Chapter 3

"So did you have fun at the mall yesterday hunny?" My mom asked when I came downstairs for breakfast in the morning.

 

"Um, yah I had a lot of fun..." I said, not exactly sure how to approach the subject of meeting a boy. Especially just one day after coming out to them.

 

My dad looked up from his sports report and asked, "So what do you think of Christain Brandell?" I almost spit out the orange juice I was drinking, but I didn't. I gasped for breath and ended up choking on it instead.

 

"Ugh..." I said once I'd swallowed the citrussy goodness, "How did you know about that?"

 

"We've been talking to Nicole Taylor about the possibility of you being gay, and she always said just give you time. Though she never said if you were or not. But anyways, she promised that if you are gay, she'll make sure your guys are good ones and keep us informed because you probably wont." My mom ended that statement with a smile. So my best friend has been talking to my parents about the possibility of my being gay, but for how long?

 

"Son, you can talk to us anytime about guys, girls, anything! We're not going to be grossed out. Or at least we're not going to let you see it... We want you to be able to come to us for everything. So if you have a boyfriend that you want to tell us about, please do. And even if you don't want to tell us about him, please do. Because as you can see we're going to find out either way." Well then, I've got approval from my dad for dating guys.

 

"So how long have you two been talking to Nicole about this?" I asked raising my eyebrows. I wanted to see how long my best friend has been prepping my parents for my bomb.

 

"Long enough, but don't take it personally that she didn't tell you. We asked her not too so no trouble was started. We just wanted to give you time, and to try to understand why we'd been growing apart." My mom answered.

 

"Hmm..." I started, "I like Christain. He's really cute... and he has a great name." This was awkward.

 

"That's great. Have you called him yet?" My dad asked, apparently not fazed by the fact he was talking about a guy with his son... his only son. The son he probably wasn't going to get any blood related grandchildren from.

 

"Uh, no. I don't... I mean I want to, but I just..." I had no idea how to phrase this.

 

"You have no idea how?" My mother asked with a glint of humor in her eye. "It's just like calling a girl, you used to do that all the time!" It's true, I used to date girls, and I called them all the time. But that kind of calling was different. I knew I didn't really like them and I felt confident about talking to them because there was little pressure. Until the end of eighth grade, when my ex started putting moves on me to kiss her. I kissed her once three months later broke up with her. I'm not a girl kind of guy. That's why it's so hard for me to call Christain Xavier Brandell! I've never called a guy before, especially one like Christain Xavier Brandell. O.M.G, I love his name!!

 

"Mom, this is different, this is a guy."

 

"How is it different? Pretend he's a girl and call him! You don't want him thinking you don't like him do you?" My mother asked, giving a look that made me want to call him right then and there. I hadn't thought about him thinking I didn't like him, just about him not liking me. What if he thinks I don't like him? Did I just ruin it? I did didn't I? Ugh!! Maybe I'm just not meant to be gay...

 

"Go, call him! It's eleven o'clock and I'm sure he's not asleep." My dad said with a smile, "If he's not a work, or church I'm sure he'd love to talk to you."

--

I got to my room and closed the door. Was I seriously about to call him? Ahhhh! This is crazy. I can't do this alone! I picked up the phone and called Nicole.

 

"Hello?" She answered.

 

"Hey it's me. Um... I need help with something..." I said, now feeling kind of stupid.

 

"Hold on, go log on to yahoo. I'll help you that way, you can't call him unless the phone line is free." I should have guessed that she'd already be a step ahead of me.

 

I logged on and hung up.

 

Lapetiteamournbt: So I assume you didnt call him last night?

 

jmboi11: your assumption is correct. as usual

 

Lapetiteamournbt: Well you havent lost his number have you?

 

jmboi11: no, I hung it on my wall... :)

 

Lapetiteamournbt: ...

 

jmboi11: oh, don't start with me. just so you know im upset with you i cant believe youve been talking to my 'rents about me being gay and i had no clue!

 

Lapetiteamournbt: Oh, get over it. It was a lot easier to come out wasn't it? And it's not like I didn't give you hints, I mean how many times did I tell you that you could come out to your parents? Then you'd ask "How do you know?" and I'd tell you I just knew.

 

jmboi11: well thanks but I dont like it!

 

Lapetiteamournbt: Whatever, dial his number. I'm here to help you if you need it!

 

jmboi11: thanks...

