The BL Nook

Chapter 12: Friday- Best Date Ever

Sean: <Hey Diana, are you ready to go?>
Diana ♥: <Oh, we’re still going on a date?>
Sean: <It doesn’t have to be a date if you don’t want it to be. I just need a distraction.>
Diana ♥: <Yeah, I’m down to hang out. What do you have planned?>
Sean: <Let’s grab drinks and see where the night takes us.>
Diana ♥: <Haha okay, I’ll wait for you outside.>

I’ve been pissed off since last night. Just thinking about Josh has my blood boiling. I can’t believe he’s been playing with me. Flirting, touching, kissing my forehead and I’m the idiot catching feelings. I didn’t even touch the smoothie he made me this morning out of spite.

I’m so done. This week’s drained me dry, and I just want to disappear for the night. Maybe even for the next two weeks. I’ll avoid Josh completely, pack my bags tomorrow, and go back home. A clean break. Cold turkey. That’s the plan.

Only problem? Josh still has my location because he turned on “Share My Location” without asking, saying it was for emergencies. And like a moron, I let him. He always gets his way, but it’s my fault for letting him.

The night started off fine. Diana and I hit a bar, had a couple drinks, and talked for hours. We’ve gotten close lately, maybe because she knows my secret. If things were different, if Josh didn’t exist in my head all the time, maybe I could’ve dated her. She’s cute, funny, and easy to be around. She’s the ideal girl. 

After the bar, we grabbed dinner at a nearby restaurant and ordered more drinks. At some point, I was a little buzzed and too relaxed, I started wondering what Josh was up to. He should be home by now. I opened the location app, out of curiosity and saw he was at the apartment, like I figured. I imagined him cooking dinner alone, sitting at the table looking all pathetic, and my chest ached.

Diana glanced at my phone.

“Who’s location are you checking? And what’s with the sad face?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” I locked my phone.
“Ooooh, was it Josh? You two share locations? That’s so freaking cute!”
“Shut up. It’s not cute. It’s creepy. I feel like a stalker.”
“You looked sad just now. Do you miss him? Want to go home?”
“No! I’m pissed at him. I need space. Can we just stay out all night?”
“I’m down. But what happened?”
“…I told him about you.”
“You did?! What did he say? Was he jealous?”
“Nope. He said, ‘Good for you, man.’ Like he was actually happy I was dating someone else.”
“Oh. So you’re mad that he didn’t react the way you wanted him to?”
“I’m not mad. I’m furious. He’s been messing with my head for weeks, making me question everything, and now he just shrugs it off?”
“Maybe he’s just trying to be a supportive friend. Maybe he’s hiding how he really feels.”
“Whatever. I don’t care.”
“You do care, otherwise you wouldn’t be so worked up. Have you ever thought he might be just as confused as you are? Cut the guy some slack.”
“…Cut him some slack, huh? I’ll think about it. Anyway, no more Josh talk.”
“Fine, fine. So what should we do after we eat?”

We took an Uber to the Space Needle. Perfect choice. The line to the elevator was long, which meant more time away from my thoughts. At the top, the place was packed with people taking pictures. I looked out at the skyline and all I could think was that I wanted to come here with Josh. The two of us, sitting together, watching the city turn beneath us. Just the thought gave me butterflies.

“Isn’t it beautiful, Sean?”
“Yeah. Very.”

I pulled out my phone to take a picture and saw I had nine unread texts from Josh. The first one was a photo of his dinner.

Josh: <I cooked for one today like a loser 😿>
Josh: <And now I’m eating alone…>
Josh: <Hope you’re having fun on your date while I’m here without my owner!!!>
Josh: <What time are you coming home? 🥺>
Josh: <Sorry, you’re probably busy playing Romeo with some random chick>
Josh: <Hurry home! I’m bored…>
Josh: <😭😭😭😭😭😭😭>
Josh: <The apartment seems so empty without you>

My heart did a flip. I suddenly wanted to run home and throw myself at him. Pathetic, I know. I stopped myself. The whole reason I was out tonight was to get away from him. But damn… I missed him. I wanted to respond but didn’t know what to say.

Sean: <Leave me alone. You’re interrupting my date!!!>

He texted back immediately.

Josh: <But but but I miss you>

Fuck. He said it. I miss you. My heart melted.

