle, exchange socials and take pictures. But eventually the time came for food once more. As we walked back into the main room, I finally saw him…my old friend. There was a bit of dramatic irony in this scenario as I knew he would be in attendance, yet he had no clue that I was even associated with anyone at this party. I didn't even give him a heads up. I just wanted to see how he would react, discovering me in this setting.
A mischievous grin spread across my face as I pretended not to see him. I simply leaned against the bar and continued conversing with my coworker. Then out the corner of my eye, I can tell that he's finally seen me. He chokes on his drink as he rushes to my side. I turn around and finally acknowledge him.
“Hey!”
“Hey.”
I love the way he looks at me. So full of intrigue and desire. It makes me wonder what would compel a man that is clearly so enamored by me to break things off so abruptly. He's not the only man to do this, it has happened both before him and after him. And it always perplexes me. What about me do these men both love and fear? Despite all these thoughts brewing in my mind, the mischievous grin is still present.
