Hot Brother

Sorry I've fallen behind with the updates; lots going on.

I promised the story of Hot Brother. It's probably not what you think.

To give a little background, after I met up with PUA Mr.Right (formerly PUA David, which we agreed was painfully unimaginative) the night he introduced me to his brother, I tried to get him to set us up. I also begged him not to give his brother the link to my blog. He said he wasn't going to get involved beyond giving me Hot Brother's email. Fair enough. I thought about it for a bit, then wrote Hot Brother a note and included the link myself ("you might as well know what you're getting into"). I said I'd like to continue our conversation and would be happy to meet up as friends. I didn't want it to come across like I was asking him out, because I didn't want to put needless pressure on the situation.

There was no word from him for nearly a week, which I took as a sign that he read my blog and was scared away. Which wouldn't have surprised me. Last week I got a reply. He had been out of town. He'd be happy to meet for a drink. He would skip the blog and preferred to get to know the in-person me. Ooh, great answer. I suggested a few days I was free and he invited me to a concert at Carnegie Hall, where his friend was performing. Wow!

The concert was on Wednesday and I hadn't heard from him confirming plans, so I wasn't sure if we were still on. I was also battling that monster depression from the beginning of the week, so my head was foggy and I wasn't sure I'd even be up for it. He called around lunchtime and followed up with an email. Did I want to get drinks/dinner beforehand? I was tempted to apologize, tell him I was unwell, and take a raincheck. I thought about it and decided to go. How many times does a girl get invited to go to Carnegie Hall by a personable, attractive guy? I went out, bought a new dress, started to cheer up. I could do this.

Hot Brother met me at work and we walked uptown. He asked what I had been up to. He hadn't heard about the Village Voice scandal, but because he knew about the blog, I could tell him about the crazy turn my life took for a while. It was such a relief to be able to talk freely about it, whereas none of my dates and even some of my closest friends are still in the dark about all the madness from the last couple of weeks. It sometimes feels like a burden to have these secrets, and it was great not to have to censor myself.

We had dinner at the Brooklyn Diner. The conversation flowed and one salad and two gin and tonics I felt myself relaxing.

The concert was beautiful. It was a choir singing a Mozart program. I love Mozart, so some of the pieces were familiar to me, and comforting. I've been saying how I feel like I haven't been nourishing my soul enough lately, but this music did just that. It was just what I needed. Hot Brother pointed out his friend toward the end of intermission and I thought of how incredible it must be to perform in a venue as austere as Carnegie Hall. Lucky woman.

We took the subway downtown together. Hot Brother got me talking and talking and I didn't even notice when we got to his stop. We didn't get to say a proper good-bye, so I sent him a text message when I got home, thanking him for the concert. He replied, "You're very welcome-- you make good company." Aww.

I don't think it was a date. He wasn't very touchy-feely (he put his hand on my back a couple of times, but that was it) and I didn't get a this-is-a-date vibe from the evening. That is totally okay with me. I think right now I prefer getting to know guys as friends. If Hot Brother and I don't get past being platonic, that will be fine. He is so easy to talk to; I actually feel like I talk way too much around him. It's nice to find people you can be so at ease with.

The night out with Hot Brother was the perfect antidote to the dating burnout I've been experiencing. He makes good company, too.