Page 25 of A Matter of Time

Ihad just stepped out of the shower when my cell phone rang. My friend Evan was on the other end. He reminded me that it was his birthday and I had better be at the club by nine. Like I would be late for a party.

Amnesia was a dance club on Halsted that I really liked. It was way over the top with the go-go dancers in cages, purple neon everywhere, and the bar that ran the length of one wall. When I walked in, I saw Evan in his group of friends and crossed the floor to get to him.

“Hey, buddy.” He greeted me with a wide smile, grabbing me in a tight hug. “You came.”

“Have I ever missed your birthday?”

“No,” he said, looking me over. “You’re the most dependable person I know.”

“Good.” I squeezed his shoulder tight. “So what’s your plan for tonight?”

“First, I gotta tell ya…I just saw Kevin.”

“That’s okay. I knew he’d be back this month at some point.”

“But you’re not pissed he’s out at a club?”

I shrugged. “It’s not my business anymore, E.”

He nodded slowly, then suddenly smiled. “What’d you get me?”

I pulled an envelope from my back pocket and presented him with two tickets to the ballet.

“Oh, baby.” He reached out and hugged me again. “When are we going?”

“Uh-uh.” I shook my head. “Take your mom.”

He gave me a look.

“You know you should. You never go over there, and she lives, like, ten minutes away.”

“She always wants to know who I’m dating. What am I supposed to say? I don’t date, Jory, I have sex in the back rooms of clubs. I’m not looking for anything serious.”

“One of these days, Ev…love’s gonna get ya.”

“Not likely.”

“Whatever.” I shrugged. “Back to Mom. I bought the tickets for you and her.”

“She drives me nuts.”

“She’s awesome.”

He grunted and slid an arm around my neck to pull me close. “Come say hello to the girls.”

Evan’s fellow flight attendants were catty and flirty and drank more than I would have thought possible. Three of the women and two of the guys propositioned me, and by the time midnight rolled around, I realized I was starving. I was on my way back from the bathroom when Kevin Wu stepped in front of me.

“Hey,” I said, moving back so I didn’t touch him.

“Jory.” He smiled and reached for me.

I took another step back. “What’s going on?”

His smile fell away, and I saw his jaw clench. “You’re still mad.”

“I’m not mad,” I assured him, because I wasn’t. I truly could not have cared less one way or another if he was there or not. “Good to see you.” I brushed past him.

Last year Kevin Wu had told me he loved me. He’d taken me to a very romantic dinner and, after much hedging, blurted out that he didn’t think he could stand it if I slept with anyone but him for the rest of my life. At that point I wasn’t on the same page, but in time I was almost certain I would have been. We had dated for three months solid, and it was the closest I had ever been to a grown-up relationship. His only complaint had been that he wanted to sleep all night with me. I wasn’t ready for that step, and in the end I had been right.