Have you ever done it with someone you weren't attracted to?
A friend of mine came up to me at a barbecue and said that someone I knew was interested in me. Well, I did know her, but I didn't know she was interested in me. I wasn't exactly interested in her that way, but I enjoyed hanging around her. She wasn't ugly, in fact, I know a few guys who are attracted to her. I just wasn't one of them. She just lacked those qualities that usually spark my interest. But I had about a six-pack in me, by this point. So I sidled over and struck up a conversation.
Damn, she was cool.
So we talked and flirted for a few hours. Munched on some burgers, drank a little, talked about going skinny dipping later on. Time marched on, and the affects of the beer began to wear off. I was enjoying spending time with her a lot, but as the evening wound down, I found myself less and less attracted to her physically, and my flirting was becoming obviously forced. I was about to stop the proceedings by delivering the spiel that so many people hate hearing - "I just like you as a friend."
Then I stopped and thought about it for a second.
My first thought was how much I hated hearing that bullshit, and began looking for an alternate way out. (I just broke up with someone... not ready for a relationship - blah, blah, blah).
My next thought was about how for my entire life, people have been trying to tell me that true beauty lies on the inside. Beauty is only skin deep, after all. You can't judge a book by its cover. You get the idea. I saw Shrek, and I'm planning on seeing Shallow Hal this weekend. I know how this goes... Even so, I've always been extremely picky in the people I go out with. Now, before you go and get all indignant, I don't go out with someone just because they have a pretty face, or a svelte body - much of that pickiness is reserved for things like sense of humor, intelligence and overall personality. However, physical appearance is on criteria list, and can sometimes tip the scales one way or the other.
Anyway, it hit me. Here I was having the time of my life with this woman, and I was about to call it off like a goddamned idiot, because she didn't look like what I typically like looking at? Duh! I excused myself to the bathroom, and while I was ridding myself of even more affects of beer. I decided that I would not put a stop to what was happening out there. In fact, it was time to step it up a notch and see if I could take this woman home with me.
So we did it.
At the risk of sounding like a pig, I have to say that True Beauty is indeed on the inside, if you know what I mean, and the way someone looks has very little to do with the enjoyment you can get from being with them. It was something of an epiphany, and I think that physical appearance dropped several notches for me on the importance scale of potential mates, and the ability to make me laugh (to really make me laugh) went up.
We spent much of the next day together.
Nice breakfast, a trip to the mall. Generally hanging out. Well the weekend was drawing to a close, and it was time for us to go to our respective houses and prepare for another stinkin' Monday when she hits me with it.
"I like you as a friend".
Irony sucks.