NOTE:
To: bluegreen118
From: frommywindow1
Date: Nov 10 8:15 PM
Subject: Procrastination and Oreos
Blue,
I know I said I definitely wasn't going to email again today, but I'm here now because I have something important to say. I might also be procrastinating on a history assignment. But that's not the important thing.
What's important is that I found a 24 hour convenience store near my dorm that sells almost every kind of oreo. I didn't even go looking for it - I just wanted a study break and then I saw the display from the window. It was like, freaking destiny or something.
Okay. Yeah, the history assignment might be a bit important. But I've got some Halloween Oreos (TEN DAYS after Halloween) now so I feel like I might be able to take on the world.
How are you coping with college? Sometimes I feel like I'm about to fall apart with all the work I need to do.
I promise I'm going to go back to homework now,
Jacques
/
Simon slumped down in his desk chair, feeling incredibly frustrated. As much as he wished it would, the history essay wasn't going to write itself. He knew if he didn't at least try to finish it tonight, then he'd never get it done. He'd even tried to use Blue's emails as motivation, promising he wouldn't heck to see if Blue had replied to his latest one until he'd at least made some progress but his phone had buzzed with the notification and he'd immediately caved.
It was probably a little embarrassing as to how excited he was to get a new email from Blue, even now after all this time talking. He really was in deep.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed again, interrupting his thoughts. Simon picked it up, expecting another email from Blue, probably to tell him to just write the essay, but surprised to see Leah was calling.
"Hey, what's up?" He asked.
"Simon, thank god. Are you busy right now?"
"I was writing an essay," he said. "Or well, I'm just staring at my laptop with zero new words written."
"So you could come out tonight?" Leah said. "Abby dragged me to this party but I don't know anyone here and she's off talking to someone."
"Where is it?" Simon said. He wasn't normally keen on going to parties, but he wasn't about to knock back an excuse to leave his dorm.
"At the Basketball guy's house. Sports people," Leah said, and Simon could just picture the frown on her face. He and Leah used to make a point of avoiding most sports-related things in High School, the only exception being a couple of Nick's more important soccer games.
"Text me the address. I'll be there in a minute," he said.
"Thank you, Simon," Leah said gratefully.
It didn't take him long to find the place - people were all around, sitting out on the porch smoking, or chatting amongst themselves as they drunk out of plastic cups. A straight couple was making out up against the side of the house.
"Hey, Speir!" A voice called out, and Simon looked up to see Garrett standing at the door, waving excitedly. He gestured for Simon to come in. A few guests perked up at the sound and waved at Simon too.
"Garrett, hi," Simon said. "I'm looking for Leah."
"She's out the back," Garrett said, taking a sip of whatever was in his cup. It smelled strong. "So, I hear you need my man Bram."
"It's not like that," Simon said awkwardly.
"I know, it's all good. I just wanna make sure you'll be a good fake boyfriend for him. He's cool."
"He is," Simon said.
"You want a drink?" Garrett said. "The guys have a keg somewhere."
"I'm good," Simon said.
"You sure? Also, I think I left Bram around somewhere. I wanted to get him to come out tonight, but he's being boring. Looking at his phone all night, and I haven't seen him in a while."
"Well, I guess he's a boring gay like me," Simon joked. He realised this might have been the longest conversation he'd ever had with Garrett one on one.
Garrett laughed. "Of course."
"I'll go find Leah," Simon said.
"Oh, Leah!" Garrett said, like a kid on Christmas morning. "I should find her."
Garrett wandered off, leaving Simon alone in the hallway. Simon decided it was probably up to him to find Leah. He peered into the living room, where a bunch of people were dancing along to the music playing out of someone's speakers and grinding up against each other in an incredibly heterosexual way. He noticed Abby sitting on a couch, who gave him a nod of acknowledgement before going back to whatever conversation she was having with a guy in gym shorts.
Simon realised he might need a drink if he was going to get through this night.
"Simon?" He turned around and nearly collided with Bram. "Why are you here?"
