It's Not You, It's Me (Book Two) #Wattys2018

Former Lovers x Future Lovers (and no love at all)

One Month and Two Weeks Later

POV GUS

"Hey, guess what? I'm gonna have a date with Elliott today." I tell Toby. She looks at me deviously, shipping my crush and I like a true friend. I smile back, with the same malign-ess in my cynical smile. Pretending I have a plan.

"Do you know what you're gonna wear, already?" She asks, I roll my eyes.

"Obviously!" I reply, and she laughs.

"What time are you two gonna meet?"

I look at my watch. "Uhh, half passed two at the diner." I tell her, then regret saying the place as soon as I say it, but play it cool. Maybe she didn't notice.

"What diner?" Shit.

I drink a sip of my water. "Umm... The one where you met Ziggy." And Theo.

"Oh." She looks down and drinks some of her juice.

"Is that okay?"

"Ah, yeah. Yeah, yeah." She tells me, nodding. So it is not okay.

"I'm sorry. I just think it's a really cool place and... You know what, I'm just gonna call him and we can meet somewhere else." I reach for my phone, but she takes it from my hand.

"No! It's fine, it's fine, really, it's okay. Please, go to the diner with him. It's a really cool place."

"Okay. Thank you." I say. She smiles.

She's still hurt, and I know it. Loosing the love of your life hurts, man. And I get that. When I thought I had lost Toby and my brother, my closest friends, it was a dark place. Friends can break your heart too.

But no one can break your heart like the love of your life can.

~

Diner. 2:23PM.

I sit and wait for Elliott, anxiously. I'm never early, but today, I just couldn't wait.

I hear tiny bells ring, and I know someone has walked in the room, so I look at door like a watch-dog. Like I've been doing for the past twenty minutes.

This time, I see Elliott, and smile, and wave, and stand up to hug him.

We do so, and then sit down.

"I thought I was early." He says, in a good mood, sitting across from me on the booth.

"Oh, yeah, I just, I like to be early, so." I lie. It's the first time this year that I haven't been at least ten minutes late.

"That's such a cool thing, actually, I was just thinking about how annoying it is when people are always late, you know?" He says, and I smile faintly, and nod.

A waitress comes, and as I see that he orders a salad, I order one for me as well, instead of that cheeseburger that I've been eyeing for the past twenty minutes.

"Okay, let me be straight with you." He tells me, putting both elbows on top of the table, ready to tell me what he came here to say.

"I'm afraid that's the one thing I can't be." I reply right away, and he laughs. "Really!"

He laughs a little harder, and then adds, "Fine! Then let me be gay with you." I nod, and he laughs again. "So... I actually— okay, this will sound very childish, but like, I might have a crush on a boy... And was wondering what you think I should do?"