rifling and romantic dinner for one

Shooting a rifle was definitely the high point of the evening. I met trouble at the shooting range and we nervously prepared for the moment of truth - using a firearm. I was much more nervous than I had imagined, mostly about putting a hole in the ceiling or my foot. But like many things in life the anticipation was bigger than the moment. I quite enjoyed shooting the target though and certainly after 50 shots was ready for more...

Trouble had made reservations for dinner for us afterwards and, given our last surprisingly flirtatious encounter, I was looking forward to more. Especially given the crappy day I was having. St. Peter still has not called and all day I kept getting more and more upset about it, more confused, more angry, hurt. rejected. So, a little flirtation and male attention would not have hurt.

It was, however, immediately apparent that trouble was not interested in me AT ALL. On our walk over to dinner, he mentioned that he had seen his most recent ex (they broke up about 2 months ago) for dinner last night and she had informed him that she was going back to her previous boyfriend. He was visibly torn up about this and it came up again and again over the course of the evening. Which is fine. Don't get me wrong. Trouble is easy to talk to and could potentially be a good friend but part of me was wanting something different tonight, maybe some hope on the horizon.

I actually think that trouble is very much like me. He kept saying things that sounded almost eerily like things I have said and thought. How Woody Allen can really get under his skin sometimes, how he would really enjoy being with someone who understood his work, how he is attracted to girls who live 'in the moment' (translation: are unstable) but really wants something more stable now, how he wants someone with whom he can ride the waves of his life and mind...all of these things are sentiments I strongly identify with.

And what a breath of fresh air to hear them coming from someone else's mouth. Kind of makes me feel not so lonely anymore.

So, although the romance tonigth was mostly between me and my exquisitely prepared salmon tartar and my basil gimlet - I do think I've found a friend.