"Hey, Josh, we're having a campfire on the beach. Is there any way I can call you back later?" My best friend, Jason, asked me as he answered my call. I was bored out of my mind, and this was my last attempt at entertainment.
"Yeah, that's fine." I told him. "I was just calling to say hi. Have fun with Matt."
"Thanks! He says hi, by the way." He told me cheerfully. The two of them were so in love it was sickening
"Tell him I say hi back." I told him, adding as much cheer to my tone as I could. We were barely okay again, the last thing I needed to do was piss him off by not acting like his dumb boyfriend hung the moon in the sky. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Definitely. We still need to talk about classes and stuff. I want to make sure we're in at least one together since we decided not to live together."
"Sure." I mustered up as much enthusiasm as possible. "Have fun."
"Thanks, Josh!" I could hear Jay and Matt laughing in the background before he even disconnected the call.
With a sigh, I tossed my cell on my bed and groaned. Summertime boredom had finally crept in. While you would think that as an 18 year-old living in DC, I would be having the time of my life enjoying freedom before college, I was actually completely bored out of my mind. I had always been someone who liked school more than breaks, mostly because my parents were never around. There was only so much fun you could have by yourself. At least at school I had friends to hang out with. I had Jason.
Jason had been my best friend since our freshman year in high school, and up until recently, our friendship had been effortless. Then, in our final semester, he started dating one of the most popular kids in school, and we began to fall apart. There was some drama with someone I was sleeping with, and it all just blew up in my face. I was so angry at Jay for so long, I almost lost him altogether. Luckily, shortly after graduation, he reached out to me, and we managed to work it out.
And it wasn't that I didn't like Matt. He was actually a really great guy, and surprisingly, very nice. He was great for Jason, and he obviously cared for him. He made this big, grand gesture at graduation, and the two of them had been inseparable ever since. They were currently shacked up in Nantucket, enjoying a summer of love and bliss until we all went to college. At least they were going separate ways in a couple weeks. Matt was going to Brown, and Jay was going to Yale with me. Even though the two schools weren't far apart, it would be nice to have Jay as a friend back, regardless of whether we lived together or not.
I wanted to be happy for them, but I couldn't help but be a little jealous. Everything always seemed so effortless for Jay, and everything WAS effortless for Matt. They made this perfect couple that made it through every challenge that was thrown out them and ended up making things better because of adversity. I had always had an inking that Jason was gay, but I had kind of thought that I would be the one to convince him of that. I had spent years imagining us as a couple. Never in my wildest dreams had I dreamed that Matt Humphrey would be the one to change his persuasion. It was a little frustrating.
Meanwhile, I couldn't keep a guy happy if I tried, my last relationship was a total flop, and I was bored out of my mind in this penthouse apartment in DC. My father was off on another business trip, and my mother usually does summer abroad to avoid reality for a bit, so I was left alone in this monstrous apartment with nothing to do. I had spent the day lounging on the pool on our rooftop, but that was boring by myself, and I could only subtly stare at the pool boy from behind my sunglasses for so long before even that lost its appeal.
I let out a giant sigh and made my way to the shower. Maybe I would go out tonight and give my fake ID a try. I had bought it for the weekend of PRIDE in NYC at the beginning of the summer, and it had worked like a charm there. Hopefully, it would have the same luck in DC. I was blessed with dark features, which tended to make me look slightly older than I actually was, but DC bouncers were a bit more exclusive than some of the gay clubs in New York during a major weekend. All I could do was hope that it would work.
After I showered, I took one last chance on my cousin Lexi. She was 21, and always up for a night out of dancing. Lucky for me, she answered on the first ring, and agreed to meet me outside one of my favorite places in an hour. Now that my night plans had turned around, I was excited for a fun evening out. I have no idea what the nightlife will be like in Connecticut, and I wanted to shake my groove thing as much as possible over the next week before I moved.
As promised, Lexi was already waiting for me outside the club in Dupont Circle, chatting it up with a couple of guys waiting in line. She was probably one of the most social people I have ever met in my life, and I knew we would have a great time. "Hey, josh!" She yelled as she saw me approach, and rapidly made her way over to me to give me a spine-crushing hug. "You look awesome. You're going to break a lot of hearts tonight." She kissed me on the cheek before grabbing my hand and dragging me to the front of the line. Lexi knew everyone in this town, and I wasn't even remotely surprised when she went up to the bouncer and hugged him, had a small conversation with him, and gave him his own kiss on the cheek before he allowed us behind the velvet rope. The audible protest from the rest of the people in line became muffled by the deep bass of the club as we entered. I had only been here a handful of times on their 18+ nights, but I always had a good time, and there were usually quite a few attractive guys. The crowd was noticeably older than any of the times I had been here, so I would consider that a good sign. I didn't need a hook up, I just wanted to have fun. Older guys wouldn't look twice at me.
Lexi dragged me over to a booth at the edge of the dance floor before signaling a cocktail waiter over for a drink. "First round is on me." She announced, ordering us a couple of tequila shots and margaritas. "So, why did you want to go out?"
I shrugged. "Just needed to get out of the house, I guess." I told her, giving the dance floor a quick once over. "I've been going a little stir crazy all summer.'
"When does Jason get back?"
"He and Matt come back on Wednesday, but we leave for school on Saturday, so I doubt all that time between will be sent with me. I'm sure he will want to spend time with his father and Matt before he leaves. We'll be able to see each other all year."
"But you guys aren't living together anymore, right?"
"No. After the whole thing with Adam, it just got too messy. Plus, he has this whole thing with Matt, and I spent enough time this year being the third wheel to that love fest. I don't want to put pressure on that this year too. It's better for both of us if we get out and meet other people anyway."
She nodded in understanding. "I can see that. But honestly, Josh, it's probably for the best. You've been in love with him for so long. You need to go out and find someone who sees just how amazing you are."
