by Chris Cannon
“Okay.” This was what I needed, another person’s perspective.
“Do you like him, or was he convenient?”
At first his question ticked me off, but he made an interesting point. “I think I really like him.”
“Because he saves puppies?”
“That’s part of it.”
“Do you think he regretted kissing you, or do you think he bailed because he didn’t know how to deal with the fact that he wanted to kiss you?”
“Is there some new mind-reading app I’m unaware of? How am I supposed to know what he was thinking?”
“As a guy, I’m guessing he left because he didn’t want to deal with feelings.”
“Whose feelings…his or mine?”
“Both, probably. What you need to do is see if he’s really interested or not. Maybe go out with someone else and see if he gets jealous.”
It’s not like guys were lining up to sweep me off my feet. “Am I supposed to make a date magically appear?”
“No. You and I could pretend to date, which might help with a problem I’ve been having. My dad has been asking me why I don’t bring any girls around, which makes me wonder if he suspects the truth. Not that I’m ashamed of who I am, but I’m not ready to go to war with him just yet.”
“How would us pretending to date help my situation?”
“Word will get back to Jack, and then he’ll have to decide if he wants to make a move, and then you’ll know if he’s worth stressing over.”
“Okay. So if he’s really interested, he’ll come back around like some sort of Boyfriend Boomerang?”
“Exactly,” he said. “That sounds like a Sherlock Holmes case. Operation Boomerang Boyfriend is afoot.”
“Do you want me to make you a Sherlock Holmes hat?” I teased.
“No, but if you could get Benedict Cumberbatch to talk to me, I’d be okay with that.”
And suddenly I knew what our first fake date would be. “How would you feel about binge-watching Sherlock on Netflix?”
“We could do that, but first we should be seen together in public so Jack hears about it.”
It was almost like my life had turned into some sort of twisted reality television show where the guy I had wanted to date was asking me on a date to convince the new guy I might want to date that I was worth dating.
“Before we start Operation Boomerang Boyfriend, I think I should give Jack a chance to figure things out.” The last thing I wanted to do was push him away.
“You’re probably right, but I don’t have any plans tonight, do you?”
“Nope.”
“Want to hang out with Zoe and Grant at Edison’s?” he asked. “It doesn’t have to be part of some master Sherlock-type plan. We can go as friends.”
“Sounds good.”
…
Jack
Trevor sat in the recliner in his living room, gloating like he’d been right all along.
“I didn’t tell you I kissed Delia so you could be an ass.” I sat on the couch, scratching Rocky’s ears.
“Technically, she kissed you,” Trevor pointed out. “Which is way better because you know she likes you. Of course, then you had to go and screw it up.”
“I didn’t screw it up. I strategically retreated. There’s a difference.”
“Really? How big of a window do you think you have where she’ll forgive you for bailing?”
Good question. “Maybe it’s better if she doesn’t. I mean, it is Delia. She’s capable of some scary things.”
“Is there another girl you’re interested in?” he asked.
“There are some cute girls at school. I could ask one of them out if I wanted to.”
“And yet you’re at my house on a Saturday night, and we’re both dateless.”
“By choice,” I said. “I could’ve asked Delia out, and you could ask out any girl you want.” Rocky shifted around and made a grumbling sound. “As long as she liked dogs.”
“Why would I want to be around anyone who didn’t like dogs?” Trevor stood. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Where to?”
“How about Edison’s?”
Zoe was going out with Grant tonight. What would Delia be doing? Probably going to that weird Art of Tea place, so the odds of bumping into her at Edison’s were slim. “Works for me.”
We had to circle Edison’s parking lot twice before I found a place to park. “This is not a good sign.”
“It’s probably a bunch of little kid parties,” Trevor said. “And they don’t play air hockey, so we should be okay.”
