Three Good Nos!

 Friends, I'm dying to tell you what's going on with The Guy Next Door, but first, a series of very modest miracles. I feel like my Higher Power scooped me up a few weeks ago, like if I keep doing trust, I'm on my way to healingtown.

It started with Summer Princess. The week before Thanksgiving, she told me she had to leave town abruptly, and said she wanted to get together before she went. We planned a day-after-Thanksgiving brunch and I was excited to catch up, but I had trepidations. I thought the leaving wasn't the right move, and I could feel the urge to rescue her or get her to try to see the error of her ways.

Not knowing the whole story, I couldn't possibly have known if her ways even HAD an error, but leave it to a codependent to just think I know everything anyway! I thought about cancelling the brunch, but then I just...didn't. I thought I could probably get through pancakes without trying to rescue anybody.

But! I was just starting to get ready to go when I got her text--she'd already left. And I felt a whoosh of relief--She had known the right thing to do for herself and done it. I didn't need to weigh in or try to control the situation, it just was! I knew I would miss her and that she might not be okay, but I was so, so proud of her for doing what she needed to do. It gave me a whole new faith in other people, and hope for my own path too.

The second Good No came shortly before a planned second date with Dreamy Playlist Angel. I was excited to see him! He had even been practicing a harness for me, as far as I knew. His text came the morning of the date, saying he didn't want to do casual right now. He said I was wonderful but that he wanted to get his act together so he could hope for more serious relationships. The same whoosh! Such a very good boy! Once again I felt guided by the divine, like I was in a flow I didn't need to try and control.

WHAT IF EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT'S RIGHT FOR THEMSELVES and I can trust them to tell me?!

The third Good No was a concert date with Mr. Long Distance. I had an extra ticket to a show I knew he would like in a nearby city, so I asked out of the clear blue if he'd like to come join me, go to the concert, and share my cozy Airb! Kind of insane given that we'd only ever had a video date, but he said yes! We had a nice catch-up over video and I was soooo excited to see him! I remembered how gorgeous his dick was from our video date way back when! Woohoo!

There's a line from The New Pornographers that I think of sometimes when I'm doing too much to make something happen: "I've pencil-sketched the scene, it's feeling Byzantine." That's kind of how I felt the morning I was getting ready to go to the concert. I was excited but also! We don't know each other in person at all! I would have to figure out how to eat in front of him! My nervous system felt out of whack, but I wanted to see him. It was a lot of scary new things, but I could probably figure it out!

He was taking a Lyft to a bus to a train, and he missed the train. He said it gave him a bad feeling and he would have to cancel. Whoosh. We would have had so much fun, but I was just as deliriously happy to sit in the rafters and be a concert goof by myself. I transferred my extra ticket to my Airb host, who sent it to a friend of a friend.

I know I can't always flow through life with the universe deciding things for me, but I'm very grateful when it does. I feel brave for whatever comes next, and I'll tell you more soon. :)

Mr. Long Distance Is a Dear, Part Four

 

I loved laying there talking with him, playing with my nipples, and talking some more. When I asked to see all of him, he very sweetly said he wanted to save that for in person. He said that a few times, but I guess eventually the horniness won out. He angled the camera up from under his dick and oh fuck yeah, it was a profound beauty.

His cock was a fat cone of goodness, angled up and rock hard. I wanted to taste the salty tip of it. I could imagine myself riding it for days and nights, maybe for actual ever. I liked watching him play with himself, the way his thumb squeezed up and down his shaft. His warm face smiled down on me.

I asked if I could get out my trusty big pink rabbit, and of course he agreed. I was watching his face when I came, and he came not too much later. I’d like to have seen the evidence, but I’m definitely glad to have been looking into his sweet face as he got off.

He said goodnight pretty quickly then, but texted with praise, just as we’d agreed upon that afternoon. It’s not as good as snuggling, but it meant a lot to read his kind words, and then read some more in the morning.

But that weekend, I had a trip just a little bit longer than the trip to his place would’ve been, and the reality of our distance sunk in. I took stock of all the spoons I have to gather for any given trip and how much I need to take care of in my own life, and realized that it wouldn’t work.

I spent so much time being lonely during The Shy One, I didn’t want to set myself up for loneliness, for another form of unrequitedness. I wanted to celebrate Mr. Long Distance for the big life he is in, and do the same thing for myself.

This is my home. There are literal millions of men in this city. I had an even-cuter-than-his-picture breakfast date yesterday, a local and sweet and beautiful guy who brought roses. (I hadn’t remembered my favorite brunch place was flower-shop adjacent!) Still, as I type this through, I feel wistful for Mr. Long Distance. And grateful. And a little back-tracky. Matches go by fast, my heart moves slow.

Mr. Long Distance Is a Dear, Part Three

 

The night of not-in-the-mood, Mr. Long Distance and I had a lovely text chat instead of our planned sexytimes. “I just want to see your beautiful face,” he said, but I asked if we could type it through instead.

I was so touched by the way he reacted to my confusion and stuckness, how openhearted and patient he was. Even though (spoiler alert) I ultimately decided the distance was too much, my heart feels so comforted by Mr. Long Distance.

Once the mood returned, I asked if we could try our video sexytimes date again. Thursday at 9, we decided, two Thursdays ago by now.

Before he called, I put on a little bit of makeup and my Easter-blue lingerie. I climbed into bed and got all cozy under the weighted blanket before he called. When I opened the FaceTime, I just LOVED seeing him. His smile is truly so special, open and warm and joyful—just the face you want to see when you’re ready to get naked over video for the first time.

