A couple of days later, I met up with Maya so together we could meet up with Ari to hangout at an old favorite restaurant spot of ours.
The place was a culmination of four ethnic and international mini restaurants all under one roof with a large room for everyone to come together and eat, like a cafeteria.
The place served nothing but healthy foods. I know how that sounds. Healthy food and this place is one of our favorite hangout spots? They served all your favorite foods and new ones you've never tried, but healthy. Meaning, no extra additives, no MSG, no GMOs, no fillers, no fatty oils, no over addition of salt, no white sugar, instead they use raw sugarcane sugar and honey. They used humanely treated and properly fed meats for the meat eaters, fresh veggies and fruits from local vendors, reusable and recyclable utensils, and everything was fairly and decently priced.
For some reason when people think of healthy, they think it's not going to taste good, that everything will be bland and not filling, but baaabyyyy, this place was fye as fuck!
Spices and flavors from different places used to enhance the already fresh tasting foods, cultural alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages from different lands, and music over the speakers from each of those countries represented.
America needs more places like this.
"How has the past few days been with your family?" I asked Maya. It was just the two of us sharing a basket of sweet potato fries while we waited for Ari to get his always ass there.
"The time I've spent with them was good. You know I love my crazy family. We're already planning a trip back to the home country. Speaking of which, you are coming with us when we go next time, girl. However, I haven't been at my home here a whole lot."
"Heck yeah I'm down to go to the Caribbean to finally see my bestie's home. And to hang out with your crazy funny fam and to eat all that delectable food. But, why haven't you been at home much? Where have you been?"
Maya sat there quietly smiling like she was envisioning the reason why she hadn't been home.
Let me find out my friend is involved in some kind of drugs.
"Is it drugs? Are you doing the "white man's powder"? That baking soda? Or is it...the meth?? Are you becoming a crackhead?! Honey, you got so much more to live for! You're also too big for me to drag to a hospital," I say to her loudly so the people around us can hear.
Maya glares at me. Clearly not finding the humor in my joking around with her.
"No, puta. I'm not "partaking in the white man's drug". I ain't stupid. Buuuuttt,"
"Yeeesss???"
"I have been talking to a guy."
I gasp loudly and slap my hands on my face like Kevin in Home Alone.
"Girl! Who is it?! Is it someone I know?! Is he cute??"
Maya laughs at my excitement knowing full and well she's not gonna tell me who it is.
"I'm not going to tell you who it is yet, but yes, you do know him and yes, he is very cute."
I continue to squeal in excitement for my best friend. I was so happy when she finally moved on from Ari and started seeing other guys. Although, I wasn't the happiest when she started talking to dudes over dating apps. Even after we told her about that mess the first time, she continued to occasionally talk to guys. Not all of them were bad guys though, thank goodness, but she had her fair share of catfishes both times.
"It's not another catfish is it? Do I need to call Nev and Max?" I ask suddenly concerned.
"Nooo hoe! Shit! Calm the fuck down. You know this guy personally."
"Is it Miguel?! OMG is it my neighbor?! He had a real glow up. Like seriously. He's real cute now. Ooo, no it's not him. Is it 'Karlos with a K'? Or 'Carlos with a C'? Nope, it's the preacher's kid Michael isn't it! Everyone knew he was a slut in high school except his parents. But I heard he goes to a Christian college now and is still hoeing around on holy ground, bless his heart, so never mind. It ain't his STD havin' ass."
"Are you done yet, girl?" She asks me rolling her eyes and still munching on a fry.
"Well, I know it ain't Ari," I laughed to myself at the joke she doesn't understand.
"How do you know that? It could be."
"HAHA! No the fuck it can't." I laugh.
"And why not?"
Shit, I forgot that Ari never came out to Maya. I need to come up with an excuse quick.
"Uhhh, girl you know his parents are real strict. They still don't allow him to date and him being the goody two-shoes that he is, abides by that."
That was such a terrible lie. So full of holes, but let's see if it sticks the landing.
"Allow??" He's not a middle schooler. What do you mean allow? He dated Blaire in high school."
Shit! She's got a valid point. What do I say now??!!
