What We Want, What We Get (a boy x boy novel)

Chapter Seventeen - "Is that why you kept avoiding me? "

 

Jayna went on vacation to Germany to see her grandparents a few days before the Fourth of July, so I won't see her until the end of the month. I've skyped her once since she left, but she's been very busy over there so I don't blame her.

 

And as for Brad, because he has no life during the summer, I see him almost as much as I do Caroline. Except the max with him is four times a week, which in some cases is still excessive.

 

I see my own boyfriend less than I see my best friends. He's picked up more shifts since it's summer to make some extra money, and I only get to see him max three times a week, if he delivers to my house (which I've been making my dad do for the last 3 weeks almost twice a week). It's not just him though, since I work now too it's hard to always make time, but when we do make time to see each other I never want to leave.

 

After we made up in May, we just took it slowly again. He didn't actually ask me out until one day when we were eating at my house in June, and my dad asked me if we were together. At the time, I didn't know what we were, but when I asked Craig later he assumed we were boyfriends for awhile, which didn't exactly click with me but I accepted the answer, and then he properly asked me to be his boyfriend. Not the most romantic way, of course, but it's the thought that counts.

 

And although I complain about seeing my friends way more than I see my boyfriend, I would much rather see them every day than see another boy that I have to see everyday: Paul.

 

When I got the job at the deli near my park, they told me that they also hired two other kids, but they didn't tell me who until I got there the following day. Imagine my surprise when I see Paul behind the cash register taking a $20 bill from an elderly man.

 

I had been properly avoiding him up until that point. He called every now and then and would text me incessantly the first few weeks of summer break, but I just deleted the texts and emptied my call log. I couldn't deal with being around him, especially after how the last time it caused issues with me and Craig. I don't want to have a repeat of the same thing.

 

At first it was really awkward, especially because I eventually had to explain why I didn't respond to him anymore (I lied and said I got a new phone and I have a new number that I don't remember). I think he bought that excuse, but the excuses after that sounded more and more made up as time goes by. He would ask to hangout and I would have to say I was busy, which wasn't exactly a lie, but I wasn't always with my parents or Caroline.

 

I feel like I should just tell him that I have a boyfriend to get him off my back. It would literally help him move on and maybe he'll try less to talk to me. But then that makes me look like a douchebag. I don't hate Paul, but I'm not gonna pretend like I don't know he still might like me. It sounds really egotistical to think that, but Jayna says I'm oblivious all the time, so I need to become more in tune to my surroundings.

 

When I go to work tomorrow, I'll bring it up or something. But for now I just need to focus on getting Caroline from the hospital room to her moms car without dropping her. Even when we try to help her, she still finds a way to complain on the way.