"I'm looking for Leah," he said. "Garrett was going to show me but I think he got distracted by something."
"I think she's outside," Bram said. "I'll show you. This place is kind of weirdly laid out. I nearly walked into a bedroom earlier."
"Anyone inside?"
"Unfortunately," Bram said. "I saw more than I needed to."
"Straight people," Simon said, rolling his eyes.
Bram laughed. "They are pretty strange. Through here," he said, and
"I'm glad someone agrees with me," Simon said as he followed Bram outside, where a bunch of chairs were set up. Leah was in one of them, looking at her phone. Leah."
"Thank god, Simon," Leah said as they walked over to her. Leah's eyes widened when she saw who he was with. "Oh. Hi Bram."
"Hey," Bram said and waved.
"Leah Burke," Leah said and held out her hand for Bram to shake. "Simon's best friend, and I know your friend Garrett."
"Oh, you're Leah," Bram said in a tone that meant something. Simon realised that probably meant Garrett had some sort of crush on Leah. Simon made a mental note to ask Leah about that later. Maybe he could set them up and someone could find love in this mess.
"Yeah, that's me," Leah said. "You're the boyfriend."
"Fake boyfriend," Bram corrected as he and Simon sat down in the chairs beside Leah.
Leah laughed. "How's that working out?"
"I'm not complaining," Bram with, shooting a smile at Simon.
"You know, it could all still go horribly wrong. My parents could hate you," Simon said, just to be contrary.
"I'll be the best fake boyfriend ever," Bram replied. "They'll have to love me."
"Oh, I'm gonna go to the bathroom."
"Are you sure this isn't awkward for you?" Simon asked. "This whole dating thing, I mean."
Bram shook his head. "I already told you, it's fine. I'm doing a favour it doesn't have to be a big thing."
"You say this now," Simon said. "God, I really wish I'd just told them I just wasn't interested in being set up."
"And on that note, I think I'm going to go to the bathroom," Leah said. "Text me if you two decide you're leaving to hook up or something, Simon."
Simon blushed at that and glanced at Bram who just smiled a little.
"Sure, I'll see you around, Leah."
Leah got up from her chair and left their little gathering, disappearing into the crowd inside the house.
"Does Garrett like Leah?" Simon asked.
Bram nodded. "He's been into her since high school, I think. He hasn't shut up about her since we started this whole thing."
"I don't know if she's interested," Simon said. "But I can find out."
Bram laughed. "That'd be good. Maybe we could set them up," he said.
There was an awkward pause between them.
"So," Simon said, trying to think of something to say. "God...sorry this is awkward. I realise I don't know you that well yet."
Bram laughed a little nervously. "It's fine. We were kind of shoved together by circumstance," he said.
"You're cool with this whole fake dating thing, right?" Simon asked, suddenly a little nervous. What if Bram was actually really uncomfortable with all of this now?
Bram shook his head. "I already told you, it's seriously fine," he replied. "It's mostly nice meeting another gay guy on campus without having to go too far out of my comfort zone yet."
"You say that now," Simon said, but he was a little relieved with Bram's reassurance. "I mean, won't this make things weird with your long distance guy?"
Bram shook his head. "It really isn't gonna be a problem. We're not officially dating, or at all really. I just wish we were," Bram said and looked away shyly.
"I know the feeling," Simon said sympathetically, thinking of his own crush on Blue. "I really wish I'd just told my parents I wasn't interested in being set up at this point."
"I once told my mom I was sick just so I didn't have to go to school on a test day and I ended up inventing a whole head cold. I kept it up for a few days just so I didn't look suspicious. She still doesn't know."
Simon laughed. "At least it wasn't a whole boyfriend you invented - a cold is easier to lie about when it's just you. I invented a whole other person."
"No, a boyfriend is definitely better than a cold. I spent way too much time trying to make sure I had a fever,' Bram said with a laugh. "I probably should've just gone to the test."
"You make a good point," Simon said.
