Boomerang Boyfriend (The Boyfriend Chronicles)

by Chris Cannon

  “No.”

  My cell buzzed, startling me. I picked it up and frowned at Aiden’s name. Had he decided he didn’t need to speak to me? “Are you lost?”

  “I was lost.” Aiden’s irritation came through the phone. “Now I’m at Betty’s.”

  “Why are you at Betty’s?”

  “Because apparently Google recognizes it as a sign of civilization, but it doesn’t recognize the road that leads to Zoe’s house.”

  I almost laughed but managed to suppress it. “You sound stressed.”

  “I am, and talking to you isn’t going to change anything, so I think I’m just going to head home.”

  He was upset, I understood that, but he was kind of being a jerk. “What’s your problem?”

  “I wanted to talk to you, but I don’t want to do this over the phone. Another time, okay?”

  Before I could respond, the dial tone came through loud and clear. Okay then. “I think it’s time for me to focus on finding another guy.”

  “There are plenty of fish in the sea,” Zoe said. “You might meet Prince Charming at work.”

  “Right, like some guy is going to see me dressed as the Pie Princess and fall madly in love with me.” A picture of Jack with a crown on his head appeared in my mind. What in the heck is that about?

  …

  Jack

  I griped a lot about working Saturday nights, but it kind of made my life easier. I didn’t have to worry about asking a girl out on a date and being rejected. Not that I struck out a lot, but sometimes it didn’t seem worth the trouble. And I hadn’t met a girl lately who seemed worth the trouble. One problem with small towns was that after a while, you knew everything about everyone and it limited your dating options.

  Melissa Hicks flirted with me at school, and she was cute, but to me she’d always be the girl who threw up on the Popsicle stick log cabin I brought for show-and-tell in kindergarten. It’s not like I held that against her, but it didn’t land her in the most desirable female category.

  Speaking of non-dateable females, Delia was behind the dessert counter when I came in. I gave her the obligatory head nod that was required to be polite, but I planned to avoid her. The steady stream of Saturday night customers kept me busy enough that it wasn’t a problem.

  And then I took a break, which meant I grabbed a burger and a sweet tea and headed to one of the picnic tables out back. It was cool enough that not a lot of people chose to sit outside, which was fine by me, but there were a few other people with the same idea, and one of them was wearing a tiara. Maybe I should go back inside.

  Todd sat across from Delia. He caught sight of me and waved. So much for making a quick exit. I came over and sat next to him and took a giant bite of my burger so I wouldn’t have to make conversation.

  “Delia was telling me she’s friends with your sister,” Todd said.

  I’d already told him that. He was either making small talk or trying to mess with me. I wasn’t sure, so I nodded and continued chewing.

  “Do you know any deep dark secrets about Jack I can use against him?” Todd asked.

  “Not really,” Delia said. “We mostly avoid each other. He thinks I’m annoying.”

  The other occupants at the table looked at me like I was a jackass. I swallowed what I was chewing and wiped my face with a napkin. “Way to throw me under the bus.”

  “Am I lying?” she asked.

  I thought about what my mom had said the other day. “The Delia that used to steal my GI Joe doll for Barbie weddings was annoying as hell. Now, you’re not so bad.”

  “Gee, thanks.” She finished off her soda. “I guess you aren’t as obnoxious as you used to be, either.”

  Rather than commenting, I ate my burger and fries.

  Delia checked her cell and frowned.

  “What’s wrong?” Todd asked.

  “Nothing.” Delia cleaned up her mess and headed back inside.

  Todd elbowed me. “Go talk to her. Find out what’s wrong.”

  Right. “If she wanted to talk about it, she would have.” And it was probably something to do with that Aiden guy, which meant it was something she’d talk to Zoe about, not me. Not my job.

  Todd stood. “My break is over. Back to the grills.”

  Betty kept the outside grills going until the snowstorms hit. I inhaled the cool smoke-scented air. We probably only had a few more weeks before winter really kicked in.

  My cell vibrated with a text. I checked. It was from Trevor. He sent me a picture of Rocky. At least I assumed it was Rocky. It was a little hard to tell since he was wearing a Cheerios box on his head.

