Zeke and Pattie

Chapter Twenty: Pattie

That weekend of the same week was when my father planned to have a massive cookout. He wanted Zeke there, as his guest of honor. My father would've even called up Zeke's parents himself to persuade them to let him come over. If my simple invitation got declined. He was adamant about Zeke being involved. My parents knew my best friend needed to be uplifted too. They wanted him to feel a part of the family. That more than just his own family cared about him.

My brothers were even going to make their way down. A detail I didn't inform Zeke about. They were going to give him the brotherly love he probably needed. Zeke had no male friends, so it may be nice for him to be surrounded by two men close in age. Angelo and George were only 20 years old, making them a few years older than us. My brothers were going to love Zeke. Hopefully Zeke would love them in return.

Once word got out that I made a new female friend too, Lani, my family had me invite her too. My father wanted to celebrate. Good things were happening in our lives and wanted to include those that were important to us. My brother Angelo was going to bring his girlfriend Fredonia. While George brought his boyfriend Kevin as his plus one. Unfortunately, Lani couldn't accept her invite, due to some of her own family affairs.

It was 4:00 pm in the evening. Zeke would be arriving at any moment. Being excited was an understatement with me. I was stoked about having my best friend here. For the first time, I wasn't nervous at all, compared to how it was at the Jensen dinner a while back. That family screamed of tension.

I heard a small knock on the door. Quickly rushing out of the kitchen,I went to answer the door before my two bumbling brothers could. Opening the door, I greeted my best friend. Huge smiles plastered on both of our faces. Zeke and I usually greeted each other with a hug too.

I ran up to him, with his arms wide open. Jumping up slightly to wrap my arms around his shoulders. Zeke's arms caught me, keeping my feet slightly off the ground. Spinning us around like that a few times. Hearing his chuckle made my heart feel warm. Especially with everything that's happened, the source of that laugh made my world a little better.

Zeke put me down. "How are you doing today Pats?"

"I'm doing quite good. My family has been driving me mad with questions about you. Or when you'll show up and all that crap. How are you Mr. Jensen?" I replied.

"Same as you, pretty good. I won't lie and say that I'm not nervous, but a lot more confident this time around." Zeke confessed.

I patted his shoulder for reassurance. "Don't worry. My family is loud and busy, but they are welcoming you with open arms. Extremely excited to meet you properly. My brothers' are going to love you! Come on inside!"

I began to usher Zeke into my house, only to see that my two brothers were standing at the doorway. With a matching set of shit-eating grins. "Don't just stand there like a bunch of morons. Move so Zeke and I can walk past you. The tall one with curly hair is Angelo. Or Gelo for short. The shorter one with the facial hair is George."

Zeke waved awkwardly to my brothers. "Nice to meet you both. I bet by now you know I'm Zeke. Also, Gelo for a nickname? That's cool, but also makes me crave jello now."

Gelo smiled widely at Zeke's compliment. "I already like this boy. He thinks my name is dope. At least I have a unique name unlike Georgie here."

George gave his brother the middle finger. "At least my nickname doesn't remind of all those fat rolls that jiggle when you walk."

"I'm far more fit then you. If anything, Kev is the closest thing to human jello walking about." Gelo insulted George's boyfriend. Zeke just watched in amusement as my brothers bickered.