Suddenly, the back door opened with a loud thud. Simon turned toward the sound and a guy wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a single flip flop was standing at the door. He waved at Simon and Bram. "Yo, you two wanna play beer pong? We need another team."
Bram looked at Simon. "You want to?"
"I haven't played since high school," Simon said, thinking of the first time he got drunk at a Halloween party where he got vomited on by Martin Addison of all people and had Leah help him sneak back to bed so his parents didn't notice the fact he'd had to ditch his costume.
"I'm actually pretty good at it," Bram said. "Wanna be my backup?"
"Of course all that sports you play," Simon said. "Let's go win, huh?"
"I like your thinking," Bram said and turned to the shirtless guy. "We're in."
/
To: frommywindow1
From: bluegreen118
Date: Nov 10 8:37 PM
Subject: RE: Procrastination and Oreos
Jacques,
Honestly, I'm kind of jealous of you right now. My friend dragged me to a party and it's not awful, but I kind of wish I was somewhere else right now. I guess I'm not much of a party guy - I didn't mind it in high school but now I'm thinking I'd rather be at home eating every flavour of oreo - y'know, a balanced diet. :)
I guess he thought I'd be out there flirting with some guys, but instead I'm here emailing you. Maybe that makes me boring, but I'll take it.
And to answer your question, It's getting better. I mean, it feels like there's so much going on in college, but I guess my general lack of a social life means I tend to do more work than not.
Do your homework,
Blue
/
Bram was drunk. The beer pong idea might have been a mistake - the basketball guys were pretty sharp with their aim and once the beer had been used up in round two, someone had the genius idea of using vodka.
So, he was pretty intoxicated to say the least, and not just from the alcohol - having a cute guy like Simon around too was sort of thrilling.
Simon was funnier than he expected, and it just made Bram think about the complete lack of dating opportunities he'd had. Or at least, the fact he hadn't really being trying that hard, even now.
He had tried downloading a few dating apps, even trying Grindr for a minute, but he quickly realised most people on them were much more interested in sexting or hooking up than anything else. Bram wanted a boyfriend, someone he could talk to and care about. Sure, he still wanted to have sex, but the idea of keeping something like that so casual didn't sit right with him.
And besides, thinking about sexting just made him wonder what it'd be like to be with like that with Jacques - he'd thought about it more than once, but had never quite had the guts to ask for anything like that. He wasn't exactly the bold type, anyway.
Bram knew was in deep. It was so stupid, especially considering his he'd just ended up glued to his phone at a party Garrett had dragged him to because he'd heard Leah was going to be there. Garrett had apparently been crushing on Leah since high school, and had decided to embrace this weird opportunity of Simon and Bram fake dating to get to know her better.
Bram glanced back over at Simon, who was currently drunkenly dancing to the music being blasted out of someone's bluetooth speaker. God, he really was attractive. It made him think again about what Jacques looked like. Would Jacques look anything like Simon? Or would he have a different kind of beauty?
If only they were the same person, Bram thought wistfully. It wasn't likely though - after all, what were the chances? It would be too much of a coincidence, and he was probably just projecting on Simon because he was basically the first out gay guy he'd met in real life.
"You look sad," Simon said and flopped down beside Bram on the couch."Is it because we lost?"
"I think we put up a good fight. Those guys were just unfairly talented," Bram said.
"They probably cheated," Simon said seriously. "You should've won for our team."
"Thanks. You weren't so bad either when you got that clean shot - zero net," Bram said, echoing the cheer of the onlooking basketball players when they'd seen Simon take the shot. The shirtless guy who'd roped them into the game had even high fived Simon.
"It was cool, but your shot where it hit like three cups before it went in? Freaking amazing," Simon said with a grin.
"It was a lucky shot," Bram said, feeling his cheeks heat up at the compliment. If this were some other situation, he might've thought Simon was flirting. It also didn't help that Drunk Bram kind of wanted to kiss him. But Simon already said he liked someone, so he ignored the urge. Even if it currently kind of sounded like the best idea he'd ever had.
