Chapter 15
AARON
Matthias has a secret.
Well, he thinks he has a secret. In reality, I figured out a month ago that he was seeing someone.
It just took me a while to figure out who.
I shouldn’t be that surprised. Not when he’s been talking about the work on his yard a little too often.
Pretty much every conversation I have with him lately is about that damn backyard.
Not that I mind. It keeps a lot of the pressure off of me.
One night, when he was going on about how good it was looking, it all started to make sense. Sam, the guy who’s done work on his place for years, would make a wonderful boyfriend. I don’t know him well, but he seems close enough to Matthias’s type—the kind who can give orders as well as take them.
Tonight, I’m going to get the full story out of Matthias, even if it kills me.
Of course, he’s late—again. Not that I expect much else these days.
I am, however, looking forward to giving him shit over it.
It’s been a while since Matthias dated anyone seriously.
It’ll be good for him to have something other than work to focus on.
He texted the group chat to let us know he has big news, so we’re all hyped, waiting to hear what he’s going to say. The moment he slides into the booth, I start in on him. “Alright, tell us everything.”
“What’s he talking about?” Nathan asks. “Did they give you the promotion?” That’s been Nathan’s guess this whole time, but Matthias would’ve texted with something like that.
“No, it’ll be a while before they make any decisions on that one.” He shakes his head as he says it.
“Then what’s the big news?” I use my best play stupid voice for him. He glares at me, but after nearly a decade, I’m immune to his looks.
“What Aaron is so kindly trying to get me to tell all of you is… I’m seeing someone.”
“Like a ghost?” Tyler squeaks. If I was sitting closer, I’d punch him in the arm.
“No, not like a fucking ghost. Like a boyfriend.” Tyler and Nathan gasp as I sit back in the booth, a smug look on my face. I knew it.
“Who’s the lucky man?” Nathan takes the opportunity to pour us all a new beer from the pitcher. “Anyone we know?”
This ought to be good. I’ve been dying to shout about it for the last month.
“One of the guys who’s been working on my yard. His name’s Frank.”
I open my mouth to gloat, but before I can get any words out, the sentence replays in my head. The fuck? “Wait! It’s not Sam?”
“Fuck no.” The tone in Matthias’s voice says he’s put at least a little thought into it.
“Sorry,” I mumble. “I knew you were overly interested in the construction, and Sam…” Here I was ready to celebrate my insightful win, and instead got served a hearty helping of humble pie. Maybe if I’d gotten more than three hours of sleep last night, my brain would be working faster.
“Is it serious?” Tyler let me off the hook from having to finish my sentence.
“Yeah, it’s serious.” Matthias looks like a man in love.
I’m really and truly excited for him, but also a little sad.
Not because I’m losing my friend—I know Matthias will always be there for me—but because that means I’m the last holdout in the group.
Sort of. Whatever Oliver and I have right now is far from being stable.
We haven’t told a single person that we’re together.
That’s not exactly the start of a healthy relationship.
Plus, I’m pretty sure one of the requirements for dating is going on dates.
Nathan and Tyler start cooing over Matthias, asking lots of questions about Frank, but my mind is on Oliver. What would it take for us to get to this point? For me to join my friends in the taken and committed category?
I’ve never felt about anyone the way these guys feel about their partners. Maybe there’s something wrong with me? That’s certainly the impression I’ve gotten in the past.
There’s a hint of those kinds of emotions when I look at Oliver, but up until now, I’ve been focused on pushing them down, pretending they don’t exist. Even being friends with him is a little complicated.
Adding to that keeps making it more… well, tricky.
Finally, I understand why Facebook used to have that as an option.
Maybe they still do, but I’m not reactivating my account to find out.
“I think the backyard’s going to be a mess for a while.
” Matthias sounds forlorn when he says it.
All of us, together in his backyard, is one of the group’s favorite pastimes.
With his place a mess, it only makes sense that we’d all be missing out on the opportunity to be together in a casual environment.
I miss being with Oliver and the group, even if we aren’t being completely honest with my friends.
Something about having all the people I care about in the same place, at the same time, makes me all warm and happy.
“No problem. I’ll host.” The words are out of my mouth before I can think them through. I want to take them back immediately, but it’s too late.
