At least if it goes well, I’ll have a story worthy of QueerWaystoFallinLove.
How did I meet my partner? Well, we had a joke where he was catfishing me as a celebrity, and then we arranged to meet, and then…
And then what?
I guess I’ll find out tonight.
The lights dimat Madison Square Garden, and the crowd erupts. Twenty thousand people are losing their minds because Anthony Devine and his band have finished their set list and are taking a quick break, but hopefully coming back on stage for an encore.
My ears are ringing. My shirt is soaked with sweat from dancing. Teddie’s been screaming so loud they’ve probably permanently damaged their vocal cords.
My phone buzzes.
AntD
You still up for meeting up after the concert?
My stomach swoops like I’m on a rollercoaster.
NickKnackPaddyWhack
Are you sure you won’t be too tired? It’s been a big concert for you, after all.
AntD
And there’s still the encore to go.
NickKnackPaddyWhack
You think they’re going to do an encore?
AntD
Most definitely. I always do an encore.
I send him back an eye-roll emoji.
The crowd around me is yelling for an encore, that synchronized chant that happens at every concert where we all pretend the artist might not come back, even though everyone knows they will. I almost shiver when I think that somewhere in this crowd is AntD, doing the same thing, breathing the same air.
He could be that cute guy over there who’s currently looking at his phone. Or the one in the vintage band tee. Or literally any of the thousands of people here.
AntD
So, Bleecker’s Café on Houston Street? I’ll try to get free as soon as possible, but it might be after eleven before I get there.
My heart thuds. It’s cute how he’s double-checking like this. Like meeting me really matters to him.
NickKnackPaddyWhack
Yep, Bleecker’s Cafe. And no worries about the time. I understand that you don’t want to disappoint your fans.
I cringe after I press send. Did that come across too desperate? That I’m happy to hang out waiting for him until he decides to show? What happens if he comes to the door, sees me, and decides to flee, leaving me waiting there for hours?
But then he’s seen a video of me. That probably rules out that “totally repelled by what you look like” scenario, right?
My phone beeps with his message.
AntD