“Let me see you,” he said, not dommy but definitely hungry. I snuggled down into the blankets and said “not yet!”

We caught up a little more, ranging from pillow talk to logistics.

“Would you ever move to________________?” he asked, his voice a little feverish.

“Uh, no. I love (my city) so much, I never want to live anywhere else!”

(That’s not strictly true, I might not need to live here forever, but let’s just take a moment to appreciate the life I’ve made in the ten years since my divorce! My friendships, my business and other work, my neighbors. There’s even a Unitarian Church I can turn to when grief arises! A life.)

Unhelpful geography aside, the chitchat got me ready to lower the blankets. It felt good to move aside the lace of my nightie and slowly, lazily touch my nipples as he watched. I found a way to prop up the phone so he could mostly see me and I could have the use of both of my hands. I picked up the phone and put it above me so he could see my whole rosy, pleased self. I wanted him to see all of me.

“Get rid of the panties,” he said after I pulled them aside to reveal (at least, I hoped he could see) my soaking wet clit. I reluctantly complied—I love the feeling of pulled-aside undies. But if he wanted to see everything, he was going to see everything.

Mr. Long Distance is a Dear, Part Two

 

Since The Shy One, I’ve been kind of frozen as to whether or not to have texting preferences. I’d rather a within-a-couple-hours reaction than a left-on-read. I’d rather know what time a date is than wing it. I think those wants are okay, but I still have TSO haunting me with his “How long am I allowed to go without texting? I’m not trying to be mean, I just want to know what’s going through your mind.”

(There was a lot that had been going through my mind, but most of all it was the fact that he’d recently endured “a little bit of malaria” and I hadn’t heard from him much for a few days.)

(It had been about eight hours that day in late January 2023, for the record, which isn’t long and also is. If I hadn’t been honest about being worried that day, would we have somehow made it? Still bargaining I guess.)

(Made what?)

(I’ve started going to Codependents’ Anonymous meetings, they’re helping with this particular spiral. And others!)

The day, Tuesday-before-last, when I was supposed to have my sexy video date with Mr. Long Distance, he got busy with work stuff and didn’t confirm the time, so I wasn’t sure if we were still on. In the meantime, I was working on a poster for our city’s Trans Visibility Day tribute to Nex Benedict. I’s also listened to one too many episodes of Talking Backwards, a Twin Peaks recap podcast. Now that I’m typing this, I realize I was just too vulnerable and sad to try such a new adventure that evening. It’s maybe just as simple as I wasn’t in the mood.

Which, whoa, I could have just said!

Instead, when the not-confirmed time arrived, I found myself sobbing into my thousand-piece puzzle, just stuck in a loop. Should I tell him I just like clearer communication, especially since we’re so far apart? Do I wait til we know each other better to mention it? Do I just say goodbye now so I don’t find myself later in love with someone who’d hiss “Why? Why are you crying?” at me in the middle of the night.

To be clear, aside from a similarly cute accent, Mr. Long Distance is not like The Shy One at all. He’s bolder and more transparent, more grounded in his life, in his creativity, and in his skin.  He definitely didn’t have anything to do with the grief that was bubbling up.

When the time came to chat, I guess I just was the mess that I am. I told him I was confused about whether we were on for our date or not. I let the feelings leak out in some pretty embarrassing texts, but bless him, oh BLESS YOU Mr. Long Distance, he hung in there.

 

Mr. Long Distance Is a Dear, Part One

 

I usually try to just hit on people who are within a half-hour or so, but the algorithm gets me sometimes. Sometimes I can’t resist hitting on someone who’s far away. He’s creative, he has a warm and welcoming face, and we even have a couple of friends in common.

The warmth was just as warm in his texts. I was so charmed that I didn’t even notice him telling me he’s allergic to cats! And I’m up to three now! I’m amazed I’m getting any writing done at all, with a kitten in the house!

Mr. Long Distance and I had a Facetime date, and his smile was so arresting that I stopped working on my puzzle! He gleamed at me. He teased, asked thoughtful questions, and made me giggle. His life fascinates me so much—there is absolutely nothing sexier than a guy who has a lot going on!

I was thinking he was about two hours away, far but not unheard-of for such a catch! But in reality, it’s like four hours. And he doesn’t drive. And the train makes his tummy hurt. But he could fly! It was such a nice fantasy, the long distance love affair that Get Up Kids songs are made of!

Even after he reminded me that he wouldn’t be able to stay with me when he visits because of the cats, I was still IN. He’s so easy and sweet to talk to. He made me cute-nervous, not that anxious performance-y nervousness that that plagues so much of my dating life. Instead of jumping out of my skin, I felt grounded and peaceful. No dithering, no hustling for attention.

“I’m bored, entertain me,” he said one afternoon when I was packing up for work. I sent him a fairly-chaste-but-lacy pic from the Hidden Folder and just sending it filled me with energy and hope. So I asked him if he’d like to try for some sexy video time the next night. He said yes!

I’ve never had sex over video chat before! I’ve made videos for myself before, and once for that guy who ended up telling me I was bad at virtual sex! So I was nervous, but also curious and so turned on! I knew just what I would wear, Easter blue. I did my nails to match. I felt glowy with possibility! I really hoped his dick would be as beautiful as the rest of him. Spoiler alert, it was!