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“I’m sorry. I don’t know why that happened.”
Lou stared at me not saying a word. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Yeah, I had gotten hard thinking about us sharing a bed, but it wasn’t a big deal, right?
“Lou, please don’t make this a big deal,” I told him hoping I hadn’t ruined everything.
I don’t know why, but Lou just kept staring at me. When he finally spoke, it felt like an eternity had passed.
“Titus, can you walk me home?”
“Of course.”
He then took my hand and said, “Fiancé practice.”
I smiled. “Good idea.”
Holding hands under the moonlight, I walked him home in silence.
After a lingering hug goodnight, I watched Lou enter his dorm and then took the first deep breath I had had in days. I couldn’t believe I had pulled it off. And I couldn’t believe that he had asked me to meet his parents as his fiancé.
It would be pretend for now, but would it stay that way? Would I ever have a better opportunity than this one to tell him how I feel about him?
“How’d he like it?” Cali asked me when I entered our room.
“I think he really appreciated it. Thanks for being there. And he invited me to go with him this weekend when he takes care of his grandmother’s legal stuff.”
When an awkward silence developed I looked up at Cali. That was when I realized he knew more than he was saying. After that, I had a hard time looking him in the eye.
“You like him, don’t you?”
“Of course I like him. You’ve met him. What’s not to like?”
“No, I mean you really like him.”
I paused, sighed, and then decided I was too tired to continue whatever game I was playing.
“Yeah, I like him. I’ve always liked him. From the moment I met him, he’s been all I can think about.”
“You tell him that?”
I thought about it. “I will this weekend.”
“Good for you,” Cali said with a smile.
Cali was sometimes hard to read, but there was no mistaking how much he meant it. He was happy for me.
“So, you met anyone you like, yet?”
As soon as I asked him, Cali turned beet red. With his eyes locked on the ground, he said, “No, I’m trying to stay focused on football.”
“Cali, never play poker,” I told him before crawling into bed and quickly falling asleep.
I woke up the next morning relieved and refreshed. Not only had Lou’s memorial gone off without a hitch, but I was about to spend the weekend with him. Between packing and classes, the day flew by and when it was time to pick up Lou, I was in the best mood. Lou was not.
There were many ways people would describe Lou, unpredictable, funny, adorable. But the one thing that nobody could miss was that he was upbeat. He always had a cute little smile on his face. Even when times were tough, he would find the bright side or the humor in it. None of that was there when I picked him up at his dorm.
“Everything okay?” I asked him as we snaked our way to the highway.
“No. Everything is definitely not okay.”
