Brooklyn, new york 2021
March 6, 2019
Fast forward. I’m now working at a Chelsea gallery—my dream job, my art-dealer era. I’m invited to an after-hours MoMA party (yes, dancing in galleries with a DJ and martinis... it was a moment). I wore a sheer floor-length dress. I felt electric. Ray tapped me on the shoulder.
I was tipsy. I barely clocked him. I said something cold, likely dismissive, and floated off into the crowd. He went home to his girlfriend and said, “She’s stuck up.” Fair.
Part II — The MoMA Encounter
It all started on March 6, 2019. Raymond, alongside his friends Nick Creegan and Gladimir Gelin, was curating a panel series highlighting women in the arts. At the time, Andréa was in the marketing department at the Whitney Museum, still finding her place in the art world, when she received a message from Raymond’s girlfriend at the time, asking if she’d be interested in moderating one of the discussions. She agreed.
They met over wine to introduce themselves and discuss ideas. The panel was set for March 9th, and at that point, Raymond had a partner, and so did Andréa. There were no sparks, at least not the kind they’d expected—well, maybe just a tiny flicker—but Andréa thought Raymond was a bit too friendly. She tends to be more reserved (some might say “discerning”), while he was warm, welcoming, and effortlessly charming in a way that only Raymond could be.
Though they didn’t speak much after that, they would end up seeing each other here and there over the next couple of years—until, of course, they didn’t.
Part III — A New York Summer, Rewritten
Now it’s summer 2021. The city has reopened after lockdown, and it’s alive. That electric, unforgettable kind of summer—hot pavement, rooftop parties, and that wild energy that made us all believe in magic again.
We were both newly single. I had just gone to the Obama Portraits unveiling at the Brooklyn Museum with friends and ended up at Ode to Babel in Park Slope. I didn’t know Ray was there, watching me laugh and flirt and dance like someone who’d been set free. He remembered the last time he’d approached me and how rude I’d been, so he waited until the end of the night to say hello.
He tapped me on the shoulder. Again.
But this time, I turned around, smiled wide and said, “Ray! I remember you! How are you?”
And just like that, everything changed.
We talked for hours. I walked with him to his apartment nearby to catch my Uber. A few days later, after his annual boys’ trip to Martha’s Vineyard, I invited him to a Fashion Week party. Beforehand, he made a dinner reservation—just to catch up, just to talk.
We hit the party, then bounced to Soho House, then to Las’ Lap, and finally to his place. We woke up together, walked his dog Ace, grabbed a bacon, egg, and cheese, and he walked me to the C train.
We’ve been together ever since.
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60-min easy-to-follow high energy hip hop dances with The best music. Dances change monthly.