Page 11 of Unscripted Love

“I miss you guys too,” I said. I hadn’t meant to confess that, but the mesmerizing way he massaged my scalp had me ready to spill all my secrets.

“Come over for dinner then,” Josh said. “Cornhole hasn’t been the same. Chaz can’t get a good partner to challenge me like he did with you.”

“That was fun.”

“Yes, so you’ll be there for dinner on Sunday?” Josh asked.

“Will Andy be there?”

“Andy? He’s not family so why would I invite him?” Josh questioned, but I heard the telltale humor in his voice that told me he was playing me.

“Maybe another one of your guests will invite him,” I stated.

“Doubtful,” he replied. “He’s too busy looking for someone who doesn’t show up anymore.”

“Oh,” I said softly. Josh’s words warmed my heart but did nothing to dispell the confusion over Chaz avoiding me when he was obviously attracted to me.

“Anyway, we’re almost finished remodeling our new house, and I can’t wait to have you all over for a barbecue,” Josh said, changing the subject. He got his point across and must not have felt the need to keep hammering me with it.

Some people would’ve thought it odd how Gabe and I could still be friends after our breakup, but it felt right to us. Gabe was a good guy who’d found the man created just for him. A small voice inside my brain nagged that I had already found my man too and just needed to persuade him. I had hoped to get a jumpstart on convincing Chaz when Josh finished my haircut, but he was nowhere in sight.

“See you on Sunday?” Josh asked as he handed me my receipt.

“Yeah, I’ll be there.” I meant it too because unlike some people, I kept my word.

Seeing Kyle at the salon caused me to put things into perspective. So many emotions rioted inside my brain that it took me hours to untangle, sort, and process them. I was still angry about the one-worded message Kyle sent to Drew, even though I had no idea what Kyle’s motivation was for sending it. I was fucking miserable from Kyle’s absence at Josh and Gabe’s house after I ignored his phone calls. I was so damn hungry for another taste of him, but I just couldn’t trust that the emotions Kyle showed me were genuine. How could they be if he was still reaching out to Drew? Besides, he was sexy, smart, and had his shit together where I was lucky if I wore matching socks every day. He could have any guy he wanted, and I was supposed to believe he wanted me?

During our exchange at the salon, I caught a glimpse of the kid that Aunt Sandra mentioned. I saw the boy who was picked last in gym class and probably bullied because of his weight. The hurt at never being enough was plain for me to see in his dark blue eyes. The guilt I felt at that moment was enough to choke me, and I knew I needed to do something to fix it. Even if it cost me a chance with Kyle, I needed to tell him the truth. I probably would’ve blurted it all out right there had Andy not walked up and flirted with me right then.

The jealous, chest-thumping male version of Kyle replaced the lost boy I’d discovered. I couldn’t help but smile as he rose to his full height and scoped out Andy as if he was serious competition. I thought Andy was an attractive guy with soulful dark eyes, but I wanted only one man. Kyle’s gesturing and posturing made me feel like I hadn’t blown my chances with him yet. I admit that it was kind of fun watching the two hunks stare each other down and that handshake was fucking priceless. I hadn’t seen such white-knuckled grips since my mom rode in the car with me the first time after I received my temporary license.

Then Katie interrupted the showdown and ruined everything with her talk about the calendar. It was adorable that Kyle thought she wanted monetary donations instead of his hunky flesh featured in the photos. He looked dumbfounded when I mentioned it as if it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. It was actually pure genius on Katie’s part because those calendars would sell faster than bottles of cold water in hell. Then it was my turn to feel jealous about all the eyes that would be seeing Kyle in ways that only I wanted to see him. That was the realization that prompted me to hide from him when his appointment was over.

“Not cool, Chaz,” Meredith had said when she found me hiding in the kitchenette. “No more cat and mouse games. Either give that man what he wants or tell him you’re not interested.”

“Meredith, he won’t have anything to do with me when he finds out that I was gamer Drew. My behavior was unforgivable,” I softly said while staring into my cup of coffee. “It was more than simply lying about my identity. I let him divulge things to Drew that he wouldn’t have told me and we didthingstogether.”

Meredith’s brows rose at the last bit. I could tell she wanted to ask what kind of things we did, but instead, she said, “Baby, there’s only one way to find out if he’ll forgive you.” Mere ran her hand affectionately over the top of my head like a mother would to soothe her child. “Charles Bailey, I can promise you one thing, and that’s you’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t try. I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you look at him. He looks at you the same way too.”

I knew we had something sparking between us but was it real? “I’ll think about it,” I promised her.

And I thought about it for hours. By the time I reached a conclusion it was too late to do anything about it but channel the energy into my writing. I sat at my computer and blocked out every thought in my mind that didn’t include Jamie and Gideon’s latest adventures. My plan worked perfectly until I turned off my laptop and closed my eyes. Then the events of the past month played through my brain on repeat.

I didn’t know if Kyle would forgive me, but I knew that Meredith was right. I had to try. The problem was that knowing and doing aren’t the same thing. I had my opportunity the Saturday that Josh and Gabe moved to their new home. Meredith and I showed up to help after the salon closed and I was rendered speechless at the sight of Kyle wearing shorts and a tank top, which was the normal attire for muggy August days in Southern Ohio, but it looked sexier on Kyle.

“He’s wearing his ball cap on backward,” Mere whispered.

“Uh-huh,” I muttered, watching as Kyle’s biceps bulged when he lifted one end of the sofa while Gabe lifted the other.

Mere giggled and said, “Let’s go find Josh to see what he needs us to do.”

I felt Kyle’s eyes on me when we walked away because he was the only one that could make me feel hot and cold all over at the same time. I glanced over my shoulder to be sure and caught him staring at my ass. Gabe pushed the sofa at him a little to break the trance and Kyle’s gaze snapped up and collided with mine. I winked playfully at him and faced forward so that I didn’t run face first into a wall or something totally embarrassing.

A lot of the big jobs had already been completed by the time we arrived, so Mere and I helped Josh unpack his kitchen. We laughed and had a great time. It was so wonderful to see my best friends madly in love, and I couldn’t wait until I found my other half too. Kyle and I made eye contact a few times throughout the day and even exchanged a few smiles, but we didn’t have a chance to talk until the pizza showed up.

“Did you order salad?” Kyle asked Gabe.

“Salad?” Harley, Meredith’s boyfriend, asked when he walked into the room. He hooked his arm around Meredith’s waist and pulled her toward him for a kiss. I smiled as I remembered the day that Meredith’s mom, Mama Richmond, sat in Meredith’s salon chair and orchestrated a date between her daughter and Harley. Mama Richmond made sure of two things: Harley liked kids, and he wasn’t one of those dumb-ass white boys who were ashamed to love black girls. Although they had only been dating a few months, I was positive they would have a beautiful life ahead of them.