The Hottest Girl in the Room, Clearly

Most Saturdays, Pough leaves me to go to his mom's house and be a good son. Sometimes, I stay in and veg out. About half the time, I go out. Last night, I attended a friend's birthday party at a Murray Hill bar which proved my theory that I get hit on like crazy when Pough is not around.

Seriously. I know it must sound like I'm full of myself (which I sort of am) but this fact does not help. Last night, I got hit on my no less than 3 men. I could have actually gotten hit on by more (guys looking at me for signs of interest) but my hands were full enough with those 3. My single and cute friends next to me? No real action that I could tell.

This morning, while checking out my hungover complexion, I debated why I seem to attract entire groups of men while my friends seem to go unnoticed. I don't think I'm all that more attractive than them (in some cases I definitely am, and in others I'm not)---or even more attractive than I was when I was single. Perhaps men know I'm attached in some phermone-related sense and are attracted to that physically. Maybe I still give off a slut vibe (altogether possible) or I'm unknowingly flirting with these guys in some nonverbal sense.

I also think that I'm more open to talking than most of my friends, and have better game. I gave one of my guys (a really cute one) to a friend last night, she clammed up and he walked away. Talk, girl, talk! Anything flirty will do, really!

In addition to my seemingly stellar game, I do admit to shaking my booty a bit and sauntering back and forth to the bathroom. Despite that Pough and I have a solid, loving relationship and I'm assured he thinks I'm awesome, I still want to see my price tag out in the single world...which seems to be rising.

When I do talk to guys, I'm really confident--sinceI don't care if they walk away. (Some I do, the ones I would actually pursue if I was single, but I really can't care too much.) Flirting now is a complete game to me, because I get to decide when to cut their game off by saying I have a boyfriend, usually to their surprise. And my game has definitely improved, as well--I know what to talk about (baseball, music, other sports and girls) and I don't tell them jack shit about me other than the basic information that they need to know to buy me drinks (asst editor, from the Midwest, likes the Cure).

But I bet when I'm single, none of my boyfriend-having, flirting expertise will come in handy. I bet I'll still be the (moderately insecure) girl at the bar, waiting for a cute guy with a good job and a full Ipod to talk to me, or call me again after we hook up. When I'm flirting with someone who somehow seems better than Pough, I remind myself that Pough is the man in my life, the one who will always call me back, the one who I share dinner and drinks with, the one who my friends love as much as I do.

And that's more than a million business cards from randoms in my back pocket (today's is Mr. Seth M). But all the male attention does work magic for my self esteem (which in turn brings more men to my side at the bar).