Sean: <Fuck off>
Josh: <Why are you being so mean? I only said I miss my friend…>
Sean: <You’re ruining my date>
Josh: <Good! Serves you right 😡>

“Who are you texting?”
“Josh. Look at this.”

I handed Diana my phone. She scrolled, grinning.

“Oh my God. He’s losing it without you.”
“He’s being such a nutjob, right?”
“Yes…but it’s adorable. ‘Without my owner’? ‘Some random chick’? Pffft. He’s jealous.”

She gave my phone back.

“He’s trying to sabotage our ‘date.’ He wants you, and he wants you bad.”
“You’re falling for his act. He always does this. It works on me but not tonight.”
“Well, now I want revenge. He called me a random chick. He has to pay and I have a plan… Want to come back to my place?”
“Sure.”
“Great. But first, let’s take a picture together.”

I don’t know what she’s planning, but she seems confident.

We arrived at her place and she immediately pulled out a bottle of tequila. I raised an eyebrow.

“Did we just come here to drink?”
“Yup! He’s bound to check your location, right? He’s probably thinking we’re about to hook up. He’ll go nuts, haha. I also posted the picture we took on social media.”

“You what?”
“Posted the picture. I’m sure he looked me up when you told him about me. My account’s public, so anyone can see my posts. If I’m right, he’s probably monitoring my profile, checking to see if I post anything with you.”

“Haha, you’re evil. What did you even write?”
“I said, ‘Enjoying a night on the town with my new boyfriend.’”
“You really said that? What if your friends see it?”
“Oh, they’re panicking right now, haha. But it’s fine, I told them it’s not like that. Just a little jealousy stunt. I didn’t mention who I was trying to make jealous, don’t worry.”

She’s an evil genius.

I’m glad I met her. She’s been so understanding through all this. She’s the only one who knows what I’m going through, and she even gives me advice. Good advice. Sleeping with her would only complicate things. I want her in my life for a long time, and I’m not about to mess that up.

We spent hours drinking and talking. We laughed at Josh’s expense more than once, mostly about the fact that he was radio silent now. It’s 2:30 AM. I’m sure he’s wondering what the hell I’ve been doing at her place this whole time.

“It’s getting late. You should probably head home now, right?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. He should be asleep by now.”
“Or he’s wide awake, waiting for you to get home.”
“If he is, then I’m fucked.”
“I hope he finally confesses his love for you after all this! I’m sure he had a lot of time today to think about it.”
“Haha, I hope he doesn’t. I wouldn’t know what to say. Anyway… I’m ordering an Uber. I’ll text you tomorrow.”
“Okay, you better! I want to know what happened after you get home.”
“Haha, sure, sure. See ya.”

The Uber ride home was only fifteen minutes, thank God. I was buzzed and exhausted, Ijust wanted to crash. I took the elevator up, punched in the code, and opened the door, nervous for some reason. The place was dark and quiet. Just the low hum of the AC running. Yes, he’s probably in bed, asleep.

I stumbled toward the bedroom but paused when I saw the door wide open. Did he forget to close it? I walked in as quietly as possible, trying not to wake him. Took off my shoes and jacket, then flopped on the bed, too lazy to change.

I glanced over to Josh’s side… but he wasn’t there.

“What the…?” I sat up quickly, blinking into the darkness.

I got up and turned on the light. Still no sign of him. I checked the bathroom. Nothing. The walk-in closet. Empty. I went to the living room, figured he passed out on the $7,000 couch but nope, not there either. I checked the spare room, the second bathroom, even the kitchen. Where the hell is he?!

Now fully sober, I grabbed my phone. His location said he was here. Is he somewhere in the building?

I rushed to put my shoes back on, ready to go look for him. Wait, I’ll call him first.

I dialed, and the faint sound of his ringtone echoed nearby. I followed it.

Is he… is he out on the balcony?!

Through the glass, I saw him slumped in a chair, eyes closed. “Did he fall asleep out here?!”

I opened the door. He didn’t move. A half-empty whiskey bottle rested under his arm. An open pack of cigarettes sat on the little table next to him, only three left. He still had his phone in hand, like he’d passed out scrolling through it. His face looked pale, eyes puffy and red. His nose too. He must’ve been sitting out in the cold for a long time.

I whispered, “Hey Josh, wake up.”

