Kayla in Stuff

I should at least give Megan credit that she’s apparently a decent judge of who would be a good friend for me. After some awkwardness I really hit it off with Kayla, the woman she set me up with.

We met and hugged and smiled and then I said, “I presume Megan told you that I’m not a lesbian. She kept calling this a ‘date,’ so I wanted to get that out there right away.” And Kayla definitely showed a little disappointment on her face. Then she remarked about how this was a typical thing for Megan to do, to set her up with a straight woman.

She said something like, “I love Megan. I honestly truly love her. But sometimes she’s such a fucking asshole.” I laughed because I think I’ve said almost those exact same words more than once. In fact, the biggest thing that Kayla and I bonded over for about the first 30 minutes we were together was a shared disdain of some of the things Megan does.

I liked her instantly. I can’t speak for her but I certainly got the feeling she liked me. We had a great conversation with lots of chemistry. We shared a nice meal, and when I told her that I don’t drink, she chose to not have any alcohol either. I wouldn’t ever expect someone to do that, but it’s nice when it happens. It’s often annoying to be with someone who’s slowly getting drunk while I remain sober.

We left the restaurant at about 10:30, which is probably early by most standards but still already past my bedtime. I was preparing to give her a hug goodnight and suggest we meet up again. Then she told me that she had left her house expecting this to be a date and perhaps spend the night with me, so she had a babysitter at home who she’d asked to stay all night. She said she’s going to feel mildly embarrassed to go home so early.

I took the hint and invited her back to my house. I wasn’t happy that Megan might see her coming home with me, but I wasn’t going to alter my plans over that.

Kayla has a 14 year old son (who I feel like wouldn’t need a babysitter but I didn’t argue). Kayla herself is two year younger than I am. That was a nice surprise to be hanging out with a mom my age. When Megan first mentioned this I was half expecting to meet up with someone in her 20’s.

We sat out in my back patio with bottles of seltzer and talked. I was enjoying her company and not paying attention to the time. Eventually she looked at her phone and commented that she felt guilty for keeping me up past 3 am. I was genuinely shocked. We quickly said goodnight and she drove off.

I got a few hours of sleep before I was in my office the next morning. I shook my head when my phone buzzed a new message from Megan that said, “Saw Kayla’s car in your driveway last night. Way to go!”

But I really think I have a new friend. Kayla and I have plans to go hiking together this weekend.