Friday, March 8, 2013

The Possibility of Romance is Over


 Could the greatest romance of your life last only one night?

Last night I had another non-date date with a male friend. Awkward would be an understatement. I was over dressed. He was an hour late and didn’t realize it was just going to be the two of us. I was nervous and had three glasses of champagne before he arrived. Dinner was rushed and uncomfortable and I couldn’t hear a word he said because of the very loud and drunk birthday party behind us.

After dinner we went for a long walk in West Hollywood. Window shopped for furniture for the house we will never have together. Talked about religion, politics, having kids, our past relationship and why they failed. Bought a éclair at Canter’s Deli at midnight and devoured it while walking in the pouring rain, which I don’t recommend.

I wanted to stay friends with him, but by the time I got home I knew I couldn’t be just friends. I really liked him and I was willing to risk our friendship for a relationship. He wasn’t. So, now we are neither friends or lovers. 

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Can Men and Women Just Be Friends?


 I met a guy last month that isn’t my typical physical type. He has a full head of hair (I usually go for bald or shaved) and he has a beard (I’ve never been attracted to facial hair), but there was something about him that from the second I saw him I knew I was in trouble. As I write this, I realize just how crazy it sounds that in that moment I knew this stranger was going to a good friend or something more. As I’ve gotten to know him, I have developed a bit of a crush on him, but I didn’t know if he liked me as anything more than a platonic friend.

We like the same things, hang out at the same places and he’s just as OCD as me. We’ve been going out together three to four nights a week, sometimes as a group and more recently just us together. But, it was unclear if we were going out on dates or just hanging out as friends. He was always paying and he would walk me to my car and kiss me on the cheek, but I wasn’t sure what he was thinking. So one day I asked him and he said he just wanted to be friends and I responded with “Ok. Good” (which was a lie). The next day we went out on what I can only describe as the most awkward yet really fun non-date, date.

I had a feeling that he had just said he only wanted to be friends for the same reason I had, I didn’t want to jeopardize the friendship. So I decided I would bring my A game and really test the waters. The next night we went out with a group of friends and I wore a very sexy dress with an open back and a pair of to die for five-inch heels. If he were interested in me I would know that night. One to many drinks later we woke up no longer just friends.

He is great, a total gentleman, he can even cook, but now I'm regretting our drunken night together. Our relationship had changed, whether we wanted it to or not. I'm over analyzing our conversations and his text messages and I worry if we pursue a relationship it will jeopardize our long-term friendship. I knew what I was doing when I wore the dress and I got what I wanted, but did I? 

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Spinster


Three years ago I broke off my engagement to a guy who was thirteen years older than me. He had the personality of a teenager and the looks of a twenty year old. Which I found funny and charming when I was twenty, annoying and irresponsible when I was closer to thirty.

We were together off and on for eight years, engaged twice, wedding dress bought, venue booked. But, six months before the wedding I pulled the plug on the fairytale. It was just that, a fantasy.

I was going through the motions and pretending I cared what color the flowers were or what the invitations looked like. One could argue that he wasn’t right, which I came to realize was true many years later. But, I think I’m just not the marrying type. I like long-term relationships, but I also like knowing that I’m not legally attached to the person when the romance dies. Which in my case it always does.

After a year apart we got back together (Yeap! I’m a glutton for punishment), got engaged again, but never got around to picking a wedding date.  It took me four more years to finally realize we were not right together. We tried to stay friends, but the past couldn’t be forgotten and was overshadowed by the bitter ending.

Maybe one day I will meet the elusive Mr. Right, until then I’m going to live my life and enjoy being single.