From My Enemy To My Love (boyxboy) ✔

Chapter 40

A/N: This chapter contains mature content. I will indicate where it starts with ------------------------ and indicate where it ends with ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ so if you want to skip this section you can.

Chet Watakeekul

I walked into the cafeteria. It was strange. It had been awhile since I had eaten lunch there. I spotted Mateo right away and from the tight eyebrows and clenched jaw, he wasn't happy with me. Gareth wasn't there yet. I had invited him too because I couldn't tell Mateo without telling Gareth.

I took in a deep breath and went to the small, round table Mateo sat at. He pushed a slice of pizza on a paper plate across the table towards me and a bottled water. I didn't pick it up right away.

"How did Gareth know?" Mateo asked. "Did you tell him?"

"No," I rushed to say. I didn't want Mateo to think I told Gareth over him.

"Then why did he tell me to call you first thing this morning like he knew?"

"I don't know. I never told him. I mean, he figured out I had a crush on Vincent all on his own. I never told him we were actually dating. I...oh."

"Oh what?"

"He called me last night," I said. "Vincent started talking to me while I was still on the phone, but I didn't think Gareth heard his voice. He didn't act like he did, but maybe he did."

"I did," Gareth said as he came up to the table. He reached over Mateo, grabbed a slice of pizza and sat in the chair next to Mateo. He took a bite like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Why didn't you say anything last night?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I thought it would be funner this way. Kannika came over last night and..."

"My little sister went to your apartment? I guess I better talk to her about boundaries. She's starting to turn into a stalker."

Gareth shook his head. "It wasn't like that. It really didn't bother me that she came over last night. She didn't do anything inappropriate. She asked me if I knew who you were dating, but I didn't even know you were dating. She said you hardly slept at home anymore. I told her I only knew you had a crush, but not that you were dating and she left. But then I put two and two together and called you to see if I could confirm it without making you suspicious and then I heard Vincent's voice and voila."

"Voila?" Mateo asked. He was even more upset than before. "You didn't tell me he was dating Vincent. You didn't tell me any of that. You just told me to call him first thing in the morning. Like to ambush me or something."

"Like I said, it's funner this way."

"Funner for who?" Mateo asked in disbelief.

"Me of course," Gareth said.

I picked up the slice of pizza. Mateo turned to me and I froze as if his wrath couldn't be directed at me if I didn't move.

"And you," he said. "You just decided it would be fun to date the enemy? Date the guy that forced me to come out to my family? Who said I only was dating Alex for his money? Who tried to suggest I take Alex to a hotel?"

I put the slice of pizza back down. "It's not like that," I said.

"Then how is it?" Mateo demanded, "because for the life of me I cannot fathom how this happened."

"Everything he did was in a misguided attempt to save Alex. It came from a place of caring. He just didn't understand."

"That's a lame excuse. And now I can't help but wonder if his change in attitude towards me is sincere or if he's just trying to make it good with me to be on your good side."