15
Buzz
"Well, cheers,"
I say, reaching for my wine tumbler.
"To our first night as a married couple."
"Cheers."
Court lifts his glass to mine and smiles.
"I owe you big-time for this."
"You cooked dinner. Consider us even."
He takes a sip of Merlot, his eyes never leaving me.
"I owe you,"
he repeats.
"I won't ever forget you did this for me. It's well above and beyond best friend duties."
I roll my eyes and pick up my knife and fork.
Court chuckles.
"What's so funny?" I ask.
"You won't need utensils for this meal. Here."
He picks up a piece of flatbread from the basket in the middle of the table.
"This is called chapati. You use it to scoop up the stew."
"Right. And you just happened to pick up some chapati from the general store here in Clovelly?"
Court grins, shaking his head.
"No. I picked it up when I was back in Boston."
He points to the basket. "Try it."
I pick one up and gather up some chicken and veggies on it.
"It's like a really big nacho."
Court chuckles.
"Sort of, I guess."
The chicken stew he made and the chapati he bought are both delicious.
"This tastes incredible,"
I say, getting the hang of this whole oversized nacho dipping experience.
"Thanks. It's not as good as the kuku stew in Nairobi, but it's not too bad for my first attempt."
He showed up this afternoon with three large suitcases…and that was it. He's rented out his condo in Boston, so all he brought with him was clothes.
"You know,"
I say, carefully loading up my chapati.
"We can go furniture shopping and get some stuff to make this place feel more like your home."
"That's sweet, but unnecessary."
"You sure? I think Howie's created a crater in the sofa. There's also a good chance his smelly farts have seeped into the fabric."
Court grins.
"I'm sure. But thanks."
"Let me know if you change your mind."
We eat in silence for a while until Court brings up a topic I knew was inevitable but was hoping to put off for as long as possible.
My ex.
"You ready to tell me what happened with you and Cameron?"
"Like I said, the usual thing. He said I was too needy."
"Those were his exact words?"
I blow out a heavy breath.
"No. His exact words were, 'I want a boyfriend, not an emotional support animal.'"
The muscle in Court's jaw throbs.
"What a fucking turd. I never liked him anyway."
Our eyes meet, and Court tones it down a bit, asking softly.
"Why do I get the feeling there's more to it than that?"
Because he knows me better than anyone else in the world, that's why.
I swish some wine around in my mouth then swallow.
"I may have scared him off when I brought up wanting to have kids."
"I didn't know that was something you wanted."
"I don't want to be an old dad. I'm thirty-one, Court. Time is ticking."
"And Cameron wasn't into it?"
"Nope. He didn't even want us to move in together. Looked like I punched him in the balls when I brought up the topic—very casually, I might add—of possible wedding locations. Kids were the last straw."
"I'm sorry. That really sucks. He's the one missing out."
"Howie thinks it worked out for the best. Better to know early than waste years with someone when you don't want the same thing."
"True. How long were you guys dating for?"
"Five months. How about you?"
I ask, more than ready to change the topic.
"Seeing anyone?"
"Nope."
"Interested in anyone?"
He stops chewing as his intense gaze settles on me. "Nope."
"So no hot hookups to report from Africa?"
"None. I was working a lot, and any downtime I did have I spent with my colleagues and their families. They showed me around, took me to places most tourists don't get a chance to visit. We did some really cool stuff."
"Oh, shit. I just remembered. Sorry for leaving you with Zane at the diner this morning."
"It was fine."
Fine? Definitely not the f-word I was expecting from him.
"I haven't heard from him all day."
"That's because his body is in the lake,"
he says with a roguish smirk.
"Be serious."
"Okay, fine… I buried him in the forest."
"Court."
"Relax. Everything is sweet. When I left him, he was alive and breathing. We actually went inside for a coffee after you and Howie took off."
I blink a few times. "You did?"
"Yeah. He said he wanted to talk."
"About what?"
Those light-green eyes light up.
"You, actually."
"What about me?"
He takes a sip of wine.
"You sure you're ready to hear this?"
I nod. "I am."
"He asked me to put in a good word for him with you. He likes you, Buzz. In more than just a friendship way."
"I can't tell if you're kidding or not."
"I'm serious. He said he feels something between the two of you."
"And what did you say?"
"He didn't give me much choice. I told him I'd speak to you and put some feelers out. He was one step away from dropping to his knees and begging for help. He'd already hugged me, so I had to do something to prevent that from happening again."
"Shit."
I wipe my hands on a napkin.
"What am I supposed to do?"
Court shrugs.
"I could go back to him. Let him down easy. Say I sniffed around like he asked me to, but you said you're not ready to date anyone. That way it's not personal, and it won't make things awkward for him around you."
"You'd do that for me?"
He leans across the table and plants his chicken-stew-dripping hand on top of mine.
"I'd do anything for you, Buzz."
"Be sure to let him down gently, Court. Please."
He looks like he's going to make some sort of joke, but when he sees my face he decides against it.
"Okay. Fine. I promise I'll let him down. Gently."