Inside the arcade, a sea of elementary kids ran amuck. There was a group of little girls wearing Disney princess dresses, a group of boys waving fake foam pirate swords, and a mixed group of boys and girls wearing neon yellow shirts emblazoned with the words “Happy Birthday, Lilly and Leo.”
“I’m guessing Lilly and Leo’s parents don’t want to lose any kids,” Trevor said.
“I guess not.” I pointed toward the air hockey tables. “Let’s start over there.”
Half an hour later, we’d each won two games. “This is the tie breaker,” I said.
“Hey, is that Delia?” Trevor asked.
I didn’t fall for it. “Sorry, you’ll have to do better than that to distract me.”
“No.” Trevor picked up his striker. “Timeout. For real. I think she’s over there with your sister.”
“Seriously?” I turned to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, Delia and Zoe were walking over to the restaurant side. They weren’t alone. Grant and Aiden followed behind them.
“I thought you said she wasn’t dating that guy anymore,” Trevor said.
“She said she wasn’t.”
“Was that before or after your disappearing act?”
Well, hell. “He friend-zoned her, so this doesn’t make any sense.”
“Unless they’re here as friends,” Trevor said.
“Maybe.” Not like I cared. If she wanted to be with Aiden, it was none of my business. Heck, it might make my life easier if she was back together with him. Then I wouldn’t be the bad guy. She’d just be the girl that moved on.
“Earth to Jack,” Trevor said. “Are you ready to lose?”
Right. This game decided the winner of our air hockey tournament. I turned back around and concentrated on smacking the flat puck across the table into Trevor’s goal. I must have been preoccupied with something, because he stopped all of my shots and won in a few moments.
“That was just sad.” Trevor set his striker down. “Want to get some pizza so you can eavesdrop on Delia and her date to see how badly you screwed up?”
“I am hungry.” Which was true. So I wasn’t going over there to spy on Delia. It was just an interesting coincidence.
Of course, Zoe saw us coming. She waved. I waved back but kept walking, keeping my distance so I wouldn’t have to deal with Delia or her date.
The plan might have worked if Delia hadn’t stared straight at me with the intensity of the sun like she was waiting for me to make a move. I caved and did the smile and nod maneuver reserved for friends. She nodded back and then turned away from me.
There. See. It wasn’t a big deal. Right. If that was true, then why did it feel like someone was playing air hockey in my stomach?
“Smooth,” Trevor commented as we sat at the table farthest away from Delia.
“Shut up.” I hadn’t done that bad.
Chapter Sixteen
Delia
I leaned over to Aiden. “Should I go over there and ask Jack to join us, just to mess with him?”
“No. Give him time to think about what he wants. Right now, he’s probably in denial. A subject I am quite familiar with.” He grinned. “He’s probably trying to figure out if we’re here on a date or as friends.”
After we finished eating, Zoe said, “Time for a bathroom break.”
I stood to follow her.
Aiden said, “You’re going because she’s going?”
; “Yep. I’m a girl. That’s how it works.” I followed Zoe to the restroom and checked my makeup in the mirror. Some of my winged eyeliner had migrated, so I dabbed at it with a wet paper towel.
“What’s going on with you and Aiden?” Zoe asked. “When Grant picked me up, he said we were meeting you guys here. Why did I have to hear it from him?”
I’d been afraid she’d ask a bunch of questions. “Aiden called me and asked if I wanted to hang out as friends. We talked for a while, and I decided it couldn’t hurt. It’s not like I had any other plans tonight, since you were going out with Grant. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“Of course, I don’t mind you joining us, but I do mind not being the first one to know about it.”
“Sorry, it came up all of a sudden, and I just jumped in with both feet.”
“Did Jack have anything to do with you being ready to be friends again?” Zoe asked.
I froze for a second. “Why would he?”
“He asked what the deal was with you and Aiden. I thought maybe you guys talked about it last night.”
“Nope. We mostly watched movies and ate popcorn.” And shared some lip gloss-melting kisses, but that was not something I could talk to her about.