"And I'm lucky to have you as a fake boyfriend," Simon announced and laid his head on Bram's shoulder.
Bram smiled. "I'm just doing my job. Do you need me to defend your honour or something?"
"Nope," Simon said, and shifted so he was closer to Bram. They were basically pressed up against each other now. "I think you did fine. I was the one who sucked."
"Are you okay?" Bram asked, trying to ignore how little distance there was between him and Simon.
"I feel fine," Simon said, but he was still leaning pretty heavily against Bram.
"Come on, let's go find Leah," Bram said, desperate to move because he'd probably just end up kissing Simon right then and there if they stayed like this any longer.
"Yes! Leah," Simon said. "I love Leah. She's my best friend."
Bram pulled Simon up off the couch, which made Simon sway a little as he stood up so he ended up right in Bram's space.
Whoa," Simon said and giggled. "I did that too fast."
"Come on, I'll help you," Bram said, and put his arm around Simon's shoulders and pulled him against Bram's side so they could walk together.
They moved together from room to room, the whole time Bram kept his hold on Simon, making sure he didn't fall over. Eventually, they spotted Leah sitting outside chatting to Garrett. Bram almost didn't want to interrupt them because they seemed like they were having a good time.
"Leah!" Simon said happily. "You're still here."
"Heard you got your ass kicked at beer pong," she said with a smirk.
"They clearly cheated," Simon said indignantly. "Did you see it?"
"I was talking to Garrett," Leah said apologetically. "I meant to find you guys earlier, but we got caught up."
"Oh," Simon said. "You really should've seen Bram! He was so good!"
"I'm sure he was," Leah said.
"Yeah," Garrett said. "Bram's always been good at that sort of stuff."
"See? You best friend thinks I'm right," Simon said and smiled at Bram.
"I'll take it," Bram said.
"I should get going now," Leah said.
"Why? We're at a party!" Simon said.
"Abby's already found a hook up for the night," she said and wrinkled her nose. "I mean good for her, but now I need to get to bed soon."
"I can take you," Simon said.
"You're pretty drunk, Si," Leah said. "I'll take you back."
"Bram, you wanna leave?" Garrett asked.
Bram nodded. "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow, Simon."
Simon's eyes widened. "Oh, my parents. God. I'm gonna be so hungover."
"Just drink a lot of water before you go to bed," Bram said. "You'll be fine."
"Thanks," Simon said gratefully, like Bram had somehow given him the secrets to the universe. "You're the best."
"Okay, I'll get him home," Leah said. "Come on Si."
Simon moved out of Bram's space and Bram let his arm fall back to his side. It felt a little weird not to be holding onto him anymore and Garrett was giving him a look like he was going to ask questions later.
"Goodbye Bram," Simon said with a smile. "I'm glad we got to hang out."
"Bye," Bram said. He couldn't stop smiling.
"Bye Leah," Garrett said.
"I'll see you around, Garrett. And you too Bram," Leah said, and left with Simon holding her hand as they walked out.
"So," Garrett said, a shit-eating grin on his face.
"Not another word," Bram replied, but he was still smiling.
Garrett just laughed.
/
To: bluegreen118
From: frommywindow1
Date: Nov 11 10:00 AM
Subject: RE: Procrastination Oreos
Jealous of me? Really? You're infinitely cooler, Blue. I'm not the one who's an all-star sports player. And you got to go to a whole party. How was it?
I might have gone out too last night, but only because a friend needed saving. I promise I'll finish the history essay today. I'm not a quitter.
I don't think it was lame you were out there emailing me. If I'd been in your situation, I'd have done the same thing.
Definitely on the way to do my homework now (with oreos!),
Jacques
/
Simon woke up with a surprisingly clear head and a glass of water beside his bed. He immediately reached for his phone, checking to see if he'd gotten any new emails from Blue - apparently he'd missed one from last night and tapped out a response.
He remembered a surprising amount, including when he'd practically draped himself all over Bram. Simon let out a groan. Of course he'd ended up making a fool out of himself in front of a cute guy. Typical drunk Simon behaviour.
