It was 5:00 am. I had not slept peacefully all night. Honestly, I had not had a decent night's sleep over the past two weeks. My time was spent watching all four seasons of The O.C. and the first four seasons of Entourage when I wasn't trying to drink myself to the point of passing out. I was exhausted. I was fed up with trying to figure everything out. A month before I had lost my job at the bank. A job that I really enjoyed. Two weeks later, I was dumped by someone whom I cared for more than I thought I did. I grabbed my laptop and quickly booked a Friday to Monday mini-vacation to San Francisco. I needed to get away - just for a bit.
On the flight down to San Francisco, I breathed a sigh of relief. I did not have any idea of what I would do once I got there, but I knew that I was going to treat myself really nice. I watched the San Francisco skyline as the plane passed over the Bay Area. I was anxious. It wouldn't be the same being in S.F. without my best friend Mark. However, I knew I would get around just fine. I got off of BART at the Powell Street station, and my hotel stood before me once I exited the station. After checking in, I stretched across the bed and fell fast asleep.
When I had awakened, it was about 5:00 pm. I stretched and yawned, happy that I had finally acquired a few hours of peaceful sleep. I did not know what to do for the rest of the night. Having some dinner and kicking back with a movie sounded very relaxing, but, I thought, here I am in San Francisco and I'm going to watch a movie in my room? I thought back to the two weeks of crap sleep I had encountered. A quiet night in my room sounded ideal...especially after dinner and a couple of martinis in the hotel restaurant.
After a hot shower and fresh clothes, I found myself in the hotel restaurant sipping on a martini as I waited for dinner. I sat by the glass-walled entrance and was surprised when I looked up and out into the corridor to see someone walking towards the restaurant. It was Eric. He saw me, his eyes lit up and he sauntered up to the table. When last I saw him, we were basically in the mode of resentment and never wanting to see each other again. He was on vacation for the weekend, just like me and invited me to join him for drinks later on at Twin Peaks.
When he left my table, I pondered the invitation. Eric was a character. He did not want me. Then he wanted me. He had some sort of strange hang-up about me seeing his apartment. I snapped at him one day after we had spent the night together because, really, who asks you to wait in the halls of their apartment building while they shower and change their clothes?
Anyway, I found myself walking down Market Street to The Castro. Eric was there at Twin Peaks involved in a conversation with an older man. I got a drink. I had never been inside of Twin Peaks before. It was cozy. Eric and I went to a couple of other bars just meeting people and chit chatting. I got drunk. We were staying in the same hotel and could have shared a cab, but Eric met someone which presented him with the opportunity for a one night stand. I crawled into bed, feeling not unlike I had over the past two weeks: drunk enough to pass out.
The next morning, kind of hungover, I had some breakfast and took a long walk down the the Embarcadero, through Chinatown, up through North Beach and Nob Hill. I filmed a bit of my trek, not really knowing how I would use the footage. I treated myself to an expensive, two martini lunch at John's Grill before heading back to the hotel for a nap. Later, I walked back to The Castro and had dinner before embarking on a night out at the bars. I bar-hopped a bit and smiled at a couple of guys. I was still trying to understand the last two main events in my life and not be so upset. However, trying to get my mind off of everything just made me think of them even more. I ended up walking into The Pilsner Inn where a young buck named Jason tried picking me up. I feigned ignorance and walked back to the hotel listening to my iPod.
The next morning, I took another walk around the city and did a bit of shopping. I found an arts festival and strolled around the booths until it was time to head back to the hotel for a nap. I intended to explore the bars in SoMa later on.
Just as I was waking up from my nap, the phone rang. It was Eric asking me if I wanted to hang out later. I thought the proposition was a bit amusing, but decided 'what the hell?' I walked to a great sushi place a couple of blocks from the hotel before meeting Eric in the lobby of the hotel. We started out at Eagle before I introduced him to Powerhouse - which I don't think he liked very much as he downed his drink rather quickly and suggested we go back to The Castro. After a few drinks at a few places, Eric and I ended up at Mix. I played a game of pool while Eric smoked out on the back patio. When we were sitting together at the bar, he wanted to talk about our last encounter. He tried to project a perspective on me that I wasn't buying.
