Chapter 12
Twelve
Thomas
“Another date?” Eric asks. “That’s what number three? Sounds like it’s getting serious.”
“How do you know I’m seeing the same person?” I tease. “Maybe I’m playing the field.”
“Please never use that phrase again. I get it. Whatever. Just if this gets serious, I’ll get to meet them, right? Maybe you’ll have a date to Mom’s wedding after all?”
“No promises. The wedding is in a month. I’m not sure I’d want to bring a date to my ex-wife’s wedding in such a short time.”
“Right,” Eric shakes his head slowly. “Of course. Have fun.” He waves in my direction as he turns his attention back to whatever he’s watching on the TV.
I pull on the hem of my polo shirt, but it doesn’t stop the feeling of being choked.
It’s not the shirt that’s bugging me, and I know it, but it still doesn’t change anything.
Tonight is my weekly book club, but instead of my mind being on the book and the upcoming discussion, it’s solely on Angelo.
It’s been days since we were at his house and agreed to this situation, but nothing has happened since.
If it weren’t my week with Eric, I’d be hoping to follow Angelo home after book club for a repeat.
As it is, I only have a couple of hours that I can be away.
The drive to the bookstore does little to distract me, and before I know it, I’m pulling into a parking spot.
I take a deep breath and wipe my hands on my pants before grabbing my book and heading inside.
The book for this week is a hetero couple, unlike the last one.
It’s a contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast that somehow still has some magic in the form of a curse.
The Beast character is still mostly human, but disfigured and scarred.
He kidnapped the female lead, and there are definitely elements of dark romance and Stockholm syndrome.
Overall, it was more twisted than I was expecting for a fairytale-inspired romance, but I found myself drawn into the story despite the red flags.
I must be a bit early because when I make my way immediately to the backroom, they are still setting things up. There are only a few people here. And Angelo isn’t one of them. Just my luck.
“Hey Thomas, right?” a girl calls and I turn to see one of the people who have been at the previous book clubs.
“Yeah, and you’re Rebecca?”
“Good guess. How did you like the book? I hope it held your interest somewhat. I know Angelo isn’t always thrilled when we read MF books.”
“MF?” I ask.
“Sorry, book term. Male/female pairing,” she explains.
“Oh, no, that’s not an issue. I’m not … I mean, I’m bi, not gay.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to assume. I just thought since you were here with Angelo that you two were a thing.”
I freeze up, unsure how to answer her unspoken question. I don’t know if we’re telling people. Probably not, given that this is supposed to be a no strings attached kind of thing.
“We’re friends,” I blurt out, but I can tell from the way she smiles that neither one of us is buying it.
“I get it; it’s complicated,” she says with a wink.
I should probably correct her, but what’s the point? She isn’t wrong. This whole thing has gotten very complicated. We’re fooling around, but we’re friends here, and his coworkers think we’re dating. Eric thinks I’m out on a date. Complicated about sums it up.
“I think I’m gonna grab a drink. It was nice talking with you,” I tell her.
I need a way to escape her well-meaning small talk because I don’t know what to say.
Rebecca nods, not bothered by my excuse, and I make my way to the cafe.
There’s a line, but it’s not too bad. It gives me time to look over the menu and figure out what to order.
There are a number of holiday drinks. Pumpkin spice, eggnog, peppermint mocha.
It should be appealing, but all of it just reminds me that the holidays are getting closer, and I don’t feel ready.
“What can I get for you?” the barista asks as I get to the front of the line.
“I’ll, um, have a chai tea,” I decide.
“Will that be all?”
“And a crème br?lée latte,” Angelo chimes in from behind me. I turn to see him as he steps up to my side and pulls out his wallet. “I think that was all.” He pays for the drinks before I even get the chance.
“Thank you,” I tell Angelo as we step to the side to wait for our drinks.
His eyes sweep over me, then he bites his lip. I wonder if he’s having the same thought as me. I want to kiss him. “No problem. How have you been?”
Guess we’re not talking about the elephant in the room.
That’s fine; I can do casual. “Good.” Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best answer.
I should probably say more, but the words that spring to mind don’t seem appropriate.
I missed you. It’s too soon for that. Maybe it’s not even right considering this is supposed to just be a way to get our rocks off.
No emotions attached. But we can still be friends, right?
I don’t remember any rules against that.
“What’d you think of the book?” I manage.
“She could have done better, but it was a fun read. Retellings are always interesting, and I like Beauty and the Beast.”
I find myself nodding along, but I’m still stumped for words.
Luckily, that’s when our order is called out.
We grab our drinks, and I take a sip, stalling as I try to collect my thoughts.
The spicy tea floats over my tongue without being too sweet, and I’m glad I went with it.
“It was fun. A bit dark, but I liked it.”
We take our seats side by side in the back room as the rest of the group fills in.
Janice takes over as usual, leading us in a discussion of the book and which parts we liked.
There’s some discussion about the kidnapping and dark elements, but it seems like the general consensus is it just makes the male main character hotter.
I find it a little funny considering it definitely wouldn’t go over that well if it were real life.
Guess that’s the joy of reading and enjoying a fantasy.
All the same, I find myself enjoying the conversation, and that’s when it occurs to me.
What happens after Angelo and I call off this whole friends-with-benefits situation?
Will he still want me to come to the book club?
Or will I be left alone again with no socializing or friend group?
We haven’t really talked about the after, and maybe it’s na?ve of me, but I want to think we can do this without ruining our blossoming friendship.
“Do you have anything planned for the rest of the evening?” Angelo asks when things wrap up.
Janice mentioned the club is taking a break for the holidays, so we won’t be meeting up again until after New Year’s. Even though I just joined the group, it makes me a bit sad. Still, I pull my attention back to Angelo.
“I have to get home to Eric. He thinks I’m on a date,” I tell him.
We walk across the parking lot together, and even when I should split up to walk to my own car, I keep walking with Angelo until we’re in front of his car. He fumbles with his keys, looking at me like he doesn’t want to say goodbye. I take the hint and kiss him.