He sent a quick message to Leah, hoping she'd tell him how bad the damage was.
Simon: Please tell me I didn't totally mess things up with Bram
Leah: What ?! You two seemed like you were having fun last night. Did something happen?
Simon: I think not? I just remember leaning all over him.
Leah: Oh, that. It really didn't seem like it bothered him. Stop worrying, Simon!
Relieved, Simon pushed himself out of bed and decided he'd try and finish that essay once and for all. He put his phone on silent, and tried to focus solely on the role of Lafayette in the French revolution.
His phone buzzes and Simon nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound. He glances at it - it's a text from his mom reminding him of their skype call
Mom: Hey honey don't forget about our special call later - looking forward to meeting your special someone :)
Simon felt his stomach drop. He'd almost forgotten that today was the day. He felt like he had back in high school on the day of an English test when he'd completely forgotten to study. It felt like such a dumb idea, but the alternative of his parents thinking they needed to find him a guy wasn't exactly his plan.
He opened his phone and typed out a quick message to Bram:
Simon: I almost forgot but mom is calling today. Can you come over at 2?
Bram: I'll be there.
Simon breathed a sigh of relief and tried to get back to work on the essay, but he kept glancing back at the clock and wondered when Bram would arrive. He resisted the urge to email Blue - trying to explain all of this to him just felt plain embarrassing. Sure, they shared most of everything but Simon wasn't sure he was ready to admit to the fact he'd gotten himself into such a ridiculous situation.
Right on two o'clock, there was a knock on his door.
"Hey," Bram said when Simon opened the door.
"Hi," Simon said. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
"Last chance to back out," Simon said.
"Nah. This is probably good practice for when I get an actual boyfriend," Bram joked.
Simon laughed. "Yeah, come in."
Bram walked into the room. "Elliott Smith, huh?" he said, looking at Simon's poster-covered wall.
"You know his stuff?"
"A friend of mine is a fan," Bram replied.
"Your friend sounds like they've got good taste."
Bram laughed. "He does."
It suddenly occurred to Simon this was the first time he'd had a boy in his room. He wasn't sure what to say next.
"So, where are we doing this?" Bram asked.
"Uh, sit on the bed with me," Simon replied and picked up his laptop from his desk before sitting back down on his comforter and leaned against the wall.
Bram sat down right next to him, leaving little space between them. It reminded Simon vividly of the night before, leaning against Bram as they walked around looking for Leah. He really hoped his blush wasn't too obvious.
To distract himself, he opened his Skype app, and clicked on the call button for his parents.
"I'm so sorry in advance for all the embarrassing things they're definitely going to ask you."
"I'll survive," Bram said and nudged Simon with his shoulder.
His parents picked up almost instantly.
"So that's the guy!" His mom said as soon as they appeared on screen.
"Yeah, this is Bram. My, um, boyfriend," Simon said.
"Hey Mr and Mrs Spier," Bram said, waving at the screen.
"Just call me Emily, and my husband Jack," Simon's said. Simon's dad waved at the screen when his wife said his name. "Simon, I can't believe you didn't tell us sooner. He's cute."
Simon felt himself turn bright red.
"I guess I just wanted to enjoy things before I knew it was going to be something," Simon said as casually as he could manage, glad he'd taken such an interested in theatre in high school. Maybe he should investigate the theatre scene here. "I didn't want to get your hopes up."
"Well, we're your parents. We're meant to be excited for you. So, Bram tell us more about you."
"I grew up in Savannah, played soccer since high school and majoring in English," Bram said. "Not too exciting."
"So, you're a sports guy," Jack said. "I played in high school - quarterback. You follow football?"
"The English version, yes," Bram replied. "And the local club I play at. I'm not here for college sports."
"Simon, couldn't you have found a boy who likes sports?"
"He plays soccer, dad."
"Real sports, son," Jack replied jokingly.