I understand you needing private space and all, I told him, but, dude, it was rude of you to ask me to wait in the hall.
We debated a bit with him wanting me to react as if his word was gospel truth.
You know what? I'm just not saying what you want to hear, I said.
Maybe we just don't see eye to eye, he said.
We left all proposed responses and further insight hanging in the air between us. I had a shot of scotch and we shared a taxi back to the hotel. Along the way, we stopped at Carl's Jr. for a burger and, since my room was on a lower floor than his room, we ate inside of my room.
Why are are scared of me? I asked.
I'm not scared of you, he said, his eyes full of terror. He stood and ate even when I sat at the desk and offered him the bed to sit on. I knew that if I had made the right move - which probably would have been slight - I could have had him in my bed. It started to be a bit comical for me. He was scared. There was something, and I did not know what it was...nor did I want pursuit for answers. When Eric finished eating, he quickly hurried to his room. I sat in my room and laughed for a bit before going to bed.
The next morning, it rained heavily. I took a long shower before checking out of the hotel. I asked the bellboy to hold my bags until my flight later on in the day. I took the trolly to The Castro where I had breakfast at Cafe Metro and walked around the neighborhood taking pictures before it was time for me to retrieve my bags from the hotel, hop on BART and check in at the airport.
Once at the airport, I settled in for a bit of lunch and relaxed at the gate while watching episodes of Chuck and Gossip Girl on my MacBook. Right before we started to board, I watched as Eric rushed down the escalators gripping an overnight bag, a plastic container holding a sandwich and a soda pop. We greeted each other again. He wolfed down his sandwich before we boarded the plane. He sat in front of me playing video games while I watch the pilot episode of Blue Bloods which was offered up for free. Once we were back in Seattle - at the airport - Eric opted to take a cab back to Capitol Hill. I chose the bus. When I got back to my apartment, I stretched across my bed thinking of the crazy coincidence of running into Eric and how, some way, he got my mind off of the reasons I chose to take a short vacation to begin with.
Since then, Eric and I have been on friendly terms. And our relationship from that point on does have a touch of romance swirling around us. However, I find that I would rather have someone who has worked through their issues rather than use them to some creepy advantage.
And now that I wrote that last sentence, I think I now understand him a bit more as well about the guy who dumped me out of the blue a couple of weeks before that trip. People who build walls around themselves do so for a purpose, and they keep those walls around themselves because that is all they know how to do.
On the flight down to San Francisco, I breathed a sigh of relief. I did not have any idea of what I would do once I got there, but I knew that I was going to treat myself really nice. I watched the San Francisco skyline as the plane passed over the Bay Area. I was anxious. It wouldn't be the same being in S.F. without my best friend Mark. However, I knew I would get around just fine. I got off of BART at the Powell Street station, and my hotel stood before me once I exited the station. After checking in, I stretched across the bed and fell fast asleep.
When I had awakened, it was about 5:00 pm. I stretched and yawned, happy that I had finally acquired a few hours of peaceful sleep. I did not know what to do for the rest of the night. Having some dinner and kicking back with a movie sounded very relaxing, but, I thought, here I am in San Francisco and I'm going to watch a movie in my room? I thought back to the two weeks of crap sleep I had encountered. A quiet night in my room sounded ideal...especially after dinner and a couple of martinis in the hotel restaurant.
After a hot shower and fresh clothes, I found myself in the hotel restaurant sipping on a martini as I waited for dinner. I sat by the glass-walled entrance and was surprised when I looked up and out into the corridor to see someone walking towards the restaurant. It was Eric. He saw me, his eyes lit up and he sauntered up to the table. When last I saw him, we were basically in the mode of resentment and never wanting to see each other again. He was on vacation for the weekend, just like me and invited me to join him for drinks later on at Twin Peaks.
When he left my table, I pondered the invitation. Eric was a character. He did not want me. Then he wanted me. He had some sort of strange hang-up about me seeing his apartment. I snapped at him one day after we had spent the night together because, really, who asks you to wait in the halls of their apartment building while they shower and change their clothes?