  I texted back, Looks like he’s happy.

  A picture of Rocky with cheerios stuck on his nose and mouth came next. He didn’t appear upset.

  He’s always happy, Trevor texted. Until he throws up. Come over after work. You can be on dog-barf watch with me.

  I laughed and texted back, See you then. If he throws up, you’re on your own.

  Fine. Meet me at Edison’s instead.

  The rest of the night went by pretty fast. When I had half an hour left on my shift, Aiden came in by himself and stopped at the dessert case. Delia didn’t look excited to see him. They must not be hitting it off.

  I tried to eavesdrop, but the noise level of Saturday night kept me from hearing what they were saying.

  Chapter Seven

  Delia

  Saturday nights were loud and busy. Not that I minded. Keeping busy kept my mind off a certain confusing someone, or rather two confusing someones. I was beginning to realize that for whatever reason, Aiden and I were no longer on a path toward romance. And he’d become a little obnoxiously needy lately. And Jack…when he’d said I didn’t annoy him anymore and smiled at me, my heart had skipped a beat, which was wrong. My heart and my hormones needed to cool it. Jack was not datable. He wasn’t. Which left me with jack-squat for love interests. Good thing I worked in a place where I could drown my frustrations in pie. I finished decorating a pie box with ribbons and then turned around to find Aiden at the dessert counter.

  Startled, I dropped my scissors. After retrieving them, I said, “Can I help you?”

  He shoved his hands in the front pocket of his jeans and then looked down at the floor as he spoke. “I was hoping you’d want to go grab a coffee or get something to eat after work.” He glanced up at me. A mixture of hope and guilt shone from his eyes.

  “Not coming to see me after you called me was a crappy thing to do.” And he needed to know he couldn’t treat me like that, even if we were just friends.

  “I know, and I’m sorry.” He moved closer to the counter. “Not being able to find Zoe’s house when I’d been there before was more than my male pride could take.”

  “And since you’re a guy, you have that pesky no-stopping-and-asking-for-directions gene.”

  “True.” His face relaxed into an easy grin. “To show you how sorry I am, I’m even willing to go to that tea place with the looms.”

  That was saying something. “Maybe we’ll save The Art of Tea for when you really make me mad.” I checked the pie-shaped clock on the wall. “I’m off work in twenty minutes. We’ll figure out what we’re doing then.”

  “Cool.” His posture relaxed. “I’ll wait over there.”

  Aiden wandered over to the benches in the entryway where people waited when there weren’t any open tables. He pulled out his cell and started tapping on the screen. I glanced over at Jack. He was smiling and talking to customers as they checked out. Was it weird that I now thought Jack was better looking than Aiden? Not that I planned to move on to Jack, because that could never work…

  It might be best to deal with one problem at a time. At the moment, I had a decision to make. Should I ride with Aiden or follow him in my car? If I rode with him and what he said upset me, I’d have to endure a not-fun car ride back to Betty’s to pick up my truck.

  Maybe I should suggest someplace close just in case. Exactly twenty minutes later, Aiden
walked back up to the dessert counter and said, “Why do you look like you’re plotting something?”

  “Because I am.”

  “Okay. What are you plotting? How to make tiaras a fashion trend?”

  “Tiaras…world domination…the usual.”

  “Just your normal Saturday night?”

  “Exactly.” I came out from behind the counter. “I suppose I can put off taking over the world for a little while, if you want to go have pizza. There’s a place about ten minutes from here.”

  “Is it on a road Google Maps recognizes?” he asked.

  “Probably. Just to be safe, I can drive my truck, and you can follow me.”

  “I’ll drive. You can navigate.”

  Once we were in his car, I had a change of heart. “Forget the food. I need to know what’s going on.”

  He sighed. “Okay. Listen…I like you a lot, more than I’ve liked other girls.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” I didn’t get it.

  He reached over and held my hand. “I can trust you, right?”

  “Yes.”

  He leaned in closer. “I mean it. If I tell you what’s going on, you can’t tell anyone, not even Zoe.”