 

I dialed his number, by memory. Eight, five, one, nine, nine, five, nine. I held the receiver to my ear and held my breath. My heart was racing, and I felt like the phone was going to slip right through my hand. It ringed once... rinnnnnnnnnnnng. it ringed twice... rinnnnnnnnnnng. It didn't ring a third time.

 

"'Ello!" His voice came across the phone. I waited for something to happen, and then I realized he was talking to me!

 

"Oh, hi!" I said in a small voice, feeling stupid again.

 

"Is this James?" He asked with a small laugh that made feel OK about acting stupid, again!

 

"Yah, sorry..." I said, wanting to die.

 

"Wha'cha doin'?" He asked.

 

"I'm talking to Nicole on messenger... What're you doing?" I replied.

 

"Well I just got back from having breakfast with my family."

 

"Cool... what'd ya eat?" I had no clue what else to say.

 

"I had a fruit bowl, what did you eat for breakfast?" He asked sounding a bit intrigued.

 

"Um..." Crap! I'd forgot to eat breakfast. "I haven’t eaten yet. I'm going to go out to lunch with Nicole at twelve thirty and I just got up so I decided to wait." I lied a bit.

 

"Cool. So where are you guys going?" Was he catching on to my lying, or was he just curious.

 

"I'm not sure, let me find out." I typed away quickly to Nicole:

 

jmboi11: were going out to lunch at 12":30, u & me. wher r we goin?

 

Lapetiteamournbt: What?

 

jmboi11: Im paying were goin out to lunch 1 hour, wher ed you want to go? Quick!

 

Lapetiteamournbt: The mall food court

 

Hmm... the mall, where Christain works. Great choice!

 

"We're going to the food court in the mall." I said as causally as possible.

 

"Hm... why don't you guys stop by the store when you're done. I have to be at work at two. I mean if you want too." He suggested just as causally. Man, I think he's better at this then I am. But wait:

 

"If you've got time, why don't you meet us for lunch?" Ok, so this was old school, doing lunch, but It's better then nothing.

 

"Will Nicole mind? I don't want to just barge in..." Will Nicole mind? I'm pretty sure Nicole's expecting this.

 

"No, she won't mind. We'll meet you at DK in forty-five minutes!" I spouted.

 

"Ok, well I'll talk to you in a bit then! Bye!" He said.

 

"See yah." I said, a little disappointed we weren’t going to talk for close to an hour.

 

I looked at the computer screen:

 

Lapetiteamournbt: You should invite him to come to lunch with us! I'm pretty sure he has to work.

 

Lapetiteamournbt: Hello? Are you there?

 

Lapetiteamournbt: I'm getting off here to get ready. Call me when you're off the phone.

 

I dialed her number.

 

"Hey, I'll meet you two at the food court at twelve-forty. Wait for me at our table." She said, already knowing I'd invited him.

 

"OK, but why aren't you walking with me?" I asked, feeling left out of something.

 

"Because I have something I need to do. I'll meet you there... I got to go. Bye!" She hung up. Man what’s up with her?

 

I hung up the phone and went to get ready. I only had half an hour to shower, pick out my clothes, cologne, shoes, and do my hair! Wow, I'm screwed!

--

When I finally reached DK57, it was 12:29. At least I was there early... I walked in and found Christain in the back row, and he was sexy! He had on a dark blue tee that made his eyes look like they could burn through me, and dark fade-out jeans. In his left ear was a gold hoop, and around his neck was a silver cross with a winding rope pattern. When he saw me gawking at him in a mirror, he turned and smiled.

 

"Are you always this easy to impress?" He asked with yet another smile... I'll have to start numbering these smiles of his. Number one, the 'enough to kill me' smile.

 

"Um... no?" Yeah, I didn't even convince myself.

 

"So, food court for lunch? What are we going to eat?" He asked.

 

"I don't know. What do you like?" I returned, not wanting to make the choice.

 

"How about fu-dogs and water?" He asked, maybe I should have made the choice. He had to have seen the disgust on my face. "I just love the flavor... they almost taste the same, like nothing!"

 

"Ok... tofu it is!" I said trying to smile...

 

"I'm just joking, I wanted to see if I'd have to eat before we go out on dates. Thank god I don't!" Yay, he's to-free!

 

"I have no clue what we're going to eat, let's find Nicole." I looked him up and down one more time before leading the way to Nicole and I's "table". We sat down.

