A few years back, I was having a glass of wine with my friend Maya. The topic of "fuck buddies" came up. It was something I had little experience with, but Maya knew a lot about. I primed her with glass after glass as she spilled the beans on a guy I knew of but didn't the depth of their relationship. So this one is based loosely on Maya's story, and is dedicated to her, may you enjoy your dalliance!
*****
As I pulled up to the Starbucks, I could see Craig sitting at one of the patio chairs. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, his weekend uniform. He was also wearing a pair of Oakley sunglasses, and while I don't mind Oakleys on guys, I think the whole sunglasses-on-the-baseball-cap-brim is a little over done, and that was often his thing. Today there was no hat, just the sunglasses.
I parked my Mini and headed over. After coffee I planned to run a couple of errands, then go to yoga. I was thinking that I would going to miss yoga more than just about anything. I'd been offered a great job in San Francisco, and I had accepted it. The only problem was that they wanted me to start sooner than I wanted to go, and would even pay a bonus if I started in just three short weeks.
I was wearing my favorite Lululemon crop pants. Yoga pants, in my humble opinion, are possibly the greatest women's clothing ever invented. The Wonder Bra and the bikini are probably in the running, but who's butt and legs don't look better in black stretch pants? To finish off my look, I had on my orange Nikes and a dayglow Body Armor tank. When I work out I don't like to look matchy matchy, but I like to look good, and today I felt good.
"Hey, you," I said as I walked up.
"Hey, Maya," said Craig. "Got you a non-fat latte."
"Oh, awesome, thanks."
Craig and I had known each other for years. A girlfriend of mine was friends with a girl he dated, and over time we met each other at parties and dinners. We each had love interests come and go, but we stayed friends through the revolving doors. One holiday season we had both recently broken up with losers. We were drunk and horny, and so we slept together. We knew we weren't right to fall in love, but we were pretty compatible in the sack. I always hated the term 'friends with benefits', so I just always called Craig my 'fuck buddy.'
"You look good," said Craig.
"Oh, thanks!" I countered.
"No, I don't mean it like that. You're looking slim and trim and all, but you've got a big smile on your face?"
"I got a new job."
"Really?"
"In San Francisco."
"Are you shitting me?"
I shook my head no as I smiled and looked him in the face.
"That's awesome," he said, and I really think he was happy for me.
"We'll see," I said. "Only thing is I have to move right away. "
"How soon?"
"I start up there in three weeks."
Surprise came over his face, and his eyes popped open, showing more white than I can remember ever seeing.
"Three weeks?" he said. "That's like, no time."
"I know."
We sipped our coffee and chatted about the job and the move and what it was going to be like. Craig was always a good friend and good sounding board. I trusted his opinion, and he seemed to think I made the right decision.
"It's gonna be crazy over the next week or two, and I have to fly up on Monday, for a few days, but I wondered if you wanted to come over for dinner on Saturday?"
"Sure."
"It might be the last time we can get together before I go."
"What're you making?"
"I thought I'd grill up some of that marinated carne asada from Vallarta Market, the one you liked so much that time."
"Oh, I love that."
"Yeah, really I just want to fuck your brains out one more time before I go, but I thought I'd make you a nice dinner anyway."
"Yeah, nice. To you I'm just a stud service."
I nodded a 'yes' as I sipped my latte.
And with that, my last date with Craig was set. Between now and then I'd have to start packing, get my condo listed, fly to the Bay Area for some work and to find a place to live, and probably a million other things.
The week was crazy, stressful, and exciting. By Friday I was whipped. Knowing I would be tired, I planned nothing but an early night to bed.
The next morning I ran errands, went to yoga, and met with my real estate agent. Later in the day I made a trip to the farmer's market to grab some veggies, and finally swung by Vallarta Market. Vallarta is a chain of supermarkets in Southern California catering to Hispanics. Unlike most others, though, Vallarta has become a real hit with Anglos, who have become a growing part of their customer base.
The meat section is massive. To the uninitiated, it's intimidating. There are stacks of trimmed meat, and along with it the smell that accompanies an active butcher shop. It's not horrible, but it's powerful. The thing is, the meat is incredible. Beef, chicken, pork, and tons of fish. Unlike the usual Anglo markets where everything is perfectly cut, weighed, packaged, and stacked, Vallarta's meat department has pile after pile of different cuts of meat, some plain, some seasoned, and some marinated. I found it was great for really lean seasoned meats, and I knew Craig loved anything from Vallarta.
I got home and did what little clean up I could do. My place was a mess of boxes. I bought a bunch and left them open so I could just drop stuff in as I worked around the house.
I took a shower, put on some clean clothes, and went to the kitchen. I poured a glass of wine and began dinner. I made a salad, prepped the veggies, and put the meat on a tray in fridge.