  I yanked my hand from his. “Then maybe you shouldn’t tell me.”

  Disappointment shone from his eyes. “Seriously? I’m about to share a secret I’ve never told anyone, and you don’t want to know unless you can tell Zoe?”

  Now I felt like crap, which wasn’t fair. “I’ve never kept a secret from Zoe. She’s my best friend.”

  “I don’t rank as high as Zoe, I understand that, but…never mind…this was a stupid idea.”

  Oh really? “You don’t get to be mad at me. You’re the one who kissed me and then friend-zoned me.”

  Aiden gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. “If you could keep from telling Zoe, I’d explain why.”

  Could I not tell Zoe something? “What’s so terrible that she can’t know?”

  “It’s not terrible. It’s just that I don’t think Grant will understand. I’m not ready to tell him yet.”

  Aiden looked miserable. Part of me was glad. The other part of me knew I should be a better person. “Fine. I won’t tell Zoe.”

  “Thank you.” He released the steering wheel. “It’s not that I don’t want to date you. You’re great. It’s that I don’t think I want to date girls.”

  What did he mean…and then I understood. “Okay.” That’s all I could manage for the moment. My brain sputtered. Aiden was gay? That’s why he didn’t want to date me? If that were true, then why had he gone on a date with me and kissed me? Why not tell me up front?

  “That’s all you have to say?” he asked. “Okay?”

  “Give me a minute.” What could I say? This gave the situation a whole new spin…still not in my favor, but at least I wasn’t the reason he didn’t want to date anymore. At least I didn’t think I was. It’s not like kissing me made him decide dating guys was a better option. Right? “So…was I some sort of test case to see if you liked girls?”

  “No. I like you. You’re a mystery. You make me think. If I could like any girl, I think it would be you.”

  “That is oddly flattering and offensive at the same time.”

  “Please tell me we can still be friends,” Aiden said.

  I nodded. “Yes. We can. And the it’s-not-you-it’s-me excuse really does apply in this case.”

  “Thank you for understanding,” Aiden said. “I have no idea how to deal with this.”

  “So you just sort of figured this out?” I asked.

  “I’ve kind of suspected for a long time.” He shrugged. “But with my dad…let’s say it’s not something I can share with my family.”

  “Your secret is safe with me.” There was something I needed to know. “If I hadn’t kissed you at Edison’s, would you have kissed me?”

  “Maybe, but you taking the lead made things easier.”

  “So when I kissed you, there was no spark?” Because I thought it had been awesome. What did that say about me?

  He grinned. “There was some, but not as much as there should have been.”

  How could he gauge that? “So…have you kissed a guy? I mean, how do you know that’s what you want?”

  “I went to computer camp this past summer,” Aiden said, “and there was this guy, Lawrence.”

  “And where is Lawrence now?”

  “In California, where it’s a lot easier to date whoever you want,” Aiden said. “I want to go to college somewhere like that, where you don’t have to hide who you are.”

  Canton, Illinois, wasn’t the most progressive place, but it wasn’t completely backward. “You know the guys who own Canton’s Crafts are a couple, right? And I’ve seen some guys holding hands at school in between classes.”

  “Their fathers must not be as narrow-minded as mine.” Aiden adjusted his glasses. “I think my mom knows, and she’s okay with it. When we bought strudel the other day, she asked me if I thought the guy behind the counter was cute.”

  “Maybe that’s her way of telling you she’s okay with you liking whoever you want.”

  “My dad’s not. He likes to complain about the new marriage laws.”

  “Wow. That must be awkward.”

  “You have no idea.” Aiden reached over and grabbed my hand. “Thanks for not hating me.”

  I squeezed his hand and then let go. “I could never hate you, but this still kind of sucks. And Zoe is going to ask why we aren’t dating. What do I tell her?”

  “Tell her we decided we’re better off as friends. That way we can still hang out with them until one of us starts dating someone else, and by one of us I mean you, because until I move out of my house, away from my father, I’m going to have to hide what I want.”

