Choosing August

Chapter 8

Walking the room turned out to be a mistake.

We had barely made it through the house when I heard a familiar voice. I looked toward it and found Kelly and Bryson standing together.

Of course.

Here’s something you should know about Cal and Bryson: they knew each other.

They had hung out a few times, usually because of me. The three of us had spent time together before, although neither of them particularly enjoyed it.

Bryson didn’t care for Cal. He felt threatened by him, though he would never admit that directly.

Cal had simply never been comfortable around Bryson. He couldn’t explain why. He had no clue that Bryson and I were secretly dating, just like everyone else, but something about Bryson had always bothered him.

Cal would never approve if he knew the truth.

The moment Bryson saw me beside Cal, his body stiffened.

Cal, either missing the tension or choosing to ignore it, lifted a hand and waved.

Kelly immediately started flirting with him.

Luckily, Margie swooped in before it could go very far.

And now there were four wheels and a spare, I thought.

It didn’t take long for me to realize Margie disliked Kelly. The judgment was already written across her face after only a few minutes of conversation.

The strange part was how Kelly spoke about me.

According to her, I was a close friend of hers and Bryson’s. She loved me. I was amazing. We were all wonderfully connected.

Margie looked at me as though she were asking, You’re actually friends with this bimbo?

I didn’t respond.

Cal appeared to be trying to figure Kelly out, but his attention kept moving toward Bryson.

Bryson was staring at him too.

Eventually, Bryson looked away from Cal long enough to focus on me. He gave me a look that said, Of course you’re here with him.

I returned one of my own.

And of course you’re hanging from Kelly’s arm. Where else would you be on a Friday night? Certainly not with me anymore.

Friday nights used to belong to us.

This thing between Bryson and me had been going on for three years. At the beginning, we had movie nights every Friday. I had even lied to Cal, claiming I was always busy so I could spend those evenings alone with Bryson.

We would watch movies.

I would explore his body.

Bryson liked to credit himself with helping me discover that I was truly gay.

I knew every inch of him. Better than anyone.

At least, I used to.

Now Kelly had both arms wrapped around him. She flirted openly, leaning her head against his shoulder as though she needed everyone in the room to understand that he belonged to her.

I watched for a moment and then looked away.

Bryson caught it.

He shifted slightly, almost trying to create some distance between them, but Kelly only tightened her hold and pulled him closer.

Then her attention moved to me.

“You look really put together tonight, Augie,” she said. “More than usual.”

There it was.

Another backhanded compliment.

I looked at Bryson, but he stared through me again.

Cal and Margie didn’t appear impressed either. They both recognized the insult hidden beneath the praise, though neither of them said anything. They simply watched Kelly and Bryson more carefully.

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s difficult finding something that works well with a husky body.”

I emphasized the word and looked directly at Bryson.

He still hadn’t spoken to me since I sent that message asking whether I was allowed to call him Bryce now that Kelly used the name too. I knew he was irritated with me.

I hadn’t expected what came next.

Kelly laughed.

“I love when you joke about your body like that.”

Cal’s expression tightened.

He didn’t like it.

Margie noticed his reaction. Bryson noticed too, but his attention remained fixed on me and the fact that I had thrown the husky comment back at him.

“You called yourself chubby,” Kelly continued, “and Bryce here called you husky. He said it was a better term for it, I guess. I think they’re practically the same thing.”

“They are, sweetheart,” Bryson said.

I stared daggers at him.

Seriously?

For a second, he looked as though he regretted it.

Then Kelly laughed, and Bryson leaned over. He kissed her cheek.

Then he kissed her on the lips.

Kelly pulled back slightly, smiling in surprise.

“What’s gotten into you? You’re like an animal tonight. We’re in public.”

I looked at Bryson.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

“I need a drink,” I said.

I turned and walked away before I had to hear anything else.

Behind me, Kelly called after me, asking me to bring her something too.

I kept walking.