The Familiar

After a long time of singlehood, every unattached man begins to look enticing. I begin to consider my friend Ricky, who usually greets his comrades with the biggest bottle of Bacardi. I have watched him impress women with hilarious dance moves, including the salsa pause, where he holds his leg in mid air, and his signature move - the backwards, vibrating roll - and think, maybe? My friend Henry also comes to mind, because he doesn’t mind when I rattle on for hours. The only peep he makes while I rant is his steady breathing and an occasional “wow” or “I don’t know what to tell you”. And then there is Steve, my female-loving friend who is as sensitive as a woman. I begin to wonder if we can be more than friends who discuss each other’s destructive behavior patterns and in turn gloat when we finally “realize” something.

I found myself mentally preparing my list of potentials once again, after Alejandro failed to return my call. I subtracted my number of attached friends, added the number of available old flames I could reminisce with, and the result was Elijah. But this was before I bumped into Ivan - an acquaintance of many years - at a mutual friend’s birthday celebration.

Ivan and I greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek. He then began to mingle with the others, gazing over at me ever so often. I turned away, unsure if I felt pleased or annoyed with the attention. I then felt his body brush against my back. From the corner of my eye I noticed his mischievous smirk. I was definitely annoyed.

After a few round of drinks, we all decided to call it a night. Ivan and I looked at one another, realizing we would have to take a cab together as we both lived in Washington Heights. I wasn’t sure if I was up for the ride, but when he hailed a cab I scooted myself in. During the cab ride, Ivan and I began to talk. We spoke openly about life and relationships. The conversation eased my discomfort but I felt my level of confusion rising as we exited the cab and continued to speak inside my building.

After an hour of conversation, Ivan suggested going for coffee. I agreed and we began our hunt, walking up and down blocks in search for an open restaurant. The search proved to be futile and I was disappointed. The truth then hit me; I wanted to spend more time with Ivan.

“Do you have coffee in you apartment?” I asked while we walked aimlessly.

“Yeah, I do,” he replied.

“Well, we’re so close. Why don’t we just go there?”

Ivan agreed. We arrived at his high rise building and took the elevator. The elevator doors soon opened to his floor and we headed toward Ivan’s apartment. I waited quietly as he unlocked his door and, as I stepped into his small apartment, wondered what I was doing. Ivan always intrigued me as a person and he was familiar. But was that enough? I turned around, watched as he locked the door behind me, and thought...it just may be.