“So you’re okay with being friends?” she asked.
“With Jack?”
“What?” She laughed. “No. With Aiden.”
Time to cover up my mistake. “I’m good with being Aiden’s friend.”
“Why did you say that about Jack?”
Crap. Crap. Crappity crap. “It’s been us against him for so long, but now he seems like a nice guy. I wasn’t sure you were okay with me being friends with him.”
She pulled a tube of lip gloss from her pocket. “Maybe the separate car thing really did do the trick, because he isn’t as mean as he used to be.”
The rest of my non-date was a no-pressure event in which I had fun with Aiden and Jack moped in the background. Huh. Maybe seeing me with someone else would spur Jack into action.
After an hour of playing some games, it was time to go. Zoe grinned at me like she was the happiest person in the world as she headed off with Grant to his shiny little black sports car in the parking lot. As I walked toward Aiden’s beige Volvo, I wondered how happy she’d be for me if she knew I’d kissed Jack.
“It’s kind of funny that we might have tricked Jack, even though we weren’t trying to trick him.” Aiden started the car and shifted into drive once I’d fastened my seat belt. With his hands placed exactly on ten and two on the steering wheel, he drove us out of the parking lot.
“I wish I knew what Jack thought when he saw us together.”
“He checked our table several times, which means he was thinking about you,” Aiden said. “So that’s a good sign.”
“I guess.” My life would be so much easier if I liked someone who wasn’t my best friend’s brother. Or if he didn’t like me. And who knows? Maybe he didn’t. Maybe that was why he’d bolted from my house. “Do you think I should just walk away and look for someone else?”
“If there’s no one else you’re interested in, why not give him some time and see how it all turns out? If you run across another guy you’re interested in, stop worrying about Jack and focus on him.”
He’d just hit on part of my problem with this whole situation. “Maybe I shouldn’t have kissed Jack, just like I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
“I don’t know. As a guy, it’s nice when the other person makes the first move, because it’s not so much of a risk. Maybe Jack isn’t a risk taker. Tell me more about him.”
“Jack never seemed too complex. Before this happened, I would have thought he’d be the one to kiss the girl he liked.”
“You’ve pointed out that my beige Volvo matches my personality: practical, kind of shy like I want to blend into the crowd. Jack drives that old Honda Accord which has seen better days. And Zoe said they offered to let him trade it in, but he refused. Maybe he doesn’t like change or is afraid to take a chance on something new.”
His argument didn’t hold water. “But I’m not something new. He’s known me forever.”
Aiden slowed down to take the left turn onto the highway. “He’s known you all his life, but now he’s seeing you as someone else. Maybe he needs a little time to adjust.”
I tapped my foot on the floorboard. “Why does it sound like you’re defending him?”
“I’m not. I’m figuring out possible explanations for his behavior. You know I like to understand everything. This is me trying to figure out Jack for you. Would you rather I say he’s a jerk and you’re better off without him?”
“No. I want you to be honest. Why is dating so complicated? My mom and dad met when they were juniors in high school, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. I thought that’s how life worked. You find your person, and everything falls into place.”
“My dad was married once before,” Aiden said. “It only lasted a few years. Then he met my mother, they were married, and I came along about a year later.”
“Is it weird knowing he was married to someone else? How did they tell you?”
“When my grandmother passed away, I helped my mom go through her things. There was a wedding album of my dad with another woman. I showed it to my mom, and she told me he’d been married and divorced before they even met. Like it was no big deal. And I guess it’s not, but it still feels weird that he had some other life.”
…
Jack
“Do you think they were on a date?” I asked Trevor as we drove home from Edison’s.
“I don’t know.”
It’s not like she kissed Aiden. At least not where I could see it. “He never put his arm around her shoulders.”
“True,” Trevor said. “If they had been on a date, would you care?”
“I don’t know.” Liar!
“You’re the only one who knows what you want,” Trevor said. “You better figure it out quick, because Christmas is coming up in two weeks.”
