Jerk

Tell me you’re unhappy. Tell me you want more than Joey. Please. “Yeah?”

“We have to keep an open mind about it. Embrace all the possibilities, and—” The desk phone rings. “Sorry, one sec.”

When he pulls away from me to get the phone, I feel a vacuum in my heart, desperate for him to just finish his point and confess how miserable he is with Joey. I’m literally glued to the front of this damned desk, resenting it for being in the way.

“Jesse’s Fitness. This is Danny Chen. How can I—? No, I’m sorry, Desiree isn’t in today. No, I’m afraid we don’t offer classes for—Oh, sure, I can connect you with Louis if you—Oh, okay, no prob, I can sign you up. Can you provide me your full name or email so I can look up your membership?”

I’m a terrible person, I’ve just decided.

I can’t keep rooting for the end of his relationship. I can’t keep doing this to myself, either. I shouldn’t even be standing at this counter. No matter how horrible of a human being Joey might be, I can’t act like it’s my purpose in life to see their end, then snatch up Danny for my own.

What kind of person is my own desperation turning me into?

“Desiree will be in tomorrow,” says Danny, smiling. “Sure, thanks, have a great evening!” He hangs up, then squints at me. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. I probably shouldn’t be taking up your time or distracting you from—”

“Oh, you’re not distracting me or taking up anything.” He returns immediately to his position leaning over the counter, right where I can nearly feel the warmth coming off his body. I don’t deserve that warmth. “I like talking to you, Romeo.”

Fuck me.

My heart peels off all its clothes and melts into a puddle of giggles right there from his words.

What am I supposed to do with that?

“So, uh …” Danny clears his throat and squints at me. “What was I talking about before—?”

“You were telling me I should keep an open mind.”

“Right! Keep an open mind and an open heart. To everything. I mean, look at me. I never thought in a million years I’d be with a guy like Joey, and now we’re going on two years.”

Two years? I can’t believe they’ve been together that long. How did it start? What did Joey do or say to convince Danny to be his boyfriend? And was it done at gunpoint?

“Well, almost two years,” he says. “Granted, the whole first year, we kinda dragged our feet on officially calling ourselves boyfriends, because he was a bit of a commitment-phobe, but …” He chuckles and shakes his head. “Sorry, you didn’t ask for my life story, nor did you ask for my advice. Why do I keep doing this?” He laughs again.

Even his apologies and awkward laughter make me weak in the knees. “I appreciate it anyway,” I assure him. “Really, it helps to have your perspective. I have no gay friends, so—”

He gapes. “No gay friends??”

“Just my friend and coworker Prisha. She’s technically bi, but kinda hates labels, and has only dated men, except for one short thing in high school apparently, so … I guess she’s the closest thing I have to a gay friend …?”

“Romeo.” His tone drips with mock disapproval. “I can’t believe you have no gay friends. A guy like you? I mean, who do you take as your wingman to the bars or clubs?”

“No one. Prisha, sometimes, but that’s just when we want to have fun and let loose.”

Danny smacks the counter. “I’ve got an idea. Call me crazy, but I’m feeling like you and I really have something going on here between us.”

You have no idea. “Between us …?”

“Yeah!” He folds his arms on the counter and nods at me. “I’m gonna be your gay friend, Romeo. You can protest all you want, I don’t care if I’m pestering you, but this world is just as huge and lonely as it is small and crowded. Us gay guys gotta stick together.”

I’m not protesting.

I’m ecstatic.

He and I can stick together as much as he wants.

“Yeah,” I finally agree, despite my clambering heart rate due to the sudden proximity of our faces. Of course it’d race now and not while I was on the treadmill earlier. “We need to stick together.”

“So it’s a done deal.” Danny nods and smacks the counter again, his bicep bulging and his eyes lighting up in the cutest way. “Next time you go looking for a date, I’m your wingman. I’ll be there to support you, to spot the single guys you should go after, and to encourage you. And once you’ve found your man, I’ll disappear and be on standby with my phone. We’re going to find you a decent fellow, Romeo!”

I’ve already found one. He’s standing right in front of me, just a tiny desk separating us. “Yeah? Is that what we’re gonna do?”