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 anyoneseriously. 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 bestplay stupidvoice 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 myinsightful 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 thetaken and committedcategory?
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 whyFacebookused 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 completelyhonest 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 tohang out. Though with the holidays coming up, we’ll likely miss a few weeks as a cohesive group while people visit family.