"Soccer is a perfectly good sport. Nick plays soccer," Simon replied. "I can't believe you're making me defend sports."
Simon's parents laughed. "We're only joking, honey," his mom said.
"Well, I need to defend my boyfriend's honour," Simon said and smiled at Bram. He resisted the urge to kiss him on the cheek. Bram hadn't signed up for that.
"So, tell us everything - how did you two meet?" his mom asked.
"Garrett introduced us - Nick's friend," Simon said, reciting the story they'd come up with earlier in the week. "It was like magic."
"I saw him, and I just knew," Bram added.
"That's so sweet - was it at a party? I told you going to one of those would help you meet boys."
"Just around," Simon said vaguely. "It was kind of funny - I didn't believe Garrett knew anyone who wasn't straight at first. But there was Bram."
"Aw, that's so sweet."
"Did I ever tell you about how me and your mom met?" Simon's dad said.
Simon rolled his eyes. "Only every other day," he said and turned to Bram. "I'll spare you that one."
Jack and Emily Spier had the perfect heterosexual love story - the high school quarterback falling for the valedictorian. It was all very cliche - they'd even met when Simon's dad had bumped into her in the hallway. One thing that always amazed Simon about his parents was how in love they still were - most people like that would've just peaked in high school. But not his parents. They were still some of the best people Simon knew - even if they were perhaps a little too invested in everything Simon said and did.
"It's a romance for the ages," his dad added.
"It was some sort of meet cute," Simon explained. "They just met eyes one day and just fell in love."
"It was more than that - your mother didn't even like me at first. She thought I was just a dumb jock," Simon's dad added. "But I have hidden depth."
"That you do, honey," Simon's mom said and kissed her husband on the cheek, but his dad moved at the last minute and they ended up kissing.
"Gross," Simon said reflexively.
"Hush. You're old enough to see your parents display affection," his mom said.
"It's still weird," Simon shot back.
"So, Bram, what are you doing for the break?" Simon's mom asked. "Anything exciting?"
"I'm just spending time with my mom. She's just moved to a new town," Bram said.
"Oh, where is she now?" Simon's mom asked.
"She's just moved to Shady Creek," Bram said.
Simon had to stop himself from making a surprised sound. Of all the places, he thought.
Simon shot a quick glance at Bram, praying his mom wouldn't ask the follow up question he knew had to be coming. Please don't, he thought.
"Oh, if you're going to be around town you should come over for dinner one night!" Simon's mom said.
Shit, Simon thought.
/
To: frommywindow1
From: bluegreen118
Date: Nov 11 10:37 AM
Subject: Bad Decisions
Jacques,
Yes, of course you're the cool one here. I'm just a guy who played sports once in high school. It's not like I was a star performer like you. My school didn't even have a theatre department.
The party ended up being better than expected. I'm starting to get why you go out so much :) (But seriously, maybe parties aren't so bad. Or that could just have been the alcohol talking).
But I'm glad to know my emails are better than a party for you too.
Blue
/
Bram glanced over at Simon, looking for some sort of cue as to what to say next. He'd honestly forgotten that Simon lived in Shady Creek too, and probably wouldn't have said anything had he known.
"I'll see if I can fit a visit to my boyfriend's family into my busy schedule," Bram joked.
"We'd love to meet you in person - Simon's sister Nora too." Emily said, all earnest. "That is, If your mom doesn't mind."
"I'll see what I can do," Bram said. He wished he'd asked Simon what to do beforehand, but he hadn't even thought it was a possibility. He felt like a complete idiot for not considering the possibility.
"Oh, would you look at the time - Bram has to go now," Simon said. "Bye, I love you."
"Bye Simon," his parents said in unison and Simon ended the call.
"Well," Bram said, looking over at Simon.
"I'm so sorry," Simon said. He looked incredibly apologetic.
"No, I didn't even think about the fact you lived there too," Bram said. "I should've realised that."
"You don't have to come if you don't want to," Simon said. "I can make something up."
"I'll be there all week, and I don't think your parents would approve. They'd think I was being neglectful or something," Bram said.
