One Date Around New York

---

New Year's Eve is a time of celebration. In 2014, it was an even bigger one for me. I had moved to New York City six months earlier and started a brand-new life there. The only thing missing was a partner to share things with.

The Stonewall Inn is one of my favorite bars, so it was a no-brainer to celebrate the new year there. A friend was going to join me but got waylaid by something else.

I sat at a table and ordered a cocktail.

There was already a sizable crowd forming. It was the promise of a good night. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood and ready to welcome a new year.

"I'm almost there," Desiree said via text.

"Cool," I answered.

When I looked up from my phone, I noticed that there was a part in the crowd. A drag queen had her eyes locked on me and would push people out of the way. Something in the pit of my stomach told me that she was about to deliver a message that I needed to hear. Whether I wanted to or not.

"Honey, we need to talk…"

---

"Your energy called me over, I would like to read your palm," the drag queen said. She took my hand and stared at it for a long moment.

"What is it?"

"You have a great love, but you must put in the work. Give your number to two men tonight," she said.

Before I could offer her a tip, she disappeared into the crowd. I had no idea what to make of this.

The shy part of me just wanted to hang out with my friend and go home. But there was another part of me, that told me I needed to do what I was told.

For once.

There was a guy that, I thought, was cute. We'd caught us staring a few times. Feeling brave thanks to the vodka, I walked over to him and offered my number.

"Is this real?"

"Text me and find out," I said.

Desiree walked in. I greeted her, and she shook her head at me. "You didn't join us because you wanted to flirt?"

"And I didn't want to join you guys," I said.

We laughed and ordered a round of drinks. While we waited, I filled her in, and she looked at me, confused.

"You're shy?" she said.

"Believe it or not, underneath the sass is…"

"More sass?" I hated that she cut me off, but I appreciated the joke.

As midnight neared, the waiter brought us flutes of champagne. After the ball dropped, we toasted. The guy I had flirted with came over and asked for a kiss.

Soon, everyone that I talked to that night left the bar. Feeling all alone, I thought about leaving. But I was on a mission.

I was determined to give my number to a second man. Little did I know, fate was about to step in.

---

"My friend thinks you're cute and wants to buy you a drink. What'll it be?"

"Sex on the beach," I said. Then, because I'm a sucker for bad jokes, "the drink and the act, if he's lucky."

The lady pulled me toward her and introduced me to her friend. The breath nearly left my body, he was a gorgeous man. I couldn't help but stare.

Both looked at me expectantly. The problem was that words failed me at that moment. They also seemed to be failing him. All I could hear in the background was "Show Me Love" by Robyn.

His friend took the lead.

"This is Jawid, Jawid this is Ed. Now, if you don't mind, I want to go find a girl to make out with." With that, she was gone.

So were any words. I was unable to think of one thing to say. Only one thought rolled around in my head; I'm going to marry this man.

---

After the introductions, I recovered my voice. With his friend somewhere in the crowd, Jawid and I talked about almost everything. We kept coming back to the fact that we were both hungry.

Once we finished our drinks, we left the bar. Our first stop was the hot dog vendor on the corner of Christopher Street.

We sat in the park across from the bar and ate our franks.

"How long are you in town for?" Jawid said. He noted the look of confusion on my face, "aren't you visiting the city?"

"No. I live here," I said.

"I'm from California and will be here until the 9th. Maybe we can do a proper date before I leave?"

My brain processed all the information at once. This handsome, smart man wanted to take me out on a date. He wanted to court me, even though he was from out of town. But only one thing popped out of my mouth.

"You leave a day before my birthday?"

"Maybe I can make up for that," he said as he took my hand. We threw away the wrappers and decided that we wanted to talk some more.

We walked around Manhattan hand in hand. The conversation never dried up, nor was any of it awkward. It felt like the new year had brought a new love for me.

We sobered up as we walked around the city. The sun was beginning to rise on the horizon. It was time to say goodbye.

"About that date?"

"I would love it," I said. Part of me worried that it would never happen. "Text me the details."

"Will do. And you text me to let me know you made it home safe."

I nearly swooned. He kissed my cheek, despite my puckered lips. "We'll save the first kiss for when I sweep you off your feet."

It was too soon to tell him that I was halfway there.

---

Our first date was at a fancy restaurant that I would never have been able to afford on my own. I was intimidated. But he didn't seem to notice.

"You look incredible," he said. I returned the compliment and allowed him to lead me in. Once he gave his name to the host, we were whisked to our table.

Before we sat down, the waiter came over to give us some menus and take our drink orders. Once he left, I looked over at my companion and was once again struck by how handsome he was and how he smiled at me.

"How did you find this place?"

"My friend that you met the other night told me about it. One of her dates brought her here and she said that this would be the way to impress you," he said.

We feasted on chicken beak, smashed potatoes, and some kind of corn. Every time food left a plate, it was quickly replaced with something else. By the time dinner was done, I didn't think I could eat another bite.

After our meal, we walked over to the Empire State Building. Jawid wanted to go to the top of the building.

He grabbed my hand as the elevator took us to the top floor. When we stepped out, my breath was taken away by the beauty of Manhattan at night.

"It's magnificent," I said.

"You're beautiful," Jawid said.

He grabbed me and pulled me closer to him. Our lips met, and it felt like there were literal fireworks going off around us.

---

Before we parted, Jawid asked me to visit him the morning that he was set to leave. Part of me hoped that it meant he was going to stay, but the logical side knew that wasn't feasible.

At 8 a.m., I trudged with the rest of New York to the subway and met him in Times Square. Even in sweatpants and an oversized shirt, he looked like a million bucks.

"Hello handsome, how are you?" he asked.

I stared at him and tried to figure out how someone could be so chirpy at an hour that I didn't even know existed until that day.

"I was on the subway with a finance bro who was freaking out that a stock dipped two percent," I said.

He grinned and pulled me into a kiss. We walked over to Starbucks, hand in hand. After we got our orders, we found a semi-quiet table in the back of the café.

Jawid checked his phone and answered a few messages. While he did that, my mind wandered to what our lives would be like if we went forward with a relationship.

It was like he read my mind.

"These last three days have been great, and I have real feelings for you. We agree that long-distance relationships don't work, so would you consider moving to Los Angeles with me?"

The question took me by surprise. Most of my thinking in the mornings revolved around whether to take my computer to the coffee shop or not. Moving across the country was something best left for the afternoon, make it tequila's problem.

"As great as this has been and as much as I like you, no. I will not uproot my life for a relationship that may not work out. Maybe if we'd had more time together or if we could figure something out, but I just don't think it would work," I said as tears fell from both of our eyes.

We finished our coffee and walked back into the winter morning. He turned to me and we hugged. After one last kiss, we pulled ourselves away from each other.

"If you change your mind, there's always room in my house for you," he said as he walked to the subway.

While he meant the words at the moment, they would not be true forever. Jawid and I stayed in contact for a long time. He is now happily married to his husband.

When we talk, he always reminds me of what the drag queen said that fateful night, "there is a great love waiting for you. And when he comes, watch out."