You know, there's always something to balance out the good things that happen. It came up today, after enjoying a weekend in the company of another that wasn't Brett for a change.

If you've not looked elsewhere, let me explain. On May 6th, I went to a concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall to watch the LA Philharmonic with Mom. It was really nice, got to hear the organ put to use for the first time, and they ended the concert with an outsatdning performance of Pines of Rome. But the best moment of that evening was during the intermission.

Mom and I decided to head down to one of the snack counters to get some bottled water. A young Japanese man approaches me while we're waiting in line and asks me if I'm also a college student. I answer yes, though only part time. He says he's glad to see someone his age attending the concert for a change (as opposed to the majority of the audience who are old enough to be our parents or grandparents). Judging that he's likely younger than me (since I would have finished college by now if I'd stuck to full time), I smirk and say, "Well, I'm probably still a little older than you. How old are you?" He answers, "21." I smile and nod, "Yeah, I'm 24." He starts to talk about the first performances we saw, and Mom smiles and gives some space, allowing me to talk with him without her seeming to chaperone us. Amusingly though, when she went to sit by herself, he led us to sit next to her. XD I asked his name, and he answered, "Shota." "What background is that from?" "It's Japanese." I mused on this bit of info, but after a talking a short while, we headed back in, and I smiled, saying, "I'll see you after the show."

Following the show, he was waiting for us in the hallway outside the seating area. We walked down the escalators to the first floor, and he asked, "Can you stay a little longer?" I looked at Mom and she said, "I'm alright with it, go ahead." I began to suggest maybe Shota could drive me home instead, so Mom wouldn't have to wait, but she offered a smile, shaking her head. "I'll just be sitting over there," and she gestured toward some leather benches. I nodded and followed Shota into the giftshop. We browsed through the cds, and I listened as he talked about one of the dvds the store was playing. This guy knew his stuff, definitely an intense classical music major. I asked if he had any interest in opera, or in Nobuo Uematsu's music (since I had tickets for his concert on the 16th), but sadly he seemed uninterested in either. I worried that his closed mindedness might be a difficult hurtle to overcome, if anything developed with him. I also worried that because I was not as well taught on music history, and was not a classical purist (read = listen only to classical music), that he might think me an idiot. He bought a cd from one of the artists that performed that evening, and we left the shop.

Mom rejoined us and I made the bold request of asking for Shota's number. He smiled, "Sure. I'd like to get your number as well." I pulled out the blank post-it note Mom had given me after intermission when we returned to our seats. I tore it in half, writing his name and number on one, and he copying my name and number onto the other. As we walked down the escalators, he mentioned that he had some performances coming up for the next few weekends at the college he attends. I said I'd be glad to attend, though he suggested I go to one of the latter 2 concerts. As we reached the P3 level where he was parked, Shota paused and I paused with him, Mom moving on down another level. "It was nice meeting you," he said, and he came up to hug me. I gladly leaned in, hugging him back. I was surprised though, when his head turned as I leaned my head over his left shoulder, and he kissed my cheek....almost as if he'd meant to aim elsewhere. I blushed, but felt I should return the gesture. Not wanting to kiss near his lips, I aimed further back on his cheek, near his ear. He smiled, saying, "You're sweet." My cheeks turned another hue of pink, and he backed away waving, "Keep in touch." I slowly walked away, a giggle creeping up in my throat as my hand touched my cheek, and I caught up with Mom down the escalators.

Not wanting to seem over eager, and at his recommendation, I did not go to the concert he had that Saturday. I waited until Monday to try giving his number a call, but he seemed to be preoccupied with school work, so I let him go. That call had me wondering, "Was Friday just a moment? Was he just being friendly, rather than interested?" I decided I wouldn't call him again, waiting on him to decide when to call. But I would still attend one of his concerts. Since I was uncertain of his intentions, and there was LARP on the 14th, I decided to just plan on attending the concert on the 22nd.

On this past Friday, the 20th, I was surprised with a call by Shota....which Brett answered first *slaps forehead* We ended up getting to know each other a little bit, and Shota suggested possibly seeing each other on Saturday. He asked for my address info and I hesitantly gave it to him. We said goodbye, and I grinned, at the very least glad that he was moved to call me back.

