After Hours (boyxboy) | ✓

Chapter Eleven

The last date I'd been on was two months ago, and it failed horribly. I won't get into details, but I guess we were just too different.

Brendon was taking me shopping today — a slightly strange activity, but I was open to it. I'd been on a lot of weird dates in the past. Not that this was a date. I kind of assumed it was, but it was stupid to assume things at this point. The plan was to ask him about it today though, so hopefully I'd get answers soon.

I stood in front of my mirror, glaring at my reflection. Having just woken up, my hair was a mess and deep bags formed under my eyes. I looked like a train wreck. After taking a minute to stretch, I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. 

The smaller mirror above the sink exaggerated my disheveled features. I looked away. Baby steps. First, brush the teeth. Worry about the rest later. 

The thought of Brendon inviting his friends again had crossed my mind. It seemed impossible that he'd make the same mistake twice. When I looked at Brendon, I saw a guy that I really liked — he was handsome, nice, smart, and quirky. But I also saw a guy that didn't need a romantic relationship. He didn't need me. And that scared me. Was Brendon a kind, interesting person, or was he a disingenuous player?

***

After hours of getting ready, it was almost time to meet Brendon. I would meet him at his house, and he'd drive us to whatever store he was planning on going to. Then we'd shop around, and eventually go back to his place to eat lunch. And then we'd see each other at work a few hours later. 

I took one last look at myself before leaving. I decided to wear some jeans, an old, thrifted t-shirt, and a pair of white sneakers. The outfit didn't look half bad. And I had managed to tame my hair. 

When I got downstairs, it was brought to my attention that my mother was on the phone. She was chatting with someone about online dating. Not willing to waste time on her, I went outside to get my bike. My neighbor's cat (Amistad) was chewing on one of our strawberry plants. We locked eyes. 

"Would you stop that?" I muttered, walking over to the invader. "Stupid cat." He hissed back, and I decided to leave him alone. He wasn't worth the trouble either.

My bike was waiting for me at the side of the house. I started pedalling down our driveway, and into the street. My knuckles turned white against the handlebars. The once-small worries in my mind swelled. I took a deep breath and turned the corner. Brendon's house was in sight now. As I moved closer, I noticed him. He was laying on his front lawn, staring at the sky. His arms crossed behind his head, and one leg rested on top of the other. Nervous laughter escaped from my mouth. 

His head turned as I reached the driveway. "Hi, Emmett."

"Hi, Brendon."

He stood up and met me next to his car. I felt underdressed when I looked at him. He wore a sage-green button down, with the sleeves rolled up, and black shorts. Green was a great color on him.

He smiled and put his hands in his pockets. "Ready to go?" 

"Yup," I answered.

His CD collection was a lot neater than usual. Missing from the scene were his figurines, usually lined up on the dashboard. Did he organize his car before this?

He turned the car on and slowly backed out of the driveway. No music played. I reached for the CDs, but was stopped by Brendon's hand. I glanced at his face, confused.

“Silence, for today.” He smiled and winked.

“Where are we going?”

“A store,” he said.