"They'd probably blame me," Simon said, slumping down into his bedsheets.
"I really can go, if it'd be easier for you," Bram offered. Simon's parents seemed like good people, and he really didn't want to disappoint them. Sure, he kind of technically was by lying to them by fake dating Simon in the first place, but he wasn't going to back out now and leave Simon in the lurch.
"It might be," Simon said. "But fair warning, my sister Nora is really into cooking and she'll want to cook dinner."
"Is she a bad book?" Bram asked.
"It depends," Simon said. "She's apparently gotten a lot better than last time I was home. She watched one too many episodes of Chopped and now she wants to become a professional chef."
"Then I guess I'll take a chance," Bram said. Home cooking from an enthusiastic sibling seemed better than just lying around avoiding unpacking all the boxes of stuff his mom had left in the room that was supposed to be 'his' in the new house.
"You're the best, Bram," Simon said, and pushed himself back up off the bed."I really thought this would be all over by now. I was planning our awkward, but mutual break up."
"Obviously I'd be the one to bring it up in the first place," Bram joked.
"Oh, no way. If I'm faking a break up, I'm not gonna be the dumpee," Simon replied. "I'm not making myself look bad."
"If you did, then more people would feel sorry for you," Bram said. "I'd just be the player who broke your heart."
"And then my parents would probably try to kill you," Simon said. "I can't have that."
"So you're trying to protect me from their wrath? I feel loved," Bram said.
"You're still technically my boyfriend, so you should be," Simon replied.
Bram laughed. "I guess there's that."
"So, you're definitely cool with this?"
"Of course I am," Bram said. "It's something to do during the break. I'd just be doing nothing at home otherwise."
"You're honestly a life saver," Simon said gratefully.
Bram smiled, and got up off the bed, immediately feeling the absence of Simon's body beside him. He tried not to think too much about that, or about the night before when they'd been basically pressed up against each other on the couch.
"I should get going. I've got a whole lot of assignments I want to finish off," Bram said, feeling a little awkward. "Bye."
"I'll see you around, then," Simon said. "Thanks again."
It was only when Bram had left the dorm did the reality of how ridiculous everything was hit him. Garrett had joked things would get more complicated, but now here he was, even further into this whole web of lies. He knew he should probably back out, but he'd already made a promise to Simon. And it wasn't like he minded being around Simon.
He liked to think they were becoming friends, and after all, wasn't that what he wanted anyway? Besides, he didn't want to let down a friend. Bram groaned. He had no idea how this was going to play out.
Not that faking dating someone like Simon would be hard - Simon was attractive in that sweet, boy next store type that Bram had always sort of had a thing for. Not that he'd ever admit it to anyone else, because that would mean Garrett was right about Bram having a Type. He'd be insufferable.
"Soo….how did it go?" Garrett asked when Bram got back to the dorm.
"I got invited to his parents place for dinner during the break," Bram said and flopped down on his bed. "I forgot he lived out there - I didn't even think about that."
"Oh, shit," Garrett said. "At least they didn't ask you to an actual Thanksgiving."
"I guess," Bram said. "But it's still weird."
"Do you not like Simon?" Garrett asked.
"No, I do - I mean, he's great but. It's so awkward, y'know? I've barely spoken to his parents and now they want me to have dinner with them," Bram said. "It's going to be a disaster."
"Nah, bro. The Speirs are cool - I mean, I've only met them once but Simon's family seems chill. You'll survive this," Garrett reassured him. Bram was suddenly overcome with gratitude for his best friend.
"Are you sure? What if I say something and fuck it up?"
Garrett just gave him a look. "Trust me, you'll be fine."
A/N:okay I said weekly updates but I decided I couldn't wait to post this chapter so here, have it a couple days early. Also, I really don't know much about the inner-workings of the University of Georgia, but this is an AU fic and I'm winging it with the knowledge google provided me that's convenient to the fic.
Up next: confessions, the Dinner™, realisations and revelations.