I found myself at the Masquerade Party without a mask or the proper attire, but that didn’t stop me from having a fabulous night!  I was all smiles after meeting Model Boy, and I looked forward to getting to know him better as the evening progressed.

Given the crowd, it crossed my mind that Best Boy, Mr. Exec’s best friend, might enjoy the after-party.  (Now, normally birds of a feather flock together, but Best Boy is as kind as Mr. Exec is selfish.  Best Boy and I had never gone out on a date since our dinner at Ceiba with Mr. Exec, but we had kept in touch.  While I was still seeing Mr. Exec, Best Boy and I continued to text each other and even met up for drinks one night.  Best Boy stayed out of the drama with Mr. Exec, and I regarded him as a friend.)

Me [to Autumn]: What’s Best Boy up to tonight?

Autumn: I’m not sure.

Me: I wonder if he’s at another event near here.  Should we text him to see if he wants to swing by for the after-party?

Autumn texted Best Boy, and then we returned to our conversation with Sally and some other girlfriends.  (You might recall that Sally was on the receiving end of one of Mr. Exec’s drunk and belligerent tirades at the bar.)  I always enjoyed running into Sally at events since she was very nice and we had worked in similar fields.  I figured she knew that Mr. Exec and I had dated, but we never directly discussed that.  So, I tried not to let it catch me off guard when she said:

I texted Mr. Exec and told him that he should come.

Me [trying to keep a calm tone to my voice since I really didn’t want to see Mr. Exec so soon after our last evening together]: Oh.  Is he on his way?

Sally: No.  Once he heard some of the political bigwigs who were here, he didn’t want to.  You know how he gets if he’s not the center of attention.

Autumn and I just nodded our heads in agreement.  When Sally got up off the couch, Autumn and I laughed out loud.  Sally had summed up Mr. Exec perfectly!

A few minutes later, I noticed a man, standing near our group.  He was 6’2” with a medium black complexion and a build that was thick without being too thick.  His beautiful smile lit up not just his face, but also the room.  As I watched him, I realized how many people came up to him to say hello.  He looked familiar, and yet, I knew that we had never formally met.  When he smiled at me and walked over to the couch, I rose and introduced myself.  He replied:

It’s nice to meet you.  I’m Mr. Agency.

I tried to piece together who he was, and then it hit me!  He worked for the Administration and was a regular fixture on the charity and political circuits in town.  We talked for several minutes about the event, how I wasn’t wearing the proper attire, and how we felt like we had a lot of mutual friends in common.  (Facebook would later reveal that number of friends as 70!)

Mr. Agency: You don’t seem like the typical person to come to an event like this.

Me: Because I’m not a political groupie?

Mr. Agency [smiling]: Exactly.

Me: Well, I like politics, but I’m not here with an agenda.

Mr. Agency: I can tell.  [A woman approaches him and asks if he’ll take a picture with her.  He excuses himself and does that before returning to me.]  We should get a photo together.  Mind asking your friend to take one?

Me: Not at all.  [I hand Autumn the camera, as Mr. Agency puts his arm around me.]  It’s our first couple’s shot!  [We laugh, and the camera captures our cheesy smiles.]

We talked for a few more minutes before Mr. Agency handed me his card, telling me to stay in touch.  I definitely planned on doing so! 

I headed into the back room and found Model Boy with several of my friends.  (As it turned out, he and Sally already knew each other.)

While we were all talking, Best Boy arrived.  Autumn and I caught up with Best Boy before he and Model Boy began to chat.  It didn’t surprise me that the two guys hit it off famously, as they have very similar personalities.

Autumn: Did they [Model Boy and Best Boy] just exchange cards?

Me: I think so.

Autumn: What’s Mr. Exec going to say if he hears that you were hanging out with Model Boy?

Me: I don’t know.  But, he had his chance and blew it.  That’s not my problem.

Autumn: True.

When the clock hit two in the morning, it was late, and I was tired so I was ready to head home. But, would the night end there?