I’m going crazy. I must be. The sight before my eyes isn’t true. It’s the only explanation of seeing Oliver with Angel. I look between the geek and Greek heading toward us, holding hands and laughing at some private joke that I want to be part of. Except without the Angel part.
I lean my head toward Gunnar, not breaking eye contact with the men headed our way.
“Pinch me. Tell me that isn’t Oliver Start and Angel Costas walking our way.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you set them up! Let’s go say hi.”
“I didn’t,” I mumble to myself as I watch him walk faster until he’s stopped in front of them. They start to laugh and I hurry to catch up.
“What’s going on, guys?” I ask, skepticism coating every word. “When did this happen?”
“Oh, we ran into each other near your shop, actually. Decided to go out on a date,” Angel answers with a twinkle in his eye. An actual twinkle as he smiles.
“You’re both covered in glitter, head to toe. Let me guess. You went to Deangelo’s tonight, didn’t you?” Gunnar asks.
“Wait, you went to Deangelo’s?” I look pointedly at Oliver.
“I find your lack of faith disturbing,”
“Come on, Vader, take me to get something to eat. Sorry to keep this short, but I’m hungry.” Angel starts to pull a happy Oliver away until they turn a corner.
“That was so weird.”
“What? I can see them together, can’t you?”
I look at Gunnar but don’t answer. Because then I’d have to tell him how I really feel and I just can’t right now. Because If I did, then I’d have to start with how the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, besides setting him up with someone else, was sneaking out of his house last week.
I let out a sigh and we continue on our way to the midnight showing of one of our favorite horror flicks.
Three days later, and I’ve tried putting the Angel and Oliver sighting out of my head. Out of sight, out of mind and all that jazz. Tonight, I’m enjoying a little time alone at an early opening of my friend’s new restaurant.
“Gussy, mon amie! This restaurant is fabuleux. Thanks for inviting me to the soft opening.” We stare at each other for a second until I can’t hold back my laughter. “Soft opening, get it?” I hit my hand on the table and laugh a little more while Gus stands there rolling his eyes.
“You’ve still got that same old boyish charm as ever, Anthony.” But his eyes still crinkle a little as he smiles. Until he spots someone over his shoulder. “Oh look, Nathan came. And he has an adorable date. I have to go say hello. I’ll be by later.”
I watch him walk to a table behind me and my eyes nearly fall out and my breathing stops.
“What the…?” Sitting next to Nathan is none other than Oliver. Nathan, who has a hand on Oliver’s leg. Nathan, who has an inner geek side compatible to Oliver’s.
I turn away, trying to catch my breath.
I can’t be here. I can’t sit and watch him with yet another man.
I reach into my briefcase and find the small pad of paper. I scribble a note with my apologies for Gus and as I walk out, I ask the hostess to give it to Gus later.
The fresh air feels cool on my face and I can finally breathe again.
I sit in my office, my leg bouncing, and the rubber end of my pencil tapping on the desk with each second that passes.
How is it that a guy like Oliver – a guy who claims finding a date is the hardest thing ever – has been all over this town with every single person I know?
Seeing him laughing with Angel, affectionate with Nathan, sweet with Andrew, and flirty with Simon has put a strain on our relationship. If he’s going to date everyone is the greater Austin area, then, damn it, I want my time. What he doesn’t know is that once I get him, I’m never letting him go. Except, I may have lost my chance. Because last night? Last night took the cake. It was the final straw
With an arm around Emily and Sasha – the same Sasha who sent me a save-the-date to her wedding – they came out of a bar, drunk, giggling, and… he was with woman. Was I so bad that he dated every available man, decided to skip over me, and started seeing women who were not only straight, but taken?
With every last ounce of sanity that clung to me, I called him up this morning and asked him to stop by here on his lunch break.
I look at the time on my phone. He said he’d be here by now. I stare at my closed door until I hear the soft knock.
“Come in,” I grit between clenched teeth.
He walks in, looking cocky with a smirk on his face. Like he has a secret that he won’t give up. He barely has time to sit down before I start going off on him.
“Why is it that every time I go out, there’s someone new on your arm? You aren’t even giving me a chance to help you, even though I said I would, and really, Angel? Nathan? Emily and Sasha? Es-tu complètement fou ou l'idée de sortir avec moi est-elle trop horrible? I mean, come on!” My arms flail around as I yell but he just sits there like none of this is a big deal.
“So, you’re jealous that I’m dating without your help?”
“No, I’m jealous that even after I managed to break you and Mikey up, you’re still not seeing what’s right in front of you!”
I stare at him when I realize I blurted out the only other secret I’ve kept from Oliver. His face falls and I see it all – anger, sadness, confusion, all before settling back on anger.
“What do you mean you broke us up?”
“I-I…”
“No, please tell me. Because while all your friends and I have been making fools of ourselves trying to get you to finally see me, you’ve been lying and manipulating my relationships?”
He stands up, his hands firmly on my desk and angry face mere inches from my own.
“Fine,” I give in and give up. I lean back in my chair and finally relax, letting it all pour out. “I couldn’t take it. You and I would hang out, grab lunch, go to that annoying Falcon Seventy-Seven place you liked so much, and I didn’t realize until you were with Mikey that what I thought was just two people having fun was me starting to get feelings for you. Like, I didn’t know a good thing until I lost it. Those two weeks that I avoided your calls? All he did was go on and on and on about Oliver this and Oliver that. It literally killed something inside me. I couldn’t deal. I..I made a few lies about the other and relied on the fact that y’all didn’t know each other well to help feed your insecurities.” I sigh, shaking my head. But when I look at Oliver, a strange look is on his face. “I’m sorry.”
He crosses his arms, then unfolds them as he paces in front of me. A sound comes out of his mouth every few seconds but no real words. When he slumps into the chair, he looks resigned.
“This is not me saying I forgive you. Not at all. But I was sabotaging that relationship. It wasn’t just you. But if you waited another week or so, you would have seen that. You just couldn’t let things run their course, could you.” He rolls his head into his hands and grunts.
“Wait a minute, what do you mean, all your friends and I have been making fools of ourselves trying to get you to finally see me? What are you talking about?”
“Give it up, Anthony. It was a mistake. I need to get out of here.”
I don’t stop him as he walks out. I just watch him leave while I sit here trying to figure out what he meant.
Either way, I think I’ve lost him.