March 19, 2002 | 10:54 AM

7T)### Thurston St.

Angus and I begin the evening by uncorking a Luna di Luna combination Cabernet/Merlot�a shiny red bottle we swig from intermittently between Angus�s homemade whiskey sours. As the night wears on, the sours grow stronger until they are nothing more than Seagrams on ice with a splash of lemon.

We have Angus�s filthy Lower Allston apartment to ourselves-- that is except for the mice occasionally squeaking and skiddadling their way across the floor in furry gray blurs. Normally, I am rodent phobic, but tonight I am too tipsy and too enchanted to freak out.

The issue between us-- this sexual tension-- has been talked about, around, over, and through. We have analyzed it, compared it, deconstructed it, politicized it and categorized it. Like the closet academics we are, Angus and I have explored our romantic notions every which way, other than actually doing something about them.

Until tonight.

Angus�s room is smoky and dark, the only light emitting from his computer monitor. We sit close together on his dumpster worthy plaid love seat. His lips are moist and his green eyes glitter like an emerald sea at dusk.

Somehow, we find ourselves slow dancing to, of all things, AC/DC�s Back in Black. And then, we kiss. And then, we kiss again. And somehow we tipsily climb into his loft. Like a couple of lustful albeit virginal teenagers, we go mad kissing crazy for the better part of an hour. Our limbs akimbo, entwining and unwinding, we kick the white sheets off his bed. They flutter to the ground. Neither of us has a shirt on. My flesh presses hard against his, yet all we do is kiss and kiss and kiss and kiss.

It is sexy as hell.

It occurs to me how much I have missed this portion of being involved with someone�when everything wasn�t flat out fucking from the get-go, when intercourse wasn�t an assumption, and activities like kissing weren�t a means to an end, but their own end entirely.

This kissing frenzy is far more exciting than your typical screw. This endless moment of anticipation drives us wilder and wilder and our mouths are at each other more and more furiously.

Finally, Angus attempts to up the ante, and at the critical moment, I just can�t do it.

All of a sudden amongst the panting and the face sucking, I am overcome by guilt and uncertainty.

This is too complicated for me. Sex changes everything even in circumstances far simpler than these. There are far too many risks to go about fucking my best friend/work colleague/man I am in love with perhaps, and perhaps not.

Angus, I really think we need to slow down now.

Angus�s hand pauses on its journey upward from my knee. It lingers for a moment. Finally, he sighs and rolls over.

You�re right. I�d regret this in the morning.

We lay on our backs for the rest of the evening, just talking about silly things like Superheroes and Giallo films. Finally we fall asleep, our faces turned in opposite directions.

In the morning we wake up hungover, exhausted, and starving. Neither of us mentions the previous evening�s events. We dress and catch the bus to work.

Shortly after punching in, Angus and I have a meeting with Seth about interviewer productivity. As Seth laments the hiring of certain substandard interviewers and how they can be dealt with, it occurs to me that this entire situation would best be served as a television show. It is too bloody cliche for real life.

A love triangle (or square if you count Lynn) at work�at a telemarketing firm no less. All of the characters have known each other for years and years, even went to college together, and now magically they are all employed by the same company, in the same department no less and have begun shagging one another (or nearly shagging anyway.) What type of TV show would this plot line best be suited to?

It could definitely work (and has worked again and again) on a cheesy prime time soap opera, for example Dynasty or 90210. I �d be the hysterical Shannon Doherty character, and Angus would ride a motorcycle and come from a broken home. John would be the long suffering moral center, who during one episode swills from a bottle of scotch in hopes of freeing himself from the mounting depression caused by my affair with Angus. The next episode he�d start going to AA.

It also could be reformulated for laughs in the context of a half hour comedy romp a la Friends or Sex in the City, complete with laugh track provided of course, by the illiterate Stupid Company Interviewers.

Also, this scandalous disregard for workplace ethics and personal morality could facilitate an archetypal episode of Springer. That is if we changed the locale from Boston to Arkansas and somebody�s mother was involved.

Great. My life is typical fodder for daytime talk shows and cheesy Aaron Spelling soapsploitation fare. Someone please shoot me now.

Right Anna?

I am yanked from my emmy award winning reverie by Seth�s weary voice.

Huh?

Seth rolls his eyes and frowns at me.

You think it�s a good idea to see if the interviewers know how to read before we hire them, right?

I nod

Oh. Definitely.

Good. Then we can all at least all agree on something.

John gets in to work around 1:15. Over lunch I briefly tell him about the events of yesterday. His overall attitude is that of amusement, and I pretty much figure the whole scenario has played itself out.

But of course it hasn�t. And it won�t until I provide the Big Finale by making a huge fool of myself at my very own party.

Sigh.

When will I ever learn?

Stay Tuned for Part the Thirty-Seventh...

Who can turn the world on with her smile!

Who can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile!

Well it�s you girl and you should know it!

With each breath and every single movement you show it!

Love is all around no need to waste it!

You can have the time!

Why don't you take it!

You're gonna make it after all!

So sit back, relax, and read the SAGA from THE VERY BEGINNING!

In other news, I had the greatest birthday ever. Sean came down from NYC and I was so surprised I almost fell over. I can�t remember having a happier few days. John and Jenn are amazing. �Will write more about it at Saga appropriate time.