"That was different girl. Their families are like best friends, so they didn't mind them dating. They were practically betrothed since birth," I say nervously.
"Hmm. Whatever I guess."
SUCCESS! A solid 9.5 score!
For real though, I need Ari to talk to Maya before I end up putting my dirty ass foot in my mouth again.
"So, who is this guy?"
"I already told you I'm not gonna tell you who it is yet. Not until I know for sure about him."
"Well can you hurry up and know for sure about him then?! I'm ready to know who it is!"
Maya laughs at me and shakes her head.
"You talk to Remi?" She asks changing the subject.
"Of course! He told me that he's made it back home and is happy to be back with his family and friends, but still wishes he was here with us. Maya, I miss him. I really want to curl up against him.
I feel like I'm missing one of my favorite socks. You know the fuzzy kind you wear during the winter? The ones you can slide around in on the kitchen floor? I feel like I washed the socks and put them in to dry, and when I opened the dryer, one was missing, and I couldn't find it."
"Well, that was descriptive."
I shrug my shoulders and sip on my drink.
"How long do you think you'll miss him?"
I set my cup down and stare into space thinking about Maya's question. She doesn't realize what I'm doing though. To her, it just looks like I'm lost. Like I'm ignoring her.
"You ok?" She asks.
"I don't know. I don't know how long I'll miss Remi. He was my first everything. I know how cheesy and cliché that sounds but he really was. I don't think you just forget someone like that. I'll miss him until someone comes along to make me not miss him romantically anymore I guess. Does that make sense?"
Maya nods like she understands.
"He's a really good guy and I'm glad he got to be your first everything. It's too bad he couldn't stay longer, but maybe one day we can go to Ireland and see him and his country and all those other beautiful Irish boys!"
Maya is a trip. I laugh and smile and wipe away the small tear that somehow formed in the corner of my eye without my knowledge.
"Enough of this sadness! Where is Ari with his bitch ass?" Maya asks looking around the building.
I laugh at her again and join her in looking around. I glance out the large nearby windows to see a brown-haired jolly Arizona, waving.
"There he is," I tell Maya who looks in the same direction I'm looking.
Ari continues to grin at us and wave.
"That late hoe," I say jokingly.
The both of us simultaneously smile at him and jokingly flip him off as he continues to walk by the window and eventually into the building.
"My favorite ladies!" Ari says trying to kiss up to us as he makes it over.
Ari hugs me tightly and then sits down next to Maya and hugs her.
"I'm so sorry guys. I, uh, got caught up with someone, I mean something."
"Caught up with someone?" I say raising my eyebrow at him.
"No, I said "something"," he says trying to cover his tracks.
"No, no, I heard you say the word "someone" also," Maya says crossing her arms.
Ari looks from me to Maya, then back at me again, and then sighs like he had been caught.
"Fine. I was with Charlie this morning and things ran over and I kinda forgot I was supposed to be here. He surprised me by being in town."
"What?!" I squeak.
"Oh! What's so wrong about you being with Charlie? You guys are best friends. All you had to say was that you were with him and would be late. Better yet, you should've invited him! I haven't seen him in ages," Maya says looking at him.
I glance at Ari, then back at Maya, then back to Ari.
"Shit. I haven't told you, have I?" Ari asks her.
"Told me what?"
Ari thoughtfully stares at his friend like he's quickly running scenarios in his head.
Should he say this delicately, or just be harsh and blunt with it? Just rip off the metaphorical bandaid.
"Uh, Maya, Charlie and I were fuckin' this morning. He's uh, my boyfriend. I'm gay. Well, actually, we were dating, but we broke up... It's complicated. Kinda hard to tell since we hooked up. Anyway, he happened to be back home for the summer and we did one of those "we're exs but we angry fucked" type of things, but yeah, I'm gay."
Blunt. Obviously blunt was the way to go with this.
Also, what?! They hooked up after being broken up?!
When I tell you that Maya Esperanza's eyes got so big! She looked over to me to silently ask me if I knew about this. All I could do was nod my head slowly. Fuck, this is awkward. You could cut the embarrassment and tension with a dull butter knife.
