A sequel to "Strawberry's Halloween."
"Pick you at up eight then?"
"Okay, wonderful."
"Love you Strawberry."
"Love you too Alan, see you in half an hour."
"Mmmm, I can't wait."
"Me neither. Bye now."
"Bye Strawberry."
Alan disconnected.
I smiled down at my iPhone. Alan and I were going out tonight. He was taking me out to dinner. To a French Restaurant. Always such happiness to go on a date with Alan. So looking forward to tonight. But what to wear? I better get ready fast. Half an hour before he arrived to pick me up.
I hadn't seen Alan all week, not since last Sunday when he'd taken me back to my place after the Halloween Party at his house. We'd spent almost all Sunday in my bed together. Such an education that had been. So gentle except when he wasn't, so enthusiastic, so adorable. So big! So much damage to my bed. I loved what he'd done to me over that Sunday, every moment of it. So much fun. So much excitement. So deliciously sore on Monday morning. Such a quick trip to the Drug Store to get that Morning After pill on the way to class. Such happy anticipation all week about seeing Alan again.
There was that one niggling fly in the ointment.
Pete.
Alan's housemate.
Gao se! There was a black hole of worry inside me whenever I thought of Pete and that night of the Halloween Party. I should have been upset at what had happened. Sad. Hurt. Angry even. Wasn't that how I was supposed to feel? I mean, Pete had taken advantage of me, sort of. Shouldn't I have been angry with him? Or with myself for not making sure it was Alan before I dragged him off to bed.
I remembered my first time with Longwei. Now I told myself that after that first time with Longwei I'd felt happy. But really, at the time, I knew I'd been more than a little shocked and sad. I hadn't felt confused or excited. Just shocked and a little sad. I didn't feel those same feelings after my night with Pete and then Alan. I didn't. I thought about Pete and I thought about Alan and I thought about what had happened with both of them. And I felt excited.
That was very confusing.
But it was still very exciting.
Really, I knew it had been all my own fault. I'd been too excited at that party. I'd been too eager to jump into Alan's bed. I'd thought Pete was Alan and just about dragged him into Alan's bedroom. I'd given myself to him so quickly. So easily. I'd woken up with Alan in bed with me and it was only the next morning that I'd realized what had happened with me and Pete. I'd tried to forget about it on Sunday. I'd tried to forget about it all week. But still, I knew what had happened. Fortunately Alan didn't. I hoped he didn't. I hated to think what would happen if he did. He loved me. Maybe he loved me more than I loved him. I loved Alan, I knew. Such a dreamie guy. Such a shuài dāi le.
I knew he would be heartbroken if he found out about Pete. I knew if he did he would dump me. What guy wouldn't? If I'd ever cheated on Longwei, he would have dropped me on the spot. I didn't want Alan to drop me. Alan was such a dreamy guy. Whenever I thought about him I just about panted. How lucky I was to have a boyfriend like him. So smart AND so handsome. So good in bed too. Such a di diao on him. So good a feeling when that di diao was busy in me. Such a di diao on Pete too. So wonderfully jù dà. But I had to try and forget about Pete. Pretend it never happened. But still, his di diao was so jù dà.
Every time I thought about Alan and me, I just had to smile and smile. My girlfriends back in Shanghai would be so so jealous.
Every time I thought about Pete and me, that smile vanished. My girlfriends in Shanghai would laugh so hard at me if they found out about that mistake with Pete.
I pushed Pete to the back of my mind. What to wear tonight was by far the more important question to resolve right now.
Alan was taking me to Le Pois Penché. It was supposed to be the best place in town for French food. Upmarket too. Very. This called for a little black dress, I was sure. Alan had said to dress up. Fortunately, I had half a dozen. I'd travelled light when I moved to the East Coast. Very light. Only six. I hadn't worn any of them since I moved here. So disappointing. Three very formal and classic, one of them a wonderful Helena Wang design that Longwei had bought for me. So formal and elegant. So expensive. So boring. Two plain and ordinary little black dresses, looked nice but nothing special.