“Really? You’d let this whole group invade your space? The whole rowdy bunch of us.” Tyler looks at me suspiciously. And fine, I don’t usually volunteer to have the group over, but they’ve all been to my place before. Once or twice. They don’t have to act like it’s a top-secret hideout.
“First of all, you’re hardly a rowdy bunch. Second, it’s worth it. Plus, I want to see Matthias with this guy who has him head-over-heels.” And it has the added benefit of letting me invite Oliver without making it weird.
“I’m not…” Matthias starts to argue, but the group cuts him off.
There’s no way we’re letting him get away with whatever bullshit he’s about to spew out of his mouth.
It’s written all over his face. I sigh, then straighten up, not wanting to show my feelings.
At least not until I have a chance to work through them on my own.
Take Oliver out on a date and officially get our beta test underway.
Oliver.
Shit. In all the excitement, I completely forgot that we’re supposed to be out on a date Saturday night. Shit, shit, shit. I cannot cancel on him. Not again. He’s going to think I’m avoiding going out with him.
“You okay?” Nathan whispers in my ear.
“Fine.” I clench my jaw so hard I’m afraid I might break a tooth.
Could I take it back? Tell my friends they can’t come over?
They’d understand. Maybe someone else would offer up their own place, though neither Nathan nor Tyler lives in a place that’s conducive to crowds of more than three.
We don’t have to hang out. Though with the holidays coming up, we’ll likely miss a few weeks as a cohesive group while people visit family.
Fuck.
OLIVER
“Look, I don’t know what you want me to say here. I talked to Jeanine three weeks ago and told her this exact thing was going to happen. Now, you’re telling me that we have a problem. One I predicted and told you how to avoid.”
I put my phone down on the counter, but I wait a few seconds before putting the lovely sales manager on speaker phone. “…is there anything you can do to help us out?”
Haskell has a signing at a bookstore tomorrow night.
It’s out on the East Coast so I won’t be there in person, but I’ve done most of the organization.
That’s how it usually works. He prefers to waltz in at the last minute, sign the books, and chat with his fans, then leave, which would be great if the bookstore had ordered enough books for the event.
Now they’re completely sold out with a long list of RSVPs for the event.
“I can check to see if we have any personal stock available, but those would then need to be sold on consignment. Sixty-forty.” It’s a long shot.
Haskell doesn’t keep a lot of books at home because they take up a shit ton of space.
At best, he’s maybe got a dozen. The publisher might have some, but it’s too late to overnight them.
“Please? If you do, that would be amazing.”
“I’ll let you know tomorrow.” It’s past nine, and while Haskell might be up, it’s better to let him get a good night’s sleep and give him the bad news in the morning. It won’t change anything, but we’ll both be less cranky.
I end the call before she can say anything else. “Why does no one listen to me?” I ask the empty kitchen. It doesn’t know the answer, but it does suggest a nice glass of red wine from the bottle on my counter.
The buzzer to my apartment goes off just as I’m about to finish filling my glass, causing me to jump and spill wine all over my shirt. Good thing I’m not a big fan of this one. I’d rather toss it than figure out what type of stain remover works on merlot.
No one’s supposed to be here tonight. My siblings are all at least a hundred miles away, I didn’t order takeout, and Aaron is out with his friends. It’s a sad accounting of the people who might pop over unannounced.
At the door, I press the intercom button. “Yeah?” My mom would be horrified at my manners, but my head hurts, and I’m exhausted.
“Hey, it’s me.” Aaron’s voice, even over the staticky intercom, makes me all warm and gooey inside.
“Come on up.”
As soon as I buzz him up, I take a look around. How did it get so messy? I swear I cleaned a few days ago. The bookstore stress did a number on me today; remnants of my disorganization are spread out across the floor. And the couch. And the counter.
If I’m lucky, he’ll be so focused on the wine covering me and the floor that he won’t notice the three half-full coffee mugs on the counter.
I don’t want to look antsy, but I can’t help opening the door as soon as he comes into view of the peephole. “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.”
“Yeah, sorry for just stopping by. I wanted to talk to you about… What happened here?” His hand slides under my tee, holding up the edge, which is covered in wine. It takes what little restraint I have left today to avoid leaning into his touch.