SOBER IN THE CITY

Red Hot

August 9th at 7:57AM by Sara [294 comments]

After our "Gilmore Girls" night, Tristan and I spent the next week texting each other incessantly, eventually graduating to talking on the phone. Because of our meeting schedules and work, we were restricted to non-face-to-face contact, which sort of reminded me of what relationships had been like back in middle school. Like we were "going out" without ever going anywhere. This was both very cute, and extremely frustrating.

That's why when I found myself outside a meeting one night with about 15 minutes to kill before I had to be seated, I opened my phone to send Tristan a flirty little text that I hoped would encourage him to ask me out already.

From: Sara

I'm standing outside my meeting thinking about you...whatcha up to?

Delivered: Aug 4, 6:41pm

As I waited for him to text me back, I went through the messages that filled my inbox. Nearly all of them were from my faux beau. And each one made me smile like a crazy person on happy pills.

My phone buzzed and I opened the text that had just arrived.

From: McYummy

Thinking of me, huh? That's what I like to hear. I'm actually outside a meeting myself, checking out this hot girl...

Delivered: Aug 4, 6:42pm

Are you kidding me?! That is so not the response I was looking for.

I reread the text again and then stood there, trying to decide how I was supposed to respond to something like that.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around expecting Tizzie or Hunter to be standing behind me.

"What a coincidence," Tristan said with a sexy grin. "I had no idea you went to this meeting."

I snapped my phone shut and placed it in my pocket. "You mean the dozen or so times I told you I was coming here tonight didn't clue you in?" I said, sarcastically.

Tristan looked around us to take stock of who was within earshot, and then leaned in to give me a hug. As we stood there, briefly entwined, he whispered in my ear, "It's nice to see you, too."

I reluctantly pulled away from Tristan, since we were in public and outside of a meeting to top it off. I'd been around long enough to know that even though the majority of us were adults here, the rooms could sometimes resemble those of high school hallways. That show "Gossip Girl" had nothing on the rooms of AA. And the only way to keep the rumors at bay was not to give them anything to talk about in the first place.

"You too," I said, my face heating up despite the winter weather outside. "So, are you stalking me now or something?"

"You wish," he said, a glint in his eyes. "My fingers got tired of texting and I thought it would be easier to see you in the flesh."

"Well, seeing is all you get," I said, noticing that everyone around us was moving inside. "The meeting's about to start and there's no cross talk allowed."

Tristan and I found our way into the meeting and sat down next to each other in the corner. I could smell his cologne and swear I could feel the heat radiating between us. When Tristan's hand brushed against mine I nearly passed out from the shock.

I snuck a look at Tristan to see if he'd felt it, too. There was a big grin on his face as he stared intently at the front of the room.

The feeling was definitely mutual.