It was a slow Monday after a blow-out weekend back at campus and I was dying to keep it going. I wanted to get drunk and have a good time, but few of my compadres were feeling it. Unlike me and my awesome work hours, people had things to do in the morning. Luckily, The Barbarian- as usual- caved. He may like drinking more than I do… but I digress.

We chill with the rest of the homies and pop in Contagion to pass the time. It’s whatever, but I can’t say I’m really paying all that much attention to it. As much as I want to go out, we are dragging ass pregaming, the weekend’s festivities catching up to us. I can see it on his face, I’m going to have to re-convince him to go out when it is time. A little tired myself, I mix up some vodka-Amps to kick into gear. Bar time beckons, but The Barbarian is starting to get second thoughts.

“I don’t know man. Think I might just stay in.”

“Dude, if it’s lame, we’ll leave.” He grunts, unconvinced.

“Let’s at least try for something tonight, though. You’re already half drunk anyway.”

He furrows his brow for a second of half-assed contemplation. “Fiiiine.” He punctuates his decision by chugging down a beer he opened not a minute ago. “Fuck it, let’s go.”

We arrive at the destination, a bar-club hybrid that rarely disappoints. Progressive bottles all night, hammer time. We round the stairs, look at each other, and turn back without a word. There are maybe ten people in the entire bar, all of them dudes. Setbacks already.

After minor contemplation, we decide to check into a bar a few blocks down not knowing what to expect and hit pay dirt. The place is a perfect half-full, with lots of girls and a lot of space. I shake hands with some drinking buddies sitting at a table, and catch eyes with this tall blondie I met years ago, chilling at the bar. I glance at The Barbarian, and it’s on. He goes to grab the first round, and I saddle up, grabbing the empty seat next to her.

We hit it off immediately, picking up right where we left off all that time ago. Things were pretty complicated back then and nothing ever happened- it was one of those things where if just a few variables would have swung the other way things could have turned out a lot differently. We had that rare, effortless vibe of two people that understand a each other the moment they meet, but there was nothing to be done about it back then. Now, though, if I wasn’t mistaken we were both finally single at the same time. This could get interesting.

I tease her about her rasta cap, her shoes, everything, just like the first time we met. Incredulous, she laughs, takes her hat off, and hits me on the shoulder. She grew up nearby and goes to school not too far away, and decided to pop in with her girl friends, who join us. I give them shit for thinking they are cool for drinking straight out of pitchers, and they rise up to defend themselves. This cutie we know pulls The Barbarian aside as she is leaving, adding icing to the cake as blondie’s friends wonder about who he is.

We move to a table to better accommodate the group. Me and blondie form our own person bubble while The Barbarian does his brotherly duty occupying her friends, particularly this tight bodied butterface who reeked of DTF and was all about him from the start. More rounds come, and I even spring for some SoCo limes. As we catch up and trade jabs blondie is getting friendly, grabbing my leg under the table and leaning on me. Open minded at the beginning, I can already feel where this night is going. This has been a long time coming.

They step out for a smoke and The Barbarian and I take the opportunity to grab more shots and chat up the bar, but when they return they beckon us over. The rest of the night we go through the motions. Me and blondie play some of the worst ultra-competitive drunken darts ever experienced. I win, of course. We move to the bar for awhile and stay put after she buys my victory shot. Afterwards, I pull her close and we finally make out for the first time. She looks up with one of the most seductively vulnerable looks I’ve ever seen-

“I never thought that would ever happen” I look back at her and pull her in for some more.

More time passes as we chill at the bar, ignoring everyone around us as time creeps on. The Barbarian is still with the one friend while trying to let the other feel involved, and we trade subtle nods from across the room- thanks, buddy, I got you next time (he would end up getting totally blocked by the third friend, poor bastard). Bar close arrives, and without words Blondie and I vanish into the night.

Her place is close so we wander over there. It begins to snow like a cheesy rom-com, in the hushed silence of winter darkness. They were two who-knows-what-let’s-just-call-them-friends-but-not-really who reuinted on dollar-draw night... Right.

We reach her bed and clothes are flying. I am amazed at what greets my eyes, hidden earlier by winter clothing. Almost six feet tall, leggy, perfect hourglass, and what I would later correctly assess as 34C’s. Her freckles stand out in the faint moonlight coming through the windows. Lust consumes me.

I lay her down, but before we begin in earnest she pauses, succumbing to the urge to bring forth her whirl of emotions. She looks deeply into my eyes, I say nothing. This is a rom-com, geezeo. I am not expecting what comes next.

“I know what type of guy you are. I do. You’re surrounded by girls. Every girl wants to have sex with you. My friends all wanted to have sex with you to tonight.”

She gives me way too much credit, but I must admit my already outsized ego reaches unexplored regions of the galaxy anyway. I say nothing, though, allowing silence to fill the air, waiting for what must come next.

“I know that I’ll probably never see you again. But I don’t care. And you don’t have to. You… I, just, ugh.” She pauses. I remain silent. “When you first kissed me tonight I couldn’t believe it. It was all I could think about after.”

I can’t believe she is telling me all of this, but still I remain silent. I find her vulnerability moving, incredibly powerful. She looks like she would give the world to stay in this night forever, and sad that she can’t. To be honest, I feel the same way. While it seems inevitable now, with us laying here naked, not too long ago I didn’t think I’d ever see her again. That realization usually never bothers me but for some reason she was one of the few that broke through a little.

I give her a kiss, and draw her close. I move her to her back and begin. She holds me tight, wrapping her endless legs around me. We go faster. She moves to the top and rides me like it’s the last time she’ll ever have sex. We are engulfed with passion. I put her down on her stomach, hold her down with my hand on her back, and go to town until my abs can no longer handle it. Too inebriated to go, I plop down on the bed, drenched in sweat. She pulls herself close, stroking my chest.

We lay in silence for nearly and hour before she speaks. With vulnerability I had yet to experience, she told me everything she had felt about me. How when she was with him all she could think of was me. How whenever we had been in the same room she’d wanted to pull us away, other people be damned. How when the last time she had seen me it was me who was in a relationship, and how sad she had gotten that night at the bar. I think back to earlier in the night, and how if the first bar hadn’t had sucked this would have never happened. It’s always interesting the thoughts and feelings you get when mildly inebriated at four in the morning, but I let them ride. Everything feels alright.

I pull her close and kiss her again, and we start up again. It’s even better than before, and afterwards we roll away and pass out.

She drives me back to my old place in the morning, and we kiss good bye. I got more than I bargained for but I’m ok with that. Under the still falling snow, we promise to see each other soon.