The moment I walked into the house, I was assaulted by the scent of something cooking. It seemed Matt had had no issues finding the grocery store, although I probably should’ve warned him that even with the extra gas, it was cheaper to go up the highway to what people around here considered the city. Abelman was still small by my standards, but you didn’t get gouged nearly as badly up there.
“Honey, I’m home,” I called out, doing my best Ricky Ricardo impersonation.
“In the kitchen, asswipe,” Matt responded. I laughed at the familiar greeting. We’d lived together during the last two years of college, and this was how every day went. “You’re lucky I came by. You’d have starved to death in another week.”
“Nope, Michael keeps the kitchen stocked down at his place,” I informed him.
Matt replaced the lid on the pot he’d been stirring and leaned against the counter. “And exactly how often are you at his place?”
Shit. Okay, so maybe I hadn’t told Matteverything. I felt my cheeks flush. “I’m not there all the time, if that’s what you’re implying.”
It wasn’t technically a lie. The past two Saturdays, I’d spent the day with Michael and Jagger before we both headed to his parents’ for dinner. And Justin had been there as well, so it wasn’t like it was just me. And I was home Friday nights, at least until about eleven, when I’d head down to Michael’s.
But Matt knew me too well. He threw a dishtowel at me. “You’re such a little shit,” he teased me. “And here, I thought you were just testing things out, trying to see if there was a connection between the two of you.”
“I have,” I pointed out. “And it just so happens that the best way to do that is to be around one another. I’ve started staying with Jagger Wednesday and Thursday nights so he’s not getting bounced around. And since Michael works at night, it’s just easier if I’m down there when he does have a chance to hang out. Wouldn’t it be more scandalous if I was seen walking home from his place at two in the morning?”
“And that, my friend, is why you look like hell,” he deadpanned. “Seriously, you have to take time for yourself, too. I thought that was one of the things you were looking forward to about moving out to the middle of nowhere. Something about no distractions so you could figure out what it was you really wanted in your life, if I remember correctly.”
“Yeah, yeah, rub it in,” I grumbled. “Now, what’s for dinner? Hopefully it’s something quick, because one of the other teachers asked us to go to the homecoming game tonight. Apparently, it’s a pretty big deal around here.”
“Man, you’re not turning into one of those guys, are you?” Matt whined as he started dishing up two plates of chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy. It smelled much more complex than that, but I wasn’t going to complain. Food was food.
“What guys?” I asked as I dug into my meal without waiting for him to join me. I hadn’t eaten at lunch because there was too much left to do before the parade, so I was ravenous.
“A joiner,” Matt responded as he shuddered dramatically. He sounded as if that were a fate worse than death in his mind.
“No, man, but I am a teacher in the district,” I reminded him. “So it’s good to get out and be seen. That way they don’t think I’m some stuck-up prick who’s only here to collect a paycheck.”
“But you are,” he chided me. “Okay, maybe not the stuck-up part, but you’re definitely a prick, and you did move here because it was a job that’d pay you and you wouldn’t come home smelling like stale food.”
I wadded up my napkin and threw it at him. I forgot how much fun Matt and I used to have together. It was like everything had become eclipsed by the bright and shiny that was my friendship, and now relationship, with Michael. I had to find some sort of balance. Since that wasn’t going to include Matt, who still lived over two hours away, I silently resolved to work harder at trying to build my own, independent life here in Marshall.
“Finish eating,” I prodded him. He’d always been the one who could take an hour to eat if we didn’t remind him that he wasn’t having a love affair with his food. “I’m going to go get ready for the game.”
Justin texted and told us to meet him around the back of the school near the auto shop bays. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but I also wasn’t about to question him when I saw the chaos of everyone trying to get into the main parking lot. He was right; it appeared everyone was converging on this one location to see the Colts hopefully pummel the Waterloo Ravens.
“So, is that your new beau?” Matt teased as the overhead doors opened and I drove in behind Justin’s Dodge Challenger.
“First of all, how can you even use a term like beau with a straight face?” I scoffed. “And second, no. I told you Michael had to work tonight. That’s Justin, the teacher I was telling you about.”
Justin got out of his car and rapped on my window as he walked by. I looked over to ask Matt if he was ready to do this, and nearly pissed myself laughing. If he craned his neck around any further, he was going to hurt himself. “Stick your tongue back in your mouth and quit drooling.”
“Excuse me, but have youseenthat ass? I’d heard about country boys and their Wranglers, but damn,” Matt said in amazement. “Please tell me he’s not happily married with a herd of kids running around within the confines of the white picket fence in front of their house.”
I didn’t want to tell him that Justin was, in fact, gay. I liked Justin, and I’d seen how Matt was with the parade of men he’d brought into our apartment in college. While he made no secret about the fact that he wasn’t looking for more than some casual fun, he seemed to be drawn to the men who wanted something more. And Justin definitely fell into that category. We hadn’t had any long talks about our hopes and dreams for our personal lives, but I could tell. He wanted the kids, the white picket fence, all of it. But with a loving husband standing on the porch watching them.
“Oh, my God. He’s gay, isn’t he?” Apparently, my silence had drawn on too long. “How long did you plan to hold out on me? I’d have visited sooner if I’d realized there was a chance to get lucky with your new hot best friend.”
“Seriously?” I rolled my eyes and got out of the car, not about to dignify that with a response. Matt quickened his pace to catch up to me and bumped his shoulder against mine. If I didn’t stop him, I could almost see him dropping to his knees and begging me to set them up. Sadly, it wouldn’t be the first time. After saying hi to Justin, we followed him across the parking lot to the staff entrance for the field. I lowered my voice so, hopefully, he wouldn’t hear us. “I didn’t tell you because you’re you.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he asked flatly.
“I love you, but you’re not the type of guy I’d want my friends with,” I said bluntly. “You’re looking for a fuck and run, and he’s not. Which is probably why you’re attracted to him.”
“Now you’re just talking in riddles, Collins,” he chided. “If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”
“Okay, you know how our buddies used to bitch about how the girls they hooked up with wanted a relationship even though they’d made it clear they didn’t?” I watched Justin wander off to talk to some of the other teachers we’d gone out with that first night, so I stopped long enough to finish this conversation with Matt. “You’re the exact opposite of that. I can’t even count the number of times you brought home guys who wanted relationships, but you thought you could give them just enough to keep them happy while showing them it was better to keep your options open.”
“That’s harsh.”
“It’s also true. Now, come on. Jagger’s here with his grandparents and asked if we’d come sit by them,” I told Matt as we rejoined Justin to walk to the stands.
“You’re so whipped,” Matt muttered under his breath. I tucked my arm around my back and flipped him off. So what if I was trying to keep my guys happy. It wasn’t because I was whipped, it was because there was nothing better than seeing the two of them smile.
