* * *
Considering I barely know Matty’s friends, the afternoon flies by. The last time I’d met them all, I’d barely talked. I just hung by his side and tried to fake a relationship for everyone else’s benefit.
Now, though, I’m curious about every one of them. They’re like family to Matty, and I’m eager to understand his world. As everyone prepares dinner together and jokes around, Matty seems to shine. His warm energy bubbles over, and a few times, I catch myself grinning from just looking at him.
I want to be part of his world, too.
And for the first time, I think I actually could.
I’m happy here. I like how it feels to watch Matty bounce around, chatting with his friends and then plopping down by my side to say hi before running off again. His roommate Ayla and I talk music out on the back deck and when her boyfriend Horatio shows up, it turns out he’s a metalhead like me. Everyone’s energy is open and accepting, and knowing that Matty is loved like that is a relief I can’t begin to understand.
I’m happy here because I’m happy with Matty, and that feels like the kind of thing I should pay attention to.
It’s not until dark clouds roll in at sunset that I get a chance to talk to Milo and his boyfriend Hilton, though. I head around the house to close all the windows before the rain comes down, and when I return downstairs, the two of them are sitting with Matty in the living room, where a big plush sectional rests beneath some framed paintings of the lakeside.
“Stone and Matty met at the park, too,” Milo says to his boyfriend. “Isn’t that funny?”
I slide in beside Matty on the sectional and toss my arm over his shoulder. He sinks into me, leaning against my weight. “Over a month ago,” I say with a nod.
It’s true that the barbecue was that long ago, but I’m suddenly aware again that the rest of our story is a lie.
It doesn’t feel like a damn lie, but it is.
Hilton adjusts his glasses. Milo is sitting cross-legged, a plasticHappy Birthday!hat on his head, and Hilton rests his hand on his boyfriend’s knee. “It’s really great to finally meet everyone,” he says. “Milo’s told me so much about you, Matty.”
I expect to feel Matty tense. Instead, though, I realize it’s my muscles that are tightening between my shoulders.
Shit. Am I jealous or something?
“Yeah, it’s great to have you here,” Matty says warmly. “And you’ll have to come to Good-Bad Book and Movie Club from now on. We need another sci-fi expert now that Milo’s slacking.”
“Hey,” Milo laughs and bumps his shoulder playfully against his boyfriend’s. “Just because I didn’t watch the newStar Trekyet doesn’t mean I’m slacking.”
“Stone knows horror movies,” Matty adds brightly. “We’ll have all the bases covered.”
I shrug. “Is that good?”
“Horror movies are definitely very good and very bad,” Matty explains.
I smile, happy that he’s including me in the conversation. He rests his hand on my knee and draws it up slightly, his thumb tracing the inside of my thigh.
I’m definitely going to try for another blowjob later.
“Are you from Chicago?” Milo asks.
I blink when I realize he’s talking to me. “Oh, no, Minneapolis.”
“Really?” Hilton asks, perking up. “Me, too. What high school did you graduate from?”
I rub the back of my head, uncomfortable under the sudden attention. “I didn’t graduate from high school, actually,” I answer. “But I went to South Belmont for a couple years.”
“My cousin went there,” Hilton says. “She said everyone was stuck up. Probably a good school to drop out of.”
“Expelled, actually,” I say. “But I did drop out of the alternative school they sent me to after.”
A slightly awkward silence stretches out, and internally, I kick myself.
I know how judgmental people can be about stuff like that. Hell, I usually keep my past private for a reason.
