A Dinner Party: The After Party

Brief Preamble:  I'm bored as fuck.  I can't find the next episode of my newly (self) scheduled gay programming on the interwebs (The DL Chronicles).  My imagination started floating somewhere.  I went with it.  This is where it took me.  Bear with me too.  It's coming to me in multiple points of view.  At the end, it's about two people.

A dinner party. (Clearly.)
Mid week.
A small group of 5 or 6 friends gathered around a kitchen table.
The food has been torn up and they've just started working on the third bottle of wine.

James (the host) --

The noise level is off the Richter Scale.  I don't even understand how we can hear each other at this point.  Everyone has smiles on their faces, laughter pouring from their souls.  And, of course, everyone has quite the buzz going at this point.  I feel like I'm floating about 3 feet above whatever cloud you're suppose to be floating on when your happy.  I'm elated.  I feel like I'm high but I ain't smoked shit, I swear!

I look around at the smiling faces surrounding me.  Friends that feel more like family.  They fuel the fire that keeps me going.  This week would be headed straight to the shitter without them.  It's like my soul needed to take a hit and they are my drug of choice.

I pick up my glass, sip and gaze sneakingly over my glass to the woman who sits across from me.  I've known her going on ten years but I can't fix my mouth to call her a sister.  Something about her intrigues me.  Our conversations make no sense but take me deeper at the same time.  Our minds and souls connect.  Next step is to connect our bodies, right?  I never gave her the sister label but I can't seem to cross the friend line.

"Man, I don't mean to be the only adult in the room but 10pm is bed time in my book."  Brandon's words jolt me back to reality.  I've never been one to aspire to have a regular 9 to 5 job, so my day is just beginning.  Ashley's voice joins the medley.  "B's right y'all.  I'm acting like I don't have to wake up in the morning.  Or don't care that I have to wake up in the morning.  I'm old now.  I can't live like I did in college."  The room exploded with laughter, again.

People began to get up and grab their coats.  Jason speaks: "Say Deedee, how you getting home?"

"I'll take her home."  I blurted out quickly without thinking.

DeeDee --

"Thanks James.  I'll be back."  I say quickly as I try to flee the scene.  As I stand up, the wine rushes to my head.  I stumble slightly, unnoticed, and rush off to the bathroom.  I actually have to pee, I think and almost actually say aloud.  While walking down the hallway I can't help but think of how awkward we are around each other, the tension.  How much I love it.  I find myself getting "giddy" and because I'm already tipsy, I know I'm turning all shades of bright red.  I glance at my rosy cheeks in the mirror and stop myself from splashing cold water on them.  I handle my business and walk out the bathroom and down the hall.  As I reach the entrance to the dining room I notice the lack of noise.  As I walk in, I see that everyone is gone.  I chuckle out of nervousness, "well they sure cleared out."

"Yea.  It was like a stampede was chasing them out."  James laughed in response.  I giggled as I walked to my chair to retrieve my belongings.  I could feel his eyes on my back.  I wanted to run away before I did or said something stupid.  I couldn't keep myself together around him.  His eyes could see down to my soul, and I didn't like that.  Being all vulnerable.  Open.  Maybe one day he'd look inside me and see how much I wanted him.  That is something I wished for and would dread.

"Well, I guess if everyone else is gone you're about ready to kick me out too?"  I said as I walked to the kitchen door.  James followed close behind me.  He put his hand on the door to keep me from opening it.

"Actually I have something I've been wanting to get off my chest for a while." he said.  I turned around.  My eyes met his.  "And what exactly is that" I said, half like a smart ass but mostly out of curiosity.  Without warning, he kissed me.  You know, like they do in the movies.  Full of force and passion.  My knees buckled, soul swayed.  The earth was moving beneath my feet and I didn't want it to stop.