 

"I think we both may be in for a bit of a surprise here... my friend Kaila called me earlier and said she's meeting me here at 12:40. I told her that I'd be with someone and she's like 'I know...' and that was that. But that's all I'm saying."

 

"Do what?" So Kaila's meeting Christain, and Nicole's meeting me. Well at least Nicole won't feel left out. "Never mind, I see Nicole... who's that with her?"

 

"That is Kaila... I have a feeling they know each other." He said, giving me a questioning glance.

"Ok, what are you think--"

 

"Jay! Hey I want you to meet somebody. This is Kaila." She said motioning to the black haired girl next to her. "She's my girlfriend!"

 

You know that light headed feeling you get when you stand up too fast? That's how I felt right then.

"You're girlfriend? Of how long?" I asked, still feeling dizzy.

 

"Four months." Kaila replied, looking at Christain with a sheepish look.

 

Christain and I looked at each other and smiled... at least we didn't feel left out and alone. This would explain why she hadn't found the right guy.

 

"So Nicole, are you lesbian?" I asked, a bit confused. She still talked about guys with me, though mostly I talked and she agreed.

 

"No... I think I'm bisexual. But Kaila's lesbian." She replied. So... this was awkward. How would you react if your best friend just came out to you? Especially after knowing for months that you were gay. I felt a little betrayed.

 

"Ok, let’s get something to eat!" Christain offered, still looking a bit confused.

 

"Chinese?" Kaila suggested, looking at Nicole, who nodded.

 

"Um... I'm going to pass, heartburn is not my flavor of the day." I said, looking at Christain. Oh, he is so beautiful!

 

"Yeah, how about chicken?" Christain replied, giving me smile number two: 'on my way to heaven!'

"That works for me!"

 

We headed off in different directions in search of food. As we were standing in line for the nearest chicken strip vendor Christain and I talked about the newest couple. He told me he knew Kaila was lesbian, but he didn't know Nicole and her were dating. They'd been friends for a couple months, but as far as he knew, nothing more. We got our chicken and sat down.

 

"So, what's your favorite color?" He asked, as his blue eyes sparkled brilliantly.

 

"Blue..." I replied, staring into his eyes. "What's yours?"

 

"Green." Was he making a reference to my eyes? Or are we just perfect for each other?

 

"What kind of music do you like?" I asked, now this was the test!

 

"Hm, rock, pop, and country. You?" He returned.

 

"Same... wow this is weird." I hadn't meant to say the second part.

 

"Just a little. So, background check... have you had any boyfriends before?" Smile number three: 'break right through me'.

 

"One, " I started, "We met at the city pool last summer. I was playing volleyball and he walked up and asked to join the game. I stopped paying attention to the game and stared at him. He was so cute. He was mixed, really skinny with a good build... and a nice butt!" I said getting quieter towards the end of that sentence. "But anyway, the ball was served and I smiled at him just as the ball hit me square in the chest... he ran over and helped me up. We decided volleyball wasn't the sport for either of us and went to get something to eat from the concessions. We spent the next two hours talking. We swapped numbers and talked on the phone every night. But after a while, every night became twice a week and then not at all. He lived too far out of town to visit often, and we didn't want our parents getting suspicious. So we decided to break up."

 

"That is interesting. You had an easy break up... with someone who actually sounds sincere. I've had two boyfriends, neither relationships turned out very well. I came out about two years ago, the August of my eight grade year. My parents were totally ok with it. So in October I'd started coming out totally. It took me a while to tell my best friend, because he was a guy, but I eventually got to him. The night after I told him he gave me a note at play rehearsal. It asked me if I wanted to attempt a relationship because he'd liked me for a while and just didn't know if I was gay. I told him I'd go out with him, and that started our two month relationship. We had our ups and downs, and we broke up and got back together several times in that period, but we were happy to some extent."

 

"Wow, so you dated your best friend?" I asked, a bit amazed. If I asked Caleb out, I think I'd get punched.

"Yeah, but the relationship didn't last. Rumors started spreading about us dating and we'd decided to keep it quiet. When the social scene got unbearable he broke up with me." he said, with a hint of sorrow in his voice. "But to add to the pain, he asked me to tell everyone that we hadn't dated, and that I'd started all of the rumors because he turned me down when I asked him out. His parents heard a rumor of us dating and lost it, I guess. But that doesn't excuse the fact that he asked me to deny my first relationship, lie to the world, and take the fall for everything. No, I made him take a social plunge just like me."

