Derek ⚣ ✓

22. Yes, We Will

"Oh?" Joan's eyebrows raised as she turned to me. "So you and John, huh?"

There wasn't enough liquor available to discuss what Alex walked in on today... or what he might've walked in on had he been just a few minutes late. Not enough liquor in the world... but I still asked Tully to pour me another round.

"Listen," I threw the shot back like it was water, "I really don't want to get into this..."

"You're not getting off that easy," Joan replied. "Did you finally talk to him?"

"From what I saw, I think they are well past the stage of talking." Alex interjected, which made Joan turn to him.

"From what you saw?" She questioned, then looked back at me.

"We may or may not have kissed. Again." I clarified. Joan's lips curled up into the most devilish grin.

"You don't say."

I signaled to Tully to pour me another. He gave me a half a shot with a look that told me to watch my drinking tonight. I think he still had PTSD from Alex's heavily intoxicated nights. And it looked like he just replaced the glasses Alex tried to juggle but broke.

"It's... I don't know what it is, but I like it- and him." I did one terrible job of explaining.

"Well at least you're not claiming to be fully gay. I've cleared far too many viruses from straight porn websites off your company computer, to have you insult my intelligence like that."

-

By the end of our night at Tully's, I was positive the gang was more confused than before about what John and I were. Hell, I was too. For the first time ever, I wasn't as straightforward as I usually was with my sexual encounters.

Lol. Straightforward.

Anyways, this wasn't like the time I fingered a girl at the movies, or got a blow job in the bathroom of an arcade- something I don't recommend because I got the ick from the dirty floors immediately after coming in that poor woman's mouth.

This was... different.

That was only further confirmed when I drunkenly made it home and into bed, before getting a text from John.

What would you and your tamagotchi like to eat next weekend?

The largest smile spread across my lips at that. If I wasn't laying on my back, I just know my feet would have been kicking in the air like a damn teenager. I honestly forgot all about our plans this coming weekend because of how this mess of a week had started.

I texted back:

What's your favourite dish to make?

I was about to set my phone down, ready to call it a night because John surely had to be asleep by now. It was a little past midnight... but another text came through seconds later.

Ratatouille

That made my already massive smile widen. It reminded me of the animated movie I convinced the gang to watch after The Gala.

In the movie, they were tearing that dish up, so naturally I responded with:

Yes. Absolutely yes. One hundred percent yes.

Then my drunk ass added a smiley face after. As soon as I sent it, I immediately regretted it. I was doing too much, I thought, but the last text John sent that night put me at ease... and damn near put me in a hospital from the irregular heart palpitations.