He frowned, then slowly opened his eyes.
“Sean… you’re finally home…”
“Yeah. I just got here. What are you doing out here?”
“I was waiting for you.”
“It’s freezing out here. Come on, I’ll help you up.”

I took the bottle and set it on the table, slipped his phone into my pocket, then grabbed his freezing hand. He slung his arm around me, and I helped him back to bed.

“Hey, can you take off your clothes by yourself?”
“No. You do it.”
“Tsk. Fine.”

I stripped him down to just his boxers. I was annoyed until I remembered he did the same for me when I got drunk on Tuesday. I sat beside him, watching his face. Wondering if he was already asleep.

I gently brushed his cheek with my thumb. His eyes fluttered open.

“I didn’t know you smoked,” I said.
“I smoke sometimes. When I drink. Or when I’m stressed.”
“Were you stressed today?”
“Yes. Thanks to a certain someone.”
“Because I went out without you all night?”
“……”

No response. But his expression said everything. I stopped caressing his cheek and started to get up, but he grabbed my hand.

“You went to a bar, a restaurant, the Space Needle… and then her place. Sounds like the date went well.”
“Yeah. It was great.”
“Did you use the condoms I gave you?”

Shit. His sad puppy eyes were staring at me. That was his way of asking if I slept with her. I couldn’t lie. He looked so pitiful.

“We didn’t have sex.”
“So you were at her place till 2:30 in the morning… doing nothing?”
“We just talked. Had a couple drinks.”
“Bullshit.”
“I don’t have to lie to you. And I don’t owe you an explanation. Just go to sleep, you’re pissing me off.”

I walked to my side of the bed, taking off my pants. Then he spoke again.

“I want to meet her.”
“What? Why?”
“I want to see what kind of person she is. From the looks of it, she doesn’t have much of a personality. She seems… basic.”

That jab pissed me off. Diana was right. He did look up her profile. Did he see the post she made of us?

“You stalked her page?! Why don’t you mind your own damn business?”
“It is my business. You’re my business. And since you two are apparently official, I want to meet her.”
“Who said we’re dating?”
“‘Enjoying a night on the town with my new boyfriend.’ That’s what she wrote.”
“Haha. She was just messing around.”
“You two looked very cozy in that photo.”

I finished changing, turned off the light, and climbed into bed, covering my face with the blanket. I was done with the conversation. But of course, I anticipate him to continue with his non-sense.

“Sean… go on a date with me.”

Did I just… hear that right? I uncovered my face and glanced at him. 

“What did you say?”

“I wanted to take you to the Space Needle first. I realized you haven’t done any of the touristy stuff since you moved here. I wanted to be the first. I want you to have memories of us. Only us. Together.”

“You want to take me out on a date?”

“If the word ‘date’ makes you uncomfortable, we can call it something else.”

My heart started racing. My feet fidgeted under the covers. Just the thought of calling it a date… with Josh… was making me feel dizzy.

“I-I don’t mind calling it a date.”

He immediately moved closer, hugging me and laying his head on my chest. Shit. He can hear my heart pounding.

“Really? You wouldn’t mind calling it a date? That… that makes me so happy. You have no idea.”

“W-why would that make you happy?”

He was quiet for a while. Like he needed time to build up the courage.

“…I like you, Sean. I like you so much I thought I was going to die of jealousy today.”

WHAT THE FUCK?! He just… said that?! Here? Now?!
How do I even respond?! Do I say I like him back? Tell him I’m confused? Run out and sleep in the spare room?! I’m taking too long to say something!

I stayed quiet, hoping he’d say something else.

“Your heart’s beating like crazy, Sean… You don’t have to say anything. I’m not trying to pressure you. I just… I want to take you on a proper date and maybe… maybe you’ll let me kiss you. Just once.”

AAAAAAHHHHHHH!

He slowly let go of me and turned over to his side. One last sentence before drifting off:

“Just think about it, okay? I’ll let you sleep now.”

Sleep?
How the hell am I supposed to sleep after that?!
My mind was spiraling and then, of course, Diana popped into it.

She predicted everything.
She said he’d wait up for me.
She said he’d see the picture.
She even predicted that he’d confess. Is she a witch?! Can she see the future?!
Shit… okay. I need to sleep.
Fuck… tomorrow is going to be so awkward.

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