Canvas (Peterick)

Three

August 2009
Pete Wentz

I'm arriving home from a presentation when I see Patrick standing in the living room waiting for me. He shot me a friendly smile as I throw down my bag and fold my yellow sunglasses onto my shirt collar. "Hey."

"Hey, uhm, how did it go?" He asked awkwardly.

"The presentation? Wonderfully." I went to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. "Want anything?"

He shook his head and took a seat.. "Do you have time to talk?"

"Yeah, sure." I took my water into the living room and joined him on the couch. "What's up?"

I prayed that it wouldn't be about me crying the other day, because I'd been having the feeling that he would ask me about what it really meant. There was a reason why I had been worrying, and it was because it didn't mean what I told him it meant. I told him I was happy for Elisa and him, and it's not that I wasn't happy for them, I just wished it wasn't happening. As much as I liked Elisa, I didn't want him to marry her. I didn't want him to move out and run off with his beautiful wife and forget about me. I wanted it to be the other way around.

Patrick folded his hands and faced me with a smile. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"Get on with it, you're making me nervous," I laughed, even though it was no joke.

"Will you be my best man, Pete?"

My face turned red and I grinned, wrapping my arms around him. "Oh my god, of course I will, Patrick! Wow, this is great."

"Yeah, I just, couldn't see anyone else being it except you..."

"That means so much." I stood and stretched my back. "Well, now I feel even happier than I already was."

He laughed genuinely, leaning back in the cushion. He seemed like the happiest man in the world. He was marrying exactly who he wanted and I knew I should respect that. I loved him, but he loved her. I just had to deal with that.

"Hey," Patrick began, interrupting my thoughts, "we should go out tonight. Just me and you."

"Where?"

"Anywhere. Everywhere." He stood up, hands stuffed into his pockets. "Let's just walk around Chicago, eat whatever the fuck we want, do whatever the fuck we want. To celebrate."

"That sounds... weird and fun. Okay. Let's do it," I grinned.

That night, I pulled on a thin hoodie (it was a chilly night), shoved my wallet in my back pocket and met Patrick by the door.

"Ready?"

I nodded and we stepped out of the apartment, Patrick locking the door shut. Once we were downstairs and out the front door, he asked me which direction I wanted to take. I told him "left", so we strolled down the sidewalk to the left.

"Where do we go first?" I asked, a smile playing at my lips.

"Wherever the sidewalk takes us."

After about ten minutes of walking, I spotted a pub on the opposite side of the street that caught my interest. It was called Pete's. I pointed it out to Patrick and, unironically, he laughed at the name. We crossed the street and entered the pub, being engulfed by many loud voices. I took a seat at the bar, followed by Patrick, and we ordered our drinks.

"This is Pete, by the way," Patrick said to the young lady behind the bar.

She smiled brightly. "Hi!"

I glared at Patrick.

"What?" He shrugged. I rolled my eyes, but could hardly resist smiling. "I just find it weird that Pete Wentz doesn't have a girlfriend. Why don't you have a girlfriend?"