The Boyfriend Blog

I nod.

“Like out in public?”

“Yep. She’s going to go to the grocery store and the dog park and the library and—”

“I get it,” he interrupts. “But how does this benefit you?”

I point to her computer. “She’s blogging about it. All I have to do is figure out where she’s going and show up there.”

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nbsp; “So you can…what? Intercept any potential boyfriends?”

“I hadn’t really thought that far, but yeah, pretty much.”

Calvin frowns. “You don’t think she’s going to get suspicious when you start popping up places?”

I scratch my head and shrug. “Maybe. I don’t know. I’ll come up with something.” I watch Calvin for a few seconds and then say, “What are you thinking?”

He shakes his head. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I’m thinking it might work.”

If Calvin thinks it’ll work, it’ll work. “Yeah?”

He nods. “The hard part is going to be figuring out where she’s planning to go and when.”

An idea pops into my head. One so genius that it’s too good to be true. “I’ll use her blog to find out.”

“How?”

“I’ll subscribe to her blog using a fake email.”

“A fake email? Christ, Aiden, if she finds out about this, she’ll be pissed. She may never talk to you again.”

“How’s she going to find out? I’m not going to tell her.” I give him a hard look, and Calvin purses his lips together.

“You’re asking me to lie for you?”

“Not lie. Omit. And it’s for a good cause.” I can tell Calvin isn’t fully on board, so I take a step forward and put a hand on his shoulder. “I need to get out of the Friend Zone. I won’t take it too far, and I’ll get rid of the fake account as soon as I think I have a fighting chance, but I need a little help to get started, and this is it.”

“Aiden—”

“Come on, bro, you have to back me on this. Lizzie is it for me. I want what you and Millie have, and I want it with Lizzie.”

That gets to him. Calvin’s face softens. “Fine. But just so it’s noted, I’m doing this for—”

“I know, I know, you’re doing it because you feel sorry for my pathetic ass.”

Calvin tilts his head and studies me. “I don’t think you’re pathetic.”

While I was jacking around in high school, Calvin was plowing his way through college. He graduated six years ahead of me with his MBA. Mom and Dad couldn’t have been prouder. They had one dream for their kids: success. Success would’ve been going to med school like they wanted me to do or following in Calvin’s footsteps and joining him at his accounting firm. Success wasn’t becoming a video game designer. It doesn’t matter how many hit video games my name is associated with, or how much money I have rolling in, they still see it as a profession that lacks respect. It doesn’t bother me coming from them because I’m used to it, but I don’t want to hear it from Calvin. He’s more than my best friend and big brother. He’s my mentor.

I turn away, but he grabs my arm. “I don’t think you’re pathetic,” he says again. “I was going to say that I’m doing it for Lizzie because she deserves to be happy, and I know you’ll treat her like a queen.”

Because she is a queen. My queen. “You do?”

“Yes. You might’ve been a punk growing up, but when you say you’ve changed, I believe you. I’ve watched it happen. I also believe that no man on this planet will love her the way you will.

“That means a lot to me.”