How To Get Hot Writer Dudes To Cross International Borders To See You
AKA Hogan Torah makes me nervous
You are here because you read Hogan Torah’s story about the little vacation we took together, aren’t you?
That’s okay. I don’t blame you. If I were you, I would also want the juicy details. I mean, two Medium writers actually meeting? Traveling together? And what’s that thing about hugging and chemistry?
What is happening here?
I won’t repeat everything he said, but in summary, we had been following each other’s writing for a long time and had exchanged likes and comments on Twitter and Instagram. All friendly, and nothing else.
And indeed, there was a flirty tweet. Was it his fault or mine? Who picked up whom?
I’ll feign innocence to the end…
The trip takes shape.
So, after a brief exchange of messages, it was decided we would meet in the city of Ensenada, and, yes, Hogan read the situation right: I had every intention of meeting him only to say “Bye!” once the shrimp cocktails had been consumed.
My plan was to go to Ensenada, walk around town, go back to my room, soak in the bathtub, and take pictures of my naked ass so I could post them on Instagram.
However, as we messaged, video called, and kept the Twitter flirtation going, I started to feel that I could connect with this person. Even better: there was the chance I could have fun.
Once Hogan told me he would first arrive in my city, Mexicali, so we could travel together to Ensenada, I realized I wanted to meet him as soon as possible. Was I supposed to feign modesty and decorum, as if playing a manipulative game of “I’m not really that excited about meeting you”?
Nope, I could not. And I’m very happy I didn’t.
Hogan Torah takes over a Mexican border town.
Hogan posted on Twitter about his long drive to my city, and I followed along, watching with concern how the sweat kept on spreading all over his shirt. My town is really hot.
He let me know when he got settled, and I took an Uber to meet up with him.
We saw each other, hugged, and exchanged words — not just pleasantries. Mmmm, yes, The Chemistry was there.
Now, I’m aware that because of what I typically write, many of you expect me to spill all of the beans. However, I find myself in the unusual position of writing about something that’s a developing story and that I have no idea where it will lead to.
So, even though I am happy to share with you some general details, I’m afraid I’m not ready to divulge too much, which in my case, is saying something. However, since you made an effort to come here and have read so much, I’ll give you a few tidbits:
- Hogan is way taller than what he has led us to believe. Way taller.
- He is a natural-born massager.
- He drinks his coffee sweet.
- He is a gentleman who always took care of me and kept me safe.
Hogan makes me nervous.
I pride myself on making sure my writing is bold. When I find I’m being a coward, I push my words even further. However, I’m actually a very introverted person with walls that go sky-high.
It takes a very special set of skills to make me feel like I can relax, and I think this is why he makes me nervous — Hogan, I’m sorry I hadn’t told you, and you are reading this for the first time in this draft I’m going to send to you before publishing.
We are still getting to know each other, but one thing I can tell you about him is that he has no time or energy for bullshit. Like, zero tolerance for it. I know lots of people say that, but unlike many others, he means it. And he has gone through a lot to get to this point.
He won’t lie to you. If there’s something he doesn’t want to do, he’ll tell you. If there’s something he won’t do, he’ll let you know. And you don’t need him to say, “I promise I’ll do this,” because you’ll be able to see he’s already in action.
As if that wasn’t enough, when he needs to call you out on something, he will do so with honesty and kindness. For example, I famously don’t know how to interact with people, so I tend to double-check everything to the point of annoyance. I cannot tell you the number of times he has told me, “You know, you can just do ____, you don’t have to ask for permission, and I won’t think less of you.”
To this, my reply tends to be, “Really? That’s new.” I’m a slow learner…
During our vacation, I ate lobster for the first time ever and made him witness my peculiar eating routines, including my habit of adding butter to my coffee. Together, we faced mini-quests such as a bathtub that was unable to produce hot water — that’s a whole other story that deserves its own article — and the painful torture known as slow internet.
We conquered, we saw, we…well, we had a joyful vacation that left us exhausted in the way a good time does. But, will there be more happy days? As Hogan said in his piece, “we shall see…”