He’d lost me. “What does that have to do with Delia?”
“It’s a universal law. All girls want to have a boyfriend for Christmas.”
“Where does that logic come from?” I asked.
“‘All I Want for Christmas is You.’ ‘I’ll Have a Blue Christmas Without You.’ ‘Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me.’”
“Are you just throwing out Christmas song titles like that’s supposed to make some sort of sense?” I didn’t get it.
“Hello. They’re all about having a boyfriend for Christmas. Girls love those songs. Trust me, Delia wants a boyfriend for Christmas, and she might date Aiden just to have someone around.”
That would suck. “She’s not a girly-girl like that.”
“Really? You kissed her, ran away, and then she showed up where you were with another guy. You don’t think she planned that?”
“What? No. I mean, how could she? I didn’t even know we were going to Edison’s until after we made plans at your house.”
“I guess you’re right. There aren’t a ton of things to do around here,” Trevor said.
After I dropped him off, I drove home past Delia’s house. It’s not like it was out of the way. Okay. Yes, it was. I just wanted to see if Aiden’s stupid beige Volvo was parked in her driveway. What type of guy drove a beige car? That color should be reserved for great-grandmas. Beige? It was almost a non-color.
His ugly car wasn’t taking up real estate in front of Delia’s house. Thank goodness. My shoulders relaxed, and I stopped squeezing the crap out of the steering wheel for the rest of the drive home.
When I made it into the house, Buddy bounded over to me. I picked him up and laughed as he washed my face with his tongue. It was gross, but you could tell it meant he loved me, so I let him do it. “Who’s a good boy?”
Ruff!
“That’s right. You are. Are you hungry?” He wiggled so hard I had to set him down. He ran into the kitchen to his bowl, which I filled with kibble m
y grandmother had picked up at the vet when she’d taken him for his check-up. Thankfully, he’d gotten a clean bill of health.
After Buddy finished his food and I polished off a bowl of cereal, I went to bed with Delia on my brain. What did I want from her? I wasn’t sure, and I hated that there seemed to be a time limit creeping up on me. As if the holidays weren’t stressful enough around my house. Then again, Thanksgiving hadn’t been that bad. Maybe Christmas didn’t have to be awful.
The next morning, I woke up totally disoriented. What in the hell had I been dreaming about? I closed my eyes and tried to remember the oddly vivid dreams.
I’d been driving home from work when my car died. Delia had driven by in her truck with Zoe. She’d looked right at me, and I’d expected her to stop and give me a ride, but she hadn’t even slowed down, just blasted by me, and I’d choked on the dust stirred up in her wake.
Once the air cleared, I continued walking, but the ground turned into a swamp intent on sucking me under. I managed to crawl from the muck only to fall down a hill into some kind of cavern. The only light in the cave came from what I thought were glowing stones lining the walls. Then the stones blinked, and I realized they weren’t stones; they were eyes. Dozens of creatures were watching me, and I had the feeling if I tried to run, they’d pounce and I’d never get out alive.
What in the hell did that dream mean? I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Was my brain trying to warn me that Delia might reject me or that everyone would be watching us? And what did the swamp have to do with anything? Who knew?
Thankfully, it was Sunday, and I wasn’t scheduled to work. The only question was would Delia be invading the house? I listened, waiting to hear any conversation that might drift up through the heating vents from the kitchen. All was quiet, which was weird. I grabbed my cell off the nightstand and squinted against the retinal blast it gave off. Was that an eight or a three? My eyes adjusted to the light. It was a three. Why was I awake at three in the morning? Stupid dream.
I rolled over and slammed my eyelids shut, willing my brain to calm down. Seriously…why was I worrying about Delia? Like Trevor pointed out, she kissed me, so she had to like me. That didn’t mean she didn’t like Aiden, too, and she’d wanted him before she even thought about dating me. Not a comforting thought and I needed to figure out what I wanted.
