Blind Date at Katropolis

Ben ran his hands through his hair. It had been 3 months and yet he still couldn’t shake that feeling that he would come around the corner any moment. That Tim would come home with take out from some new vegan place that opened up nearby. But he wouldn’t, they’d broken up. Over, no more.

Next Saturday would’ve been their 4 year anniversary. They had two amazing tickets to see Katropolis. When the tour dates came out and they were going to be in Big City on their anniversary, it was obviously meant to be. Ben had bought the tickets and surprised Tim with them that night.

They’d fucked the night away. The newest Katropolis album playing from their speaker. The night was magical, between orgasms Ben could see their future together clearly. Marriage, kids, their future home, and growing old together.

During the following week, Ben made reservations at Giorgio’s. It was a long shot that they would have anything available but the stars were aligning and he called anyways. He couldn’t believe it when the hostess on the phone said they had a cancellation for that very night. She was about to call the wait list, but when Ben told his story she was swayed to give him the reservation.

The night was becoming quite the event. They’d eat at Giorgio’s before seeing Katropolis live. The only thing Ben had left to do was buy a ring. He would propose at dinner at they’d be engaged by the time they made it to the concert.

Or at least that's what he thought. Just two weeks later, Tim had sat Ben down for ‘the talk.’ He didn’t think their relationship was working. They wanted different things. Blah, blah, blah all the cliches. But the truth came out the week after that when Tim started posting about his new boyfriend. Who Ben recognized as Tim’s gym buddy, that Ben had ‘no reason to worry about.’

Ben threw his phone aside, he didn’t need to spend any time tonight stalking Tim’s socials. “It’s over,” Ben reminded himself aloud. He went to go check the fridge, leftover pizza was the winner for dinner. And not from one of Tim’s fancy vegan pizzerias, this was greasy, heart clogging, full of gluten and meat pizza from one of the 50 places around claiming to have the best pizza in the city.

He grabbed the remote, Dani had told him about some show that he ‘absolutely needed to watch so that HitFlix doesn’t cancel yet another queer show that’s better than anything they’ve made for the cishets.’ It was some regency romance, balls and dukes and big poofy dresses. The theme started playing when the microwave dinged for his pizza.

His phone started ringing as he poured a glass of wine. He flipped the tab on the box of wine, yet another jab at Tim’s sensibilities drinking from a box rather than a bottle with an actual vintage.

He rushed back over. Where was his phone? He had tossed it aside, had it fallen into the depths of the couch. It rang again and again. He set the plate and glass aside, plunging his hand blindly into the cushion. It buzzed against his hand, and he pulled it out quickly swiping the green circle as he raised it to his ear.

“Ben?” Tim’s voice came through the speaker, causing Ben to freeze in shock. He had to be imagining this, right? “Ben, are you there?” Definitely not imagining it.

“Y-yea, I’m here,” Ben responded unsure of what Tim could be calling about after all these months of no contact.

“How have you been?” Tim said in a sweet voice, the one he used when he wanted to ask for something but feared sounding rude by getting to the point.

Ben rolled his eyes, he’d always been annoyed by this particular trait, even when they were together and Ben wasn’t looking for any negative or flaw in Tim’s character. “What do you want?”

“My Katropolis ticket,” Tim spit it out, hearing the annoyance in Ben’s voice and probably remembering all the fights about not just getting to the point. After a brief pause he continued, “And possibly the other one. I’d totally but your ticket.”

Ben wasn’t sure why he hadn’t thought about the fact that just because they broke up and wouldn’t be going to the concert together didn’t mean that the concert wasn’t happening. Then a fire ignited in his stomach, did Tim say ‘my ticket?’ Ben bought those tickets, sure at the time it was for him and Tim, but that ship sailed when Tim broke up with him.

Ben restrained from unleashing all of the pent-up anger, instead giving a curt, “I’ve already given away your ticket.”

“You gave it away?” Tim sounded shocked, as if it was a surprise that something wouldn’t go exactly as he planned.

“I’ve got a date,” Ben lied, immediately regretting the words. Now he would have to actually find someone to go with. And it would have to be someone outside of their mutual circles so Tim couldn’t fact check.

“That was my ticket, Ben. Why would you just give it away? You know how much I was looking forward to finally getting to see Katropolis live.”

“It wasn’t your ticket. They are my tickets, for me and my date. You stopped being my date when you broke up with me.”

“I see. I had hoped that you had gotten over this, and that we could be cordial again, perhaps even friends. But I see that you’re still stewing—“

“Bye, Tim,” Ben hung up the phone.

Ben ran his fingers through his hair, reaching for his wine. The regency lesbians would have to wait. Ben had to find a date. He considered trying Matchr, but he didn’t have time to sift through possible matches to weed out any biphobes, or even just homophobes in general.

He drained his glass, rising to get a refill. He paused staring at the screen where the blonde woman gently held the gloved hand of her friend, unable to put a name to how she felt. That was it. Dani. She’d surely know someone outside Tim’s circle that would love to see Katropolis with him.

“Oi, cunt,” Dani answered with an awful Australian accent.

“I need a date,” Ben said, holding his phone away from his ear waiting for the inevitable.

Dani squealed so loud that Ben worried his speaker would break. “Does this mean you’re finally over that prissy little snob?”

“I don’t know. Maybe,” Ben continued filling Dani in on every detail of Tim’s call.

“His ticket! The audacity!” Dani huffed. “Well it just so happens that I am currently out with the perfect girl for you. Let me sell her on you, and we’ll talk in the morning. Brunch?”

“Sell her on me? What about selling me on her?”

“Bitch please, you know better than to question my judgment,” Dani cackled. “Now let me work my magic, cause trust me when Tim sees pics of you and her he’s going to regret leaving you. And best of all, you’ll be saying ‘Tim who? I think I kind of recall someone by that name, but he was such a prissy little snob that I’m so happy my beautiful smart funny best friend set me up with my soul mate.’”

Ben laughed, “Thanks Dani, and I’d love to have brunch.”

“Love you, bitch,” Dani said as she hung up.

“Love you too,” Ben replied into the dead line. He slumped into the couch, sipping from his wine as he hit play on the show.