Weâre going to that party in the financial district tonight, that benefit she was so happy to get tickets for. And Iâm at home this afternoon, reading as usual. Yet I cannot wait to see her. Itâll be our first New Yearâs Eve together, and Iâm hoping tonightâs event doesnât take up all our time. I want much more than to have to steal a kiss from her in some secluded spot, or much worse, not at all.
I call her cell and of course sheâs shopping.
âJust picking up my dress for this evening,â she says with an audible smile. âI think youâll be quite pleasedâŚit looks amazing on me.â
I smile at her arrogance. Appropriate as it may be, it always amuses me.
âBaby?â I ask softly.
âHmm?â I hear her say somewhat distractedly. She must be paying the dry cleaners.
âWhy donât we catch a movie before the partyâŚthat new Spielberg flick. It looks good. We could see the 6 oâclock show, and go straight to the party afterward.â
âUhâŚalright, I guess,â she says nonchalantly. âIâll have to meet you there though. That theatre by the opera house, right?â
âExactly.â
âOKâŚ6 it is. Oh and honeyâŚ?â she trails off.
âYes?â
âIf you absolutely insist on wearing pants, wear that beige sweater I bought you.â
At 6:15, she steps out of a cab in front of the cinema. Iâm standing on the steps watching her pay the cabbie. Sheâs rushing, and sheâs right--she does look amazing. For even though sheâs wearing that long, black coat, I can see her dress looks absolutely radiant on herâŚthe spaghetti straps, low cut, the slit down the side. Her short, black hair and caramel skin complement the style, the fabric perfectly.
She sees me and smiles unapologetically. Eyeing me over, she trails her fingers playfully over my sweater and tickles the back of my neck. This has been a well-received greeting for some time now, and yet its effect is just as exciting as the first time she did it.
We sit in the second to last row, in the middle. The opening credits begin just as we are sitting down. I was surprised to see it not crowded for a Tuesday evening, with all the restaurants nearby. But then again, this is New Yearâs Eve. Everyone will have different plans.
My coat is on the seat to my right, but she leaves hers on. She insists that theatre seats are âabsolutely filthyâ, but with that dress on I donât blame her for wanting some sort of barrier. Her legs are crossed, as she sits at a slight angle. The dress clings so perfectly to her body. Even in the flickering light of this theatre, her skin looks so beautiful, so inviting against the fabric.
As the plot builds, our arms lay against one another on the seat rest. I touch my hand against hers, moving my right index finger over her left hand. She responds to my touch, her hand softening and molding against mine. Weâve held hands in the theatre before, yet this wasnât enough this time. I wanted so much to have her against me, even lying beside me. The movie was merely a vehicle to see her sooner anyway. With every little laugh she gave, I wanted to touch her face, kiss her forehead. But I bore the anticipation, despite my fantasies about her during the movie. All I could do was keep my hand with hers, now and then gently caressing her soft skin with my fingertips. And imagine what might come laterâŚ
We hailed a cab after the movie, and headed into the financial district. This exclusive engagement was to be held at Shari--a trendy nightclub set in the penthouse of the Sagan Building. It offered a majestic view of the entire city, not to mention the music and the crowd tonight was expected to make it the place to be.
Men and women alike were stealing glances, some more obviously than others, from the minute we walked in and checked our coats. When I went to get drinks from the bar, I returned to find a handsome blond man in a dark suit talking quite animatedly with her. I handed her the âvery dirty martiniâ and took a sip of my cape cod. He smiled politely as I approached, though he was clearly disappointed that I appeared to be her companion for the evening. Still, he stayed on and conversed with us, trying to ascertain our relationship. Yet she kept it geared toward business, for they were both involved in investment banking. His associate, a slim brunette woman in a low cut red dress, joined us after a while. At this juncture, he seized the opportunity in asking my girlfriend to dance. She accepted, winking at me as she handed me her drink.
Iâve never been much of a dancerâŚwell, maybe for slow songs, but only in the right company and in a comfortable place. The floor was filled with people of all kindsâyoung and old, beautiful and those who only thought they were. But I loved watching her. Even now, as this gawking yuppie tried his best to keep up with her, she dazzled in every way possible. Tina, his associate, stayed with me. At first I thought this was to ensure Ericâs occupancy with my girlfriend on the dance floor. Though when she made a blatant pass at me, I was rather surprised. âYou have something on yourâŚ.oh, let me get itâŚ.â Tinaâs finger trailed against my lips, and my eyes gave a silent, yet stern look of admonishment.
But this occurred as a slow song was beginning, so she left the floor and the company of the lanky blond. Moving away from the center of the room, we watched the French circus act for a few minutes. Then we opted to try the sushi that was being served amidst ice carvings and sculptures. We separated for a while when I ran into a colleague unexpectedly. She never liked hanging around âthose homely academic typesâ too long, and so went on her own for a bit. But our eyes met continually throughout the night, exchanging smiles and glances. And no matter what the conversation, what music filled the room, what announcement was being made, I continually thought of her, ached to be near her.
Two drinks into the night, I had to use the restroom. I was surprised to find it empty, as it wasnât private. The lighting was warm on my face as I stood washing my hands in the brushed stainless steel basin. As I was leaving the room, she entered. Immediately, before I could even imagine her reaction, I pulled her against the wall and kissed her. Hard. My hands held her there for a moment, close to me. She looked at me silently afterward, as I touched my lip with my finger.
âThat wasâŚunexpected,â she said.