Anyway, I found myself walking down Market Street to The Castro. Eric was there at Twin Peaks involved in a conversation with an older man. I got a drink. I had never been inside of Twin Peaks before. It was cozy. Eric and I went to a couple of other bars just meeting people and chit chatting. I got drunk. We were staying in the same hotel and could have shared a cab, but Eric met someone which presented him with the opportunity for a one night stand. I crawled into bed, feeling not unlike I had over the past two weeks: drunk enough to pass out.
The next morning, kind of hungover, I had some breakfast and took a long walk down the the Embarcadero, through Chinatown, up through North Beach and Nob Hill. I filmed a bit of my trek, not really knowing how I would use the footage. I treated myself to an expensive, two martini lunch at John's Grill before heading back to the hotel for a nap. Later, I walked back to The Castro and had dinner before embarking on a night out at the bars. I bar-hopped a bit and smiled at a couple of guys. I was still trying to understand the last two main events in my life and not be so upset. However, trying to get my mind off of everything just made me think of them even more. I ended up walking into The Pilsner Inn where a young buck named Jason tried picking me up. I feigned ignorance and walked back to the hotel listening to my iPod.
The next morning, I took another walk around the city and did a bit of shopping. I found an arts festival and strolled around the booths until it was time to head back to the hotel for a nap. I intended to explore the bars in SoMa later on.
Just as I was waking up from my nap, the phone rang. It was Eric asking me if I wanted to hang out later. I thought the proposition was a bit amusing, but decided 'what the hell?' I walked to a great sushi place a couple of blocks from the hotel before meeting Eric in the lobby of the hotel. We started out at Eagle before I introduced him to Powerhouse - which I don't think he liked very much as he downed his drink rather quickly and suggested we go back to The Castro. After a few drinks at a few places, Eric and I ended up at Mix. I played a game of pool while Eric smoked out on the back patio. When we were sitting together at the bar, he wanted to talk about our last encounter. He tried to project a perspective on me that I wasn't buying.
I understand you needing private space and all, I told him, but, dude, it was rude of you to ask me to wait in the hall.
We debated a bit with him wanting me to react as if his word was gospel truth.
You know what? I'm just not saying what you want to hear, I said.
Maybe we just don't see eye to eye, he said.
We left all proposed responses and further insight hanging in the air between us. I had a shot of scotch and we shared a taxi back to the hotel. Along the way, we stopped at Carl's Jr. for a burger and, since my room was on a lower floor than his room, we ate inside of my room.
Why are are scared of me? I asked.
I'm not scared of you, he said, his eyes full of terror. He stood and ate even when I sat at the desk and offered him the bed to sit on. I knew that if I had made the right move - which probably would have been slight - I could have had him in my bed. It started to be a bit comical for me. He was scared. There was something, and I did not know what it was...nor did I want pursuit for answers. When Eric finished eating, he quickly hurried to his room. I sat in my room and laughed for a bit before going to bed.
The next morning, it rained heavily. I took a long shower before checking out of the hotel. I asked the bellboy to hold my bags until my flight later on in the day. I took the trolly to The Castro where I had breakfast at Cafe Metro and walked around the neighborhood taking pictures before it was time for me to retrieve my bags from the hotel, hop on BART and check in at the airport.
Once at the airport, I settled in for a bit of lunch and relaxed at the gate while watching episodes of Chuck and Gossip Girl on my MacBook. Right before we started to board, I watched as Eric rushed down the escalators gripping an overnight bag, a plastic container holding a sandwich and a soda pop. We greeted each other again. He wolfed down his sandwich before we boarded the plane. He sat in front of me playing video games while I watch the pilot episode of Blue Bloods which was offered up for free. Once we were back in Seattle - at the airport - Eric opted to take a cab back to Capitol Hill. I chose the bus. When I got back to my apartment, I stretched across my bed thinking of the crazy coincidence of running into Eric and how, some way, he got my mind off of the reasons I chose to take a short vacation to begin with.
Since then, Eric and I have been on friendly terms. And our relationship from that point on does have a touch of romance swirling around us. However, I find that I would rather have someone who has worked through their issues rather than use them to some creepy advantage.
And now that I wrote that last sentence, I think I now understand him a bit more as well about the guy who dumped me out of the blue a couple of weeks before that trip. People who build walls around themselves do so for a purpose, and they keep those walls around themselves because that is all they know how to do.
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