i was with some friends in the city. i was on roller skates. we found this awesome store where they sold artsy independent comics. one of the comics was a little booklet written by a friend from high school who i haven't seen for about 6 years. i was sad i didn't have any of my comics with me, but memorized the address and decided to return later.
we crossed some heavy traffic and ended up emerging into a large park (much safer for the roller skates). i skated on ahead of my friends and practically collided with this group of guys. i actually brushed past one guy, with a decent amount of body contact, and we reached out hands to steady ourselves.
so i was all apologizing for colliding into them, and the guy kept holding onto my hand and smiling at me. i realized i was being picked up.
so he walked on ahead of his friends, and i skated slowly next to him. i told him my name was ray, and he told me his name was daniel. i told him my first name was daniel, too, but that i went by my middle name. while i was telling him this, i was hoping that he wouldn't somehow see my id.
the guy was huge—not like a bear, but really tall, with giant hands. large in that slightly awkward, deliberating way, like he'd just recently had a growth spurt and was getting used to his body. very young-looking, but a lot bigger than me.
at some point, i am lagging behind him, and one of my friends catches up to me and starts calling me rachel, and i'm like, "don't say that! i'm passing here!"
we ended up going to a baseball game, i think, and sitting next to each other near the front. flirting and talking and watching the game, and maybe some kissing in there. all the time i'm hyper conscious that i am passing with this guy—not so much in an afraid-of-being-found-out way, but in this way that i am imagining what i look like to him—some femmy little blonde white boy.
i don't remember what happened after that.