The Boyfriend Blog

“Perfect. So, instead of a ghost-eating Pac-Man, you have a dragon, and he’s chasing after preposition fireballs.”

“Dragons blow fireballs, they don’t eat them.” Calvin quickly holds his hands up when Lizzie glares at him. “Okay, fine, we’ll have a fireball-eating dragon.”

“Wait…” Ideas are whirling in my head, one after another after another, almost too fast for me to keep up with. I grab a piece of paper and pen from my bag and jot them down before I forget. “What if the dragon blows fire at words, but the purpose of the game is to hit the prepositions.”

“Yes!” Lizzie claps and throws her arms around my neck. “And it can be tailored for different grades. You can do it to help kids learn nouns, verbs, adjectives, the possibilities are endless.”

“And the faster they identify certain words, the higher the score. It could be a one-person game or a four-person game.”

“And you’re not just stuck with language,” she says, stealing the idea right out of my head. “There’s math, science, social studies. You can design them for all ages, from preschool to high school.”

I love how excited Lizzie sounds about this project. But then again, that’s how things have always been.

Lizzie is my rock, my partner, my best friend, and I love her for it.

It’s moments like this that make me wonder if we’re better off as friends. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s a preview of how good we could be together.

“It’s a brilliant idea.” Calvin watches me with a proud eye.

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely. I bet Ryan will go crazy for it.”

“Glad I could help.” Lizzie stands up. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got somewhere to be. Calvin, it was great seeing you.” She bends down to kiss his cheek.

“It was great seeing you, too, Liz. You’re still coming to the wedding, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Where are you heading off to?” I ask.

“Yoga.”

“Yoga? But you hate to exercise. Even worse, you hate stretching.”

“I know. But it’s hot yoga, and Sarah said the instructor is muy caliente.”

“Have fun,” Calvin says.

“Thanks.” Lizzie grabs her purse from the back of her chair and points a finger at me. “I’ll see you tomorrow at trivia night. I hope you’re ready to lose.”

“In your dreams.” She winks and turns for the door, taking another piece of my heart with her. When I turn back around, Calvin has a stupid grin on his face. “What?”

“Nothing.” He laughs and shakes his head. Whatever. “Did you go for the final fitting of your suit?”

I was so damn glad when Calvin decided on tailored suits in lieu of tuxes at his wedding. “Yes, I did. Is there anything else you need help with?”

“Nah, Mom has taken care of most of it.”

“Really?”

“Are you really that surprised? Mom has always been involved.”

“Not with me.”

Calvin pins me with a hard look. “That’s because you wouldn’t let her. It wasn’t from a lack of trying on her part.”

Growing up, I fought my parents on everything. Everything. I was a handful, always ready to do what I wanted, when I wanted, how I wanted. C