If it wasn't weird enough to have a kid in one of my classes dating my ex-boyfriend. But it was weird to know that every day after class I was helping them plan their wedding. With my 19 year old boyfriend. By the time Thanksgiving finally came around, I got so used to calling Carlos, Carlos, I started doing it in class making everyone look at me weird. Ignore the fact that everyone in that English class knew Kendall and I were dating, they know, no doubt thought somehow Carlos was involved. I guess it was an easy decision to quite.
Not that I had told a soul yet. Not even Kendall. But after this year I was done teaching and I was going to get the book I had been working on, also something Kendall knew nothing about, published and start my real life. With him by my side. Now I just had to tell him that.
The morning of Thanksgiving I woke up early to put the turkey in. I got it all cleaned out, stuffed and put in the oven in under 20 minutes and wanted to go back to sleep, but I had to clean and get ready for the day because it was the first Thanksgiving ever where my parents weren't with me. Not that I didn't want them or they didn't want to come, it just wasn't financially possible for them. Kendall being the most adorable and sweetest guy ever offered to buy their plane tickets but they turned him down telling him to "save his money for Christmas". Of course mom and dad.
I was cleaning the living room, wiping down the TV when Kendall came out, one of my sweaters on, and only a pair of boxers.
"Hey baby." He smiled and walked into me, kissing my cheek. "How'd you sleep?"
"Fine until I woke up…alone…and heard someone furiously cleaning." I smiled and turned into him capturing his lips in mine. He pulled away and grabbed my face. "When are James and Carlos coming over?" I laid my head on his chest and yawned letting the rag I was using drop.
"At noon. And beware. They have more pictures of flowers and table settings and everything else ridiculous." He laughed and it vibrated through his chest, into my ear, making me smile. His hand ran through my hair and he kissed the top of my head. "One of these days those two are going to be the death of me."
"Hopefully not sometime soon…I don't know how to cook a turkey." I looked up and he was giggling. "Which better cook fast. I'm hungry!" I rolled my eyes and turned away going back to my cleaning.
"Make yourself useful and help me clean." He sighed and I heard him walk away mumbling to himself.
By 11:30 the house was clean and I had the table set, and a football game was on the TV occupying Kendall, who I made get dressed in a pair of nice jeans and a white button up shirt. I picked at the plate of appetizers sitting on the kitchen counter and walked out to him.
"Carlos text me." He didn't even turn away from the TV and I sat next to him, drinking from my glass of apple cider. "They are stopping at the store and picking up some wine. Do you need anything?" I set the glass down and shook my head.
"I don't think so." He nodded and drank from his own glass of apple cider. "Who's winning?"
"Do really care?" He finally turned to me one eyebrow raised and I shook my head sitting back. He laughed and turned back to the TV. I felt nervous. I needed to tell him my plans so he was side railed when it actually happened.
"Hey can I talk to you about something?" He nodded and turned off the TV turning to me.
"I'm all ears baby." I smiled and wiped my palms on my knees. "Wow this must be big. I've never seen you this nervous." I gave a nervous chuckle and he smiled.
"Well…I wrote something." He nodded slowly and I swallowed hard. "And I finished it yesterday. I want to…publish it." His eyes widened and quickly grabbed my hands.
"Oh my God yes! I think you should! I don't even need to read it!" I laughed but stopped.
"So…I mean…obviously I need to you know…proof read it and get a company to actually do it…so I figured that would take a few months so…" He squeezed my hand nodding his head. Now or Never. "So I want to stop teaching and be a writer." His smile got wider if even possible and pulled me into him. "Are you upset?" He kissed my ear and sighed.
"Why would I be upset?" I shrugged my shoulders and he laughed kissing my ear again. "I would literally support you 100% no matter what you wanted."
"What if I wanted to be a prostitute? And shoot up heroin?" He laughed and kissed my hair and then pulled away.
"I would be your pimp and make sure your needles were clean and try to convince you, to do something else." I smiled and shook my head pushing him back and wrapping around him. "Can I read it?"
"Read what?" He sighed and I cringed. "It's not…not ready." He laughed and pinched my arm. "Owe…why do you want to read it?"