 

"Wow... that's... wow." I started, not knowing what to say. I hope his second relationship wasn't so harsh.

 

"I know, sometimes I regret not helping him some. But then again he's the one who backed out on me." He said.

 

"Well how'd your second relationship go?" Here we go!

 

"Ha, well this one's a little more funny. You see, Kaila hooked me up a guy we known in sixth grade. He'd started talking to her on My space about six months ago and he'd told her that he's gay. She called me and asked if she could give him my number and I said agreed. So we talked and decided to go on a date, I think it was the movies. So we did... let me tell you, he wasn't as cute as I expected, and he wanted to kiss me on the first date. I was like nooooo way! But anyways, there was a bunch of drama and then he told me that he wanted to get his nails done, carry a purse, and wear a thong on our next date! He wasn't talking about flops either, this was plans for a full blown thong. I drew the line there, I broke up with him. If I wanted to date a girl I'd have dated a girl."

 

By this point I had lost it. My laughter echoed through the entire food court! People were staring at me like I was crazy, and Christain was giving me a sheepish smile. "I'm not... laughing... at... you." I explained in between gulps of air. "But that was funny!"

 

"Yeah, um... that's not the worst of it. He told Kaila, a week after we broke up, that he was bisexual and that he liked his best friend. And then three days later he offered himself up to Kaila's friend's boyfriend. I was soooooo glad I got out when I did!" He said.

 

"Well It looks like you don't have very good luck with your relationships, do you?" I said, still laughing.

 

"Now remember, Jay, yours didn't go so well either!" He replied, smiling. He was right. "I think we're both in need of a strong, stable relationship." He said this last part quietly. My drive to kiss him got so much stronger right then.

 

I looked at him and smiled, his eyes were a very soft dark blue. I could see right into them, like he'd open up his mind to me. He returned the smile and reached under the table and took my hand. I practically melted in my seat. His hands were so soft and warm, and mine were so stiff and cold. That could have been because my blood had stopped flowing when my heart stopped beating. I felt so special... I wanted to live in this moment forever ...

 

"Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes, five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear!" My phone went off, making us jump.

 

"Um... hold on." I said with a sheepish smile. I opened my phone. "Hello?"

 

"Hey Baby! It's Nicole," She said in a giddy voice, "Kaila and I saw you two together and decided you're to cute to interrupt, so we're going shopping. Call me when he goes to work... bye!"

 

"Did Kaila and Nicole decide to ditch us?" He asked when I'd closed my phone. I nodded in reply. "It figures."

 

Well, she broke up that sentimental moment. I looked around the court and then back at Christain.

 

"So, I have about an hour until I need to be at work... what do you want to do?" He asked, with a sly smile on his face. Was this a test?

 

"Shopping?" I asked in a small voice...

 

"Lets go shopping!" He said, grabbing his tray and offering to take mine. I kindly accepted and we were off!

We went to several different stores and didn't buy anything. We just walked around and threw things at each other to try on, like cheap sunglasses, ridiculous hats, and jewelry (mostly women’s). But eventually Christain had to go to work, so I followed him to the store.

 

"This was soooo much fun!" He said, with a smile (I've lost count on the numbers).

 

"I know, so... would'cha like t'go to da movies wit'me sometime?" I asked, a little too fast. It sounded horrible.

 

"Ha, yeah. I'd love to go to the movies with you sometime. Just give me a call." He said, and then turned to leave. But before he walked away, he turned back and said, "Follow me, there's something I want to show you."

 

A little confused I followed him to the back aisle where he turned left. When I rounded the corned he caught me in his arms and pulled me into kiss. His hands were on the back of my neck and cheek. I don't know how long we kissed, but it felt like eternity. Eventually he pulled away and smiled, while I'm sure I just stood there with my mouth open like a moron.

 

"I must leave you now." He said in a sexy, romantic voice. And he was off...

Reviews

[Icharus]

Christian Has an earring in his left ear
Has play rehearsals
Likes the color blue
Has different melting smiles
Has had bad relationship history...
Sounds exactly like my boyfriend. Oh God. CHRISTIAN! C'MERE! I NEED TO CHECK SOMETHING. TELL ME I'M STILL YOUR WOMAN!
(Great story!)

[ssgliberty]

i love this chapter its asome you did a good job so far

[Eidolon Michael]

O.O Wheeee! the story's getting juicy! Not like drama juicy, but " I can't stop reading" juicy! Good work! My favorite chapter so far!