I named this one Fantasy Fort because my friend called it that when I told her this story. :D
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I had just gotten out of a relationship with a man who stepped on me and my heart one or ten too many times. I was not looking for anything at all, much less anything serious. In fact, I'd just told a friend of mine that I was pretty sure if any man who wasn't related to me talked to me I'd slap him. Just for being a dude.
Still, Friday night rolled around and I found myself driving my friend down to her new boyfriend's house. The love of her life and a wonderful guy, I was too happy for her to keep up my recent bitchiness.
We made plans to go bowling with him and some of his friends because my friend didn't want to have their first date be at a bar.
Two of Mike's friends met us at his apartment before we left for the bowling alley. All I could think when I was introduced to his friend Troy was, "damn, he's cute." I immediately thought he must not be interested and I have to say it wasn't anything he did. Looking back I think he had an eye on me from the beginning, and my ridiculous man-drama had made my sexual radar all out of whack.
We ended up in the bar portion of the bowling alley complex despite Jenny's intention not to date in a bar. The bowling alley had a tournament that didn't end for an hour or so and we went to play pool and have a few drinks. I was trying to get at least a little buzzed so was drinking pretty fast. I really needed a night of letting lose (or letting go, even).
Troy asked if I'd play pool with him. I said I was horrid at the game, but yes. We played one drawn out game of very sloppy pool while I said a lot of self-deprecating things. There were frankly a lot of guys around who seemed pretty interested in me and most were being too overt. They were all trying to spit game and acting cocky and frankly, pushy about it.
Troy was interesting in his quiet, understated interest. In the midst of all the ridiculousness of the drunken evening, it felt like a secret we shared, his interest in me, the sexual tension no one else was paying enough attention to see.
We moved on to bowling and he smirked over my rainbow glitter toe socks. I hate socks and I hate wearing full shoes so on the occasions I have to, I like to wear something fun.
At this point I was fairly drunk. My friend Jenny and I were dancing around and I was taking pictures of her in front of the fans they had going since it was a warm night.
Pretty soon as I drunkenly dance-bowled and drank and chattered with Jen, I noticed he was always staying close to me, always making a point to say something funny or tell me to bowl a strike (my 8 point score in the fifth frame made that quite a joke too, actually).
Soon, I was drunk enough to be going with the flow when one of the more aggressive other guys decided to kiss me. I was just having fun, newly single and not looking for anything more than a few minutes of fun with whoever happened to be open to it and slightly attractive. When I turned away from the kiss Troy had just come back with a drink he'd brought me and looked a little jealous, which was a bit of an ego boost.
We all ended up back at Mike's house watching Fight School on tv and bullshitting in that lazily half asleep way one gets when it's the end of a drunken night.