Saturday, I woke up in the morning, eyeing the caller ID as I worked on the comp, played Golden Sun: The Lost Age, practiced some Fire Bomber songs on Skype with Jose (from AX Karaoke), and basically hung around waiting for a potential call. At 4 in the afternoon, it came. Shota was only a few blocks away from my house! I quickly got dressed and went out to meet him, since Brett was home. I told him I thought he was going to call before driving over, and he apologized. I got into his car and we drove off.

This was the start of something very unexpected. Again, I thought this guy must've thought me an idiot...but as soon as I got in the car, he leaned in to hug me, and as I pulled away, he leaned in again and kissed my lips. I was in shock, but smiled. "Is there some place we can go?" he asked. He'd wanted to go into the apartment, but I couldn't do that with Brett there. I suggested the park by the Eagle Rock Recreation Center, but given the time of day, it was rather populated with youth league games and parties. Same for the Rose Bowl park near the Aquatic Center, though we took the risk and hung around in an area away from the crowds. We relaxed on the grass, simply kissing. It felt wonderful. ^.^

After a while, we went to Amoeba in Hollywood, since Shota had planned to sell back some cds (that he'd copied) and buy new ones with the credit he received. We browsed the classical section for a while, I opting to buy a low priced recording of Holst's The Planets done by the Royal Symphony Orchesta. Shota had a bunch of cds when he stepped up to the register, but because of some problem with the credit card he was trying to use, he was only able to get about 5 of the ones he'd chosen. We returned to his car and, since it was later in the evening, we opted to give the Rose Bowl area another try.

It was a lot more vacant this time around. And thus, we were a little more daring in our make-out. *^^* Shota seemed to be falling under the spell of physical attraction for me, and I was starting to feel the same for him. Seeing his face, no longer the closeminded music intellect, but a handsome Japanese man smiling at me with eyes staring lustfully at mine, he became an incredibly attractive creature. We stayed out until the parking police started patrolling the lots around 10pm, then we got in his car and he took me back home. He was wanting to see the apartment, but I told him I wasn't comfortable inviting him in just then (because of Brett), so we said our goodbyes at the stairs, and he said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

And indeed he did. Sunday, I was showered and dressed by 1:30pm and left for his college. Bought a ticket for the concert, and took a seat near the front with a good view of the timpani drums (which he plays in the Dvorak piece they performed). He smiled when he noticed I was there. As the concert started and he played at various points in the piece, it was really something, watching Shota get into his performance. Thinking back on it now, it reminded me very much of the percussion soloist we saw at the concert hall on the 6th, Evelyn Glennie.

The concert came and went fairly well, the only flaws being a few off notes here and there and the distracting snore of children two rows behind me (seriously, get a clue parents!). After the concert, I noticed Shota looking for someone other than myself. Not finding them, he came to me, and we walked out to the lobby. Spotting a couple of his friends, he ran up to speak with them for a moment. Unsure if he wanted our relationship to be a public thing, I kept my distance, lingering a bit ahead toward the parking lot. As the guys departed, Shota led me to his car and he took me to mine. Apparently, Saturday had not just been a one night thing. He was still under my spell. ^^;;

We tried looking for a place to relax and settled for a couple places near the center of the campus. Shota seemed even more passionate than before, with a much more dominant grip and embrace. By the time it had grown dark and we walked back to my car, I'll admit, there were a few moments of glum. Shota was making it clear that we weren't necessarily a couple right now, though he offered that it could be possible. He also ended up saying, "Maybe you could lose some weight, and look even prettier for me." I tried hard not to look hurt, though I was. I hid my face by hugging him, murmuring, "I'm sorry." "Don't be sorry," he said, seeming to realize he'd touched a sensitive subject. "I'm content with you as you are." We moved off of the subject, and he began suggesting things, like considering moving to the South Bay area (closer to him) and trying to go back to college full time. Eventually, we ended up kissing again, moving to sit in the backseat of my car. After a while, we were both dazed and high on each other. As 10pm once again reared it's head, I walked Shota over to his car, both of us kissing, reluctant to part. But we did.

I came home to find Brett waking from a nap. He told me that he'd found out that evening that his grandfather had passed away the previous night. I tried to console him, feeling a bit guilty that while I had been feeling joy, he'd been dealt this sad news. I felt even more guilty inside, because after the experience of this weekend, I was wishing that Brett would leave.

Once again, I have put myself in an awkward situation. I'm trying not to get my hopes up with Shota...but I would like to have him over sometime. Just not with Brett there. -.- As for Brett, I've been tired of helping him for so long. This is yet another reason to just say "Enough is enough!", but...I do care for him still. I'll have to think this through...