The way we were

Last night I saw the Karaoke Kid and The Roommate. Yes, it was the first time I saw them since that time. The first time since that time I left the Karaoke Kid passed out on the couch. The first time since that time I left the Roommate with a long kiss goodbye.

It's been well over a month. My contact with them has been limited to say the least. A few messages here and there with the Karaoke Kid (saying we should hang out, but it would only be as friends) and a whole lot of nothing from The Roommate. It was The Roommate that I was nervous to see when it was decided that I would be joining them and their other friends for trivia last night. Since I was nervous, I decided to bring my new go-to-girl, June (She's always up for anything, and I had a sneaking suspicion that she would really hit it off with their other roommate, The Hipster).

We didn't win in trivia (though I proved to myself the only knowledge I can retain is pop-culture knowledge) but we gave it a good college try over beers and huge burgers. Things were kind of like normal. But not.

The Karaoke Kid was fine. We made normal conversation. I realized he was shockingly unhelpful at trivia but still oddly good at karaoke (which is where we headed afterwards. His song of choice? Lisa Loeb's "Torn". The ladies loved it.) The problem was, while my attention was turned elsewhere, I'd catch him looking at me. Ok, not just looking at me, but giving me the look. The steamy, I'm-a-gonna-get-you-pregnant look. (No, I don't think he was thinking about getting me pregnant, but the intensity of the look could have gotten the job done). This is a problem because we are just friends. Perhaps that's how he looks at his friends....

The Roommate was...different. First of all, we didn't make eye contact for the first 15 minutes. When we did finally speak to each other, it was to discuss game strategy and to argue over an answer. Later, he made sure not to get wedged into the booth next to me. Then he was texting most of the night (I can only assume with a girl). I felt like he was going out of his way to make sure I knew that nothing is/was/or will ever happen between us. Yes, I get it.

No, things were not as they used to be, but what can you expect? There were too many complications in the past. But we finally all hung out again and it was fine, I would even call it progress. The good news is I totally called it with June and The Hipster. (But if I lose my new single friend for a guy with tight jeans, chunky glasses and a mullet, I'm gonna be pissed!)

The Transition

I’ve been hanging out with Meetup Matt (MM) with increased frequency over the past few weeks. In the past week I saw him 4 out of 7 days. We have started to make the transition from spending time with mutual friends to hanging out alone last week. I find this transition somewhat frustrating. I’m a little concerned that MM may become a hang out guy. There are definitely signs that he is interested. For example he went to see a movie that he had already seen with me simply because I said I wanted to see it. He suggested that we go out to lunch sometime and actually followed through. MM even went as far as to call it a “lunch date” but then didn’t pay for my lunch. (I know I am a mature woman perfectly capable of paying for my own lunch but I typically use this as an indicator that a guy is interested.) However, there have been several times where he has paid for me. Also on several occasions I have noticed that he was more touchy than what is typical for a friend. (More often in situations that involve a little bit of alcohol.) MM even asked me to go to a concert with him which is over a month away. If those things aren't enough to convince you he maybe interested...in addition to hanging out with me he also talks to me daily outside of seeing me simply to see how my day is and share random antidotes of our days.

The only thing is…he hasn’t made a move. I know it hasn’t been that long but I want to know if I’m misreading the situation. Is he into me or does he just think I’m cool and fun to hang out with? Would a guy really devote all this time and effort to a girl they aren't interested in?

I kind of think both of us are afraid to officially make the transition from friends to something more. Rejection is so much harder when it is someone you actually know! So I’m trying to be patience and I’m waiting it out to see where this goes. MM better get a move on it though because my horoscope promised some excellent make out action at the end of the month!!