"Because! Please baby!?" He pulled away from me and stuck out his bottom lip, pouting. "You get to read all of my stuff."
"I'm your professor." He slammed down on the cushions and huffed. "Okay…okay calm down you big baby!" I gto up stomping all the way to the room. I opened my bag setting it on the bed and pulled out the thick packet. I sighed and slowly walked back out to him. I stayed standing gripping the papers and suddenly not wanting to do it. "You're the first person to read this and…"
"Logan I'm not going to laugh at you." I looked right at him and he stayed seating. "If you really don't want me to read it, I understand but I would never do or say anything to hurt you." I swallowed hard and looked down at the papers. I sighed out and walked over to him, handing it to him. He took it and smiled big.
I sat next to him only for a few minutes. I couldn't stand sitting next to him knowing he was reading my book. So I busied myself in the kitchen until James and Carlos came. I let them in, they said hit to Kendall, who put the book down only for a second and went back to reading it when they followed me out to the kitchen.
"So because the kiddies cant drink, and I don't want Carlos drinking I also grabbed some soda and aple cider." I smiled as James put the drinks down and Carlos handed me the bottle of wine. "What's he reading out there?"
"Not sure." I lied because if James knew I had written a book, he'd bug me until I let him read it too.
We made small talk in the kitchen, them talking about more plans about the wedding. I saw Kendall get up book in hand walk back into the room. When he reappeared empty handed and waked into me I smiled and let him wrap around me sighing in my ear.
"I'll finish it tonight." I closed my eyes and slowly nodded letting him kiss my ear.
The rest of the day went on with James and Kendall (no matter how many times Kendall told me James annoyed him because he was so perfect and handsome, he always managed to spend most of the time he was around talking to him.) watching football, while Carlos and I cooked and talked and I even helped him with one of the papers I assigned for over the break. When dinner came Carlos and James sat at one side of the table while Kendall and I sat at the other. James cut the turkey while I poured me and him wine and Kendall got drinks for him and Carlos.
I don't know why, but just the four of us, sitting around, talking eating enjoying each other's company, it just felt right. Like this was my new life, and this was my family, and we were going to be a part of each other's lives forever. It was heartwarming, and it made me happy knowing I may not have screwed up Kendall's first year of college. At least not yet.
Carlos and I forced James and Kendall to clean up as we sat in the living room, watching every holiday special on. I shamelessly fell asleep letting the turkey and the wine do their job. When I woke up, hearing soft talking and a low TV I almost laughed out loud. Kendall and James were sitting on the floor in front of the TV going through wedding magazines whispering to each other.
"No Carlos doesn't want roses. He thinks they're too cliché. I think their romantic."
"Yeah well Carlos eats at least 6 corndogs every day. I don't think we should let him make that kind of decision. They are romantic." I closed my eyes smiling and sighing, hoping I would fall back asleep. "Can I ask you something James? About Logan?" My eyes shot open and James turned to Kendall nodding. "I…I think sometimes he over thinks things and sometimes it's not a good thing."
"Thanks for stating the obvious genius. Now what's your question?" Kendall sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
"With everything that happened with the school and us being a couple…I'm worried he's forcing his mind to work over time and I don't know how to help him."
"Wow cool, confident Kendall Knight is asking for my advice?"
"You don't have to be a dick about it…" James laughed and leaned back sipping form his wine. "Please. If anyone knows Logan it's you."
"True…" James set his glass down and closed a magazine. "But Logan has changed since when I was with him. I think he's always changing…like uhm…what are those things? A chameleon?" Kendall nodded laughing and James lightly shoved him. "Logan is a very complex, handsome creature that God cant even understand. Sometimes he over thinks things and it turns out okay. Honestly I've never seen his overthinking turn out bad. And whenever he was worried about something like really worried he would come to me. You need to let Logan work things out and if he needs help let him come to you. Don't suffocate him or else he'll get mad and block you out completely. Trust me I've been down that road didn't get laid for a week."
"James id rather not…"
"Sorry…just let Logan…be Logan. He'll come around." They went silent and I smiled, happy that my boyfriend felt comfortable enough to talk to my ex-boyfriend about me.