  I felt bad for him, but I felt bad for me, too. Who would I date? I couldn’t remember the last guy I liked as much as Aiden. Maybe I hadn’t been looking because I’d been focusing on him. Maybe if I opened my eyes and took a good look around, the perfect guy might be closer than I realized.

  “Do you mind if we don’t go grab something to eat?” he asked. “I’ve been worried about this for so long, now all I want to do is go home and relax.”

  “No problem.” I kind of needed some time to recover from this bombshell, too.

  “Cool. See you tomorrow.”

  I exited his vehicle and headed over to my truck. Now what? I didn’t want to go home to an empty house. While I wasn’t mad at Aiden, I was a little ticked off at the universe. Why did I have to cross paths with such a great guy who’d never be interested in me? It almost felt like I was the object of some cosmic joke. What could I do to burn off this layer of frustration and clear my head? For now, maybe I’d just drive and figure it out as I went along. Funny how that sounded like the plan for my life. Me, by myself, stumbling along trying to figure out which way to go.

  …

  Jack

  Why was I sitting in my truck, spying on Delia and Aiden? I hadn’t planned it, but the timing just worked out that way. Through the windshield, I could see them talking. Delia wasn’t crying, so she couldn’t be too upset. I should just pull out and drive home. It’s not like I didn’t have anything better to do. I was meeting Trevor at Edison’s in half an hour.

  Delia climbed out of Aiden’s car, jogged over to her truck, and climbed in. I waited for her to start the engine and pull out of the lot before I headed out myself.

  I ended up being a few minutes late to meet Trevor. He was riding a motorcycle attached to a machine. I slid my card through the scanner and climbed onto the motorcycle game next to his.

  “You’re late,” he said. “Was there a burger emergency?”

  I turned the handle, revving the engine. “That joke was old a year ago.”

  “If it’s funny once, it’s funny forever,” he said.

  “No. It’s not.” I wasn’t one of those guys that quoted movie lines all the time, and I didn’t l
ike idiots who did. Just because someone wrote a funny line didn’t mean it was funny if someone randomly repeated it. Not that Trevor agreed with me.

  He leaned into a turn, and his bike tilted sideways. “If there wasn’t a burger emergency, did anything interesting happen?”

  I gunned the engine and took off. “I think Aiden friend-zoned Delia.”

  “Does that mean you’re interested?” Trevor asked.

  “No.” I leaned left as I raced around the track. “It means nothing more interesting than that happened. People ate food, paid me, and I gave them change.”

  “As my dad likes to say, ‘If it’s fun, they wouldn’t have to pay you to do it.’ Speaking of jobs, are you going to the career fair after Thanksgiving?”

  Just because it was my senior year didn’t mean I had a clear-cut plan about what I wanted to do with my life. “I think I want to check out the engineering programs.”

  “You did always like to build with Legos,” Trevor said.

  I laughed. “I was a master builder. I wonder what degree you have to get to work for Lego.”

  “That would be a cool job,” Trevor said. “My dad thinks I should check out what programs are offered at the triple C. Maybe they have a Lego major.”

  Everyone called Canton Community College the triple C because it was easier to say. “You know they want you to go there so you’ll stay at home.”

  “That is their mission in life—to keep an eye on me.” Trevor bounced up and down as his virtual bike zoomed up and over a set of small hills. “I get it. They had no idea what Graham was doing. Hell, I didn’t know he was doing heroin. And if I’d ever been stupid enough to take one of those pills before Graham died, I certainly wouldn’t be stupid enough now.”

  We’d all heard that you could buy pills cheaper than beer. Something that could kill you the first time you tried it should be more expensive to warn people off. So much of my life had been out of my control; I wasn’t interested in taking anything that could take control of me. Graham had been a normal guy. One day, Trevor had walked in and found his brother taking money from their mom’s purse. Money was never in short supply at their house. If Trevor asked for forty bucks, his dad handed it over, so Graham sneaking money had been strange. A month later, Trevor had found Graham dead in his car. The autopsy had said the pill he took had something besides heroin in it, which had made him stop breathing. Why in the hell would anyone want to take something that could make him stop breathing? I didn’t get it.