"Look Maya, if your views on me have now changed, I totally get it. You don't have to be my friend anymore if you don't want to. I won't be upset. I'm not going to force you to like me or my lifestyle."
Maya is still silent for a few moments and all I could do was be a spectator and watch the scene unfold.
"You're right Ari. My views on you have changed."
Ari sadly frowns and looks away from her embarrassed. Even though he told her he wouldn't be upset with her, he still found himself upset.
"I'm really sorry Maya, I'll get up so you can---"
"My views of you have changed because you are a no-good dirty bastard! Why didn't you tell me you were dating Charlie! I've always suspected something more than friendship was going on between you two, but hey, I can't judge how someone hangs out with their friend. What hurts me more is that I thought we were friends. Why didn't you trust me enough to tell me you were gay? Did you really believe I would hate you or tell you to fuck off?"
Ari and I stare at her in astonishment.
"I. Uh. It's not that I didn't trust you, it's just that I knew you had a thing for me, and I didn't know how to tell you back then. I also didn't want everyone knowing and just wanted to live my life, you know? And I just got so caught up with moving to California and college and other stuff that it never crossed my mind that I hadn't told you yet."
"You thought I was going to lust after you for that long though? That's cocky of you. And you! Nova! Why didn't you tell me?! In fact, how did you end up telling her Ari?"
"It wasn't my place to tell you girl. And Ari didn't tell me. I figured it out on my own. You know me."
Maya shrugs and then agrees.
"So how long have you guys been together?" She asks Ari, now invested.
Ari laughs a nervous relieved laugh, hugs Maya, and then kisses her on the forehead.
"If you had kissed me on the forehead in our previous years, I would have lost my shit," Maya says causing us to laugh, "but I'm talking to someone now so it's cool."
"Hang on, firstly, Charlie and I have been dating since early high school, and secondly, WHAT?! You're over me for real?!" He says joking.
"Early high school?! You guys have been keeping this from me for THAT long?! What about Blaire?!"
"Blaire knew. She was in on it the whole time because they were in a fake relationship. That's why she so quickly moved on to Loki," I tell her.
"Yeah, I didn't completely come to the realization that I was gay until late tenth grade. I mean had previously found guys attractive but hadn't really thought anything about it. I also hadn't found any guy who I just seriously liked so I didn't think on it much. I was more concerned with my grades and football.
But then there was that fateful day Charlie kissed me in the locker room at that game I got injured at by the steroid Hulk twins, and I kissed him back. Just about been together ever since then," Ari explains.
"O.M.G. I can't believe this. This is crazy! You guys have been dating a long time."
"Yeah, I'm sorry again that I never told you."
"It's ok Ari. I just gotta know,"
"Yeah?"
"What's the sex like?" Maya says joking.
We both laugh at her and I throw a couple of my leftover fries at her.
"No way ma'am, you're not going to get distracted by my sex life, which is great by the way; you're going to tell me about this guy you're talking to!"
"Ari, I already tried. She won't give up anything," I tell him laughing.
"Ugh. He's someone you guys already know," she says.
"I know this guy?? Is it Karlos with a 'K'?" He asks.
"What the heck is it with you guys?! No it's not that weird ass dude! Just know that you guys know him pretty well and that I'm not saying anything until I know if it's serious. Once I know, you guys will know. Currently, we're just getting to know each other better again. I've known him since, like, high school and would always see him and think he was really cute and cool. We semi talked for a little while but allowed it to die out eventually."
"Damn girl! So, you were looking at dudes other than me?"
"Ari shut up!" She laughs slapping his arm.
I smile at the both of my friends. I'm so glad Ari finally told her about this because the secret has been drilling a hole in my brain for years. I've wanted to tell Maya on multiple occasions, but knew it wasn't my place to tell her. She would've been even angrier if Ari hadn't told her himself.
"So, Ari, tell us about your college life! The ups and downs of you and Charlie being so far apart. How did you guys manage?" I ask, folding my hands to rest them under my chin to prepare for a good story.
"Forget that, tell us how California is! Tell us about the boys!" Maya says excitedly turning sideways in the chair to face him so she can hear him better.
"Well..."