Once our drinks arrived, he took my hand and dragged me toward a large cluster of people on one side of the room. As we made our way, people kept reaching out to shake his hand or give him a high five. I got more than my fair share of curious glances, and I began to realize that being with Alex meant being in the circle of a minor celebrity.
Alex dove into conversations the way a kid would jump into a swimming pool on a hot day. Instantly, he seemed to be in the midst of a discussion with virtually everyone within earshot, and I marveled at the ease with which he participated.
As I watched, several things struck me. First, although he had actively inserted himself into the conversation, he was careful not to dominate it. Instead, he kept asking others for their opinions, and when he appeared to disagree with them, he simply turned to someone else and asked them for their opinion. Second, he was unfailingly friendly, smiling at people and giving them positive feedback, making them feel good about themselves. Lastly, even though I was there only as a passive observer, he made it a point to keep me involved, and I couldn’t help appreciating his sensitivity. The fact was that he was easy to be with.
Another thing I soon learned was that Alex never stayed still for long. He continued to circulate through the crowd, talking to new people as they entered his sphere of conversation and then moving on in a very natural way.
I was surprised to find myself enjoying the evening. I’d expected to be a fly on the wall, observing and making mental notes for my article. Instead, I found myself talking to people much more than normal and having a good time doing so. I also found myself going through several more glasses of white wine, which probably helped to further lubricate the conversation.
At one point late in the evening, a rather attractive blonde woman pushed her way through the crowd towards us. She came up to Alex and, pointing at me, demanded in a strident voice, “Is she your date?” Alex turned to me with a smile on his face and asked, “I don’t know, Elle, are you my date?”
I blushed and quickly responded, “No, I’m just a friend.”
“Good,” the blonde said, and then proceeded to brazenly fondle the front of Alex’s trunks. “So why don’t you and I go back to my place and find out if you really are the man of steel?” she asked suggestively.
Alex blushed even redder than I had, and quickly brushed her hand away. “Sorry, but I’m all tied up tonight.”
Her face reflected her disappointment, but she wasn’t ready to give up. “We could do that too, you know.” When Alex shook his head again with a smile, she said, “It’s your loss, superhero,” and stalked away on her stilettos with a petulant look on her face.
Alex leaned over to speak quietly into my ear. “It looks like the natives are starting to get a little restless,” he said with a wry grin. “Maybe it’s time for us to call it a night.”
I’d been frozen by the little interlude and surprised to realize that the aggressive woman’s approach had made me jealous, so I was glad when Alex took my hand and began leading me to the door. Then the very thing I’d been dreading occurred. A huge man, obviously drunk, stepped out of the crowd directly into our path. He stared at Alex and sneered as though Alex had offended him.