Cherry!

If procrastination were my middle name I’d probably change it but first I would put it off for like 3 months. With that said, I’ve been putting off this entry for like 2 weeks now. My apologies. Now to dig in the depths of my ethanol riddled brain to unearth the details of that faithful night. Ready. Steady. Go.

It was a Saturday like any other. Nothing particularly fascinating. I had spent the night with Ms. X on Friday and had spent a lazy afternoon watching movies at my apartment in her company. She had been invited to a house party, by a friend of a friend of a friend (you know how these things go) and I was to be her date. What I knew of the evening plans were this: Go to house party. Have a few drinks. Go to Cherry! Sounds simple enough. I only knew two people at this party. Ms. X (obviously) and our mutual friend Broch. I was slightly worried about this, because I tend to get nervous and shy around large groups of people that I don’t know. I figured I could suck it up and put my social anxiety aside for the evening and have fun. I just needed a long moment and a few drinks.

When we arrived there were a handful of about six or seven people were there. Including Broch. The theme for the party was maritime (I didn’t know there was a theme or I would’ve worn my pirate costume). So it was primarily a bunch of bois dressed as sailors. Introductions flew around the room quickly, none of it mattered to me, I knew I wasn’t going to remember anyones name. I’m terrible with names. Jessie, Lex, Lauren… uh, some girl in a skirt, the one with the cool tattoo’s, the one with the shaved head. This is how my brain reduces names in a party situation. I got a drink and sat on the couch coercing myself into being social, but it wasn’t happening. Ms. X is rather the socialite and had fluttered off to make interesting conversation. So I sat with my drink an awkward, bumbling mess. My savior was Broch who engaged me into conversation. I was glad hy was there – except that since meeting Broch I’ve always been kind of shy around hym. It’s one of those things that I can’t really put to words. There is kind of a history behind that, but that isn’t really what this post is about. Another time maybe…

Amidst this, I befriended Lex. Who proceeded to impale my hawk with little plastic swords. The kind you find in drinks stabbing your garnish. That was entertaining me for a while, when I heard Ms. X cackle wildly from the other side of the room. Curiously I padded over to her with a raised brow asking what was so damn funny? What I found is that Ms. X and Jessie had been entangled in a heated conversation about bois who date bois, and bois who date femmes. Ms. X has kind of an ongoing rant about bois who date bois – as she is a femme and there seems to be an ever decreasing number of lesbians interested in femmes. While Jessie is a boi who also likes bois. They had been talking about a date that Jessie went on with a handsome boi, who she was interested in. However, at the end of the date she thanked her and informed her that she was into femmes. After this story there had been a brief exchange where Ms. X said something akin to, “Well if you find anymore cute bois who like femme’s send them my way.” After which Jessie proceeded to eyeball me and say, “Maybe we could switch for the evening.” which is what cued Ms. X’s eruption into laughter. So Jessie thinks I’m cute. I smiled internally, but honestly it made me a bit nervous.

Segue time! I’ve always dated femme’s, and girlie girls. It’s who I’m attracted to, it’s in my nature. Furthermore I was raised as a young homo in a very butch/femme environment. Almost all the exposure I had to gay people as a youth was of that dynamic. It is only in the last year of living in Seattle that I’ve really had my eyes opened to the boi/boi thing as more than a fetish for femme girls to gawk at. So where as I was open to the idea, it kind of made me a bit nervous and uncomfortable. Especially in the middle of a party where I didn’t have time to process it.

Getting back to the party, everyone was making travel arrangements to be on our way to the ReBar, where Cherry! was happening. I had never attended a Cherry! before, but had heard it was worth the overpriced booze and unintentional gropes from strangers in a crowded place. As we entered, the drum and bass pounded against my ears. The DJ was good. In these types of situations I’m usually quite the wallflower. I don’t really dance, and I turn into a people watcher. But something about the atmosphere, a certain je ne sais qua, or perhaps it was the 5 captain and cokes was evoking me to play the part of the extrovert for the evening. So despite everyones expectations I went out on to the dance floor and danced. Ms. X had found the company of someone she knew from The Cuff’s line dancing classes. Since my date was busy dancing with someone else, I decided to do the same thing. I believe it was at this point that I was grabbed by Jessie. Who then began dancing with me. We began dancing feet away from each other, but as dance floors tend to do, the space between us started shrinking as more dancers joined the floor. Until we were right on top of one another, and she was placing my hands on her hips, and her hands in my hair. It was at this point I turned my head to see Ms. X and Amanda (her friend from The Cuff) making out. I smiled, because… well, it was hot. That in turn must’ve prompted Jessie, because that’s when she turned my head and began to kiss me.

(I apologize for the long hiatus between entries and will try to be better.)

-Cole