thanks Dad!
Dad
Don’t thank me yet. We will see what Ashley and her parents say.
Not even an hour later, while I’m in the middle of college algebra homework, Ashley calls me.
“Yellow?” I answer.
“Oliver?”
“Oliver…” I muse. “Wow, I haven’t heard that name in years.”
Ashley sighs into the receiver. “You know that eventually gets old, right?”
“Not to me!”
“Anyway, I spoke to your dad. You want to ditch us for Thanksgiving?”
I scoff. “Geez, that’s like the worst way he could have possibly interpreted that. No, I just got invited to my friend Jude’s family’s Thanksgiving dinner, and they have a huge family coming in from all over, so I figured maybe we could have ours a day early or a day late or something. Would that be okay?”
“Hmm. We could work something out. Is this the same friend you were texting nonstop while you visited for Charli’s birthday?”
I roll my eyes. “It wasn’t nonstop, but yes.”
“I see. And you and this Jude person are just friends? Or is there something else going on?”
So, it’s complicated. I’m in love with them, but they’re only into girls. Also, technically, I’m asexual, and they quite enjoy sex, so it would never work out between us in any other capacity, so yes, just friends. Best friends.
“Just friends, Ashley,” I answer.
“Mhm, okay. Well, I’ll talk to my parents about switching Thanksgiving to Friday. You should invite Jude to our Thanksgiving!”
Damn, why didn’t I think of that? “Okay, yeah. That could be nice.”
“Sounds good! Are you still coming home for the Thanksgiving break?”
“Yeah, I’ll ride home with Theo on the Friday before and stay all week. I think Jude will come and pick me up on Thanksgiving.”
“Awesome! Well, we will see you next week! Love you, kid!”
“Love you, too.”
After I disconnect the call, I lean back against my desk chair and let out a long, low-pitched groan.
Is it fucked up that I’m actually looking forward to being Jude’s fake boyfriend? I mean, sure, their family sounds awful, and Thanksgiving is going to be miserable for them. Plus, the reason we’re doing this at all is depressing. But I can’t help the butterflies in my stomach at the thought of being Jude’s romantic partner, even though I know it’s all pretend. I assume it’s because I know it’s the closest I’ll ever get to the real thing, and again, that’s super bleak. This is why emotions are stupid. Love is stupid. Romance doesn’t make any damn sense.
And yet, it’s all I think about now. More accurately,Judeis all I think about. I constantly wonder what Jude’s up to, what they’re thinking, and how they’re feeling. I catch myself daydreaming about what it would be like if Jude were with me. I imagine their face, and my heart skips a beat. I come across something that reminds me of them, and my cheeks flush. I get a text from them, and my stomach flips.
It’s exhausting. It’s delightful. It’s agonizing. It’s wonderful.
It’s really fucking distracting.
Hopefully, the Thanksgiving scheme will get this all out of my system. I’m actually counting on it, because if Jude joins my family for Thanksgiving, we’ll be back to being strictly platonic the very next day. I really shouldn’t dread that interaction more than the fake-dating one, but…here we are.
Stupid, stupid love.
Friday, November 21, 2025
