This Is Becoming a Catastrophe

“Guys, everything went horribly wrong.” I yelled, falling onto the couch while Kyle and Austin ran down the hall, Kyle’s boyfriend, and also my best friend, Colby in tow.
“Oh no, what happened? She didn’t accept?” Kyle asked, sounding concerned.
“Not only that, she dumped me all together. It was horrible.” I said, covering my face with my arms.
“Awww, what happened, hon?” Colby asked, sitting on the arm of the couch by my legs.
I hid my smile when Colby asked me that. I loved how gay he was, it was cute.
“Everything was going awesome; I made Alisha my mom’s homemade spaghetti, she fricken loves that stuff, and then I bought her favorite cheesecake and it was a really romantic evening with candlelight and what have you. Then when she asked me why I was doing this whole dinner shebang, she came out and said that she was dumping me, right as I was about to grab the ring out of my pocket. Like I said, terrible. I’m in such a horrible mood right now.”
“Why did she dump you?” Austin asked.
“She didn’t love me, and it took her 4 fuckin’ years to realize it.” I said, sitting up, swinging my legs onto the floor. I guess that indicated to Colby that he was allowed to come and cuddle with me and comfort me. We’ve been best friends since 2nd grade, so he was allowed to do that without Kyle getting jealous. I introduced him to Kyle two years ago and they’ve been inseparable since.
“I’m sorry, Caleb. Is there anything we can do?” He asked, his voice full of every emotion imaginable.
I sniffled, not realizing that I’d been on the verge of tears this whole conversation. “There’s not much you can do, except try and convince her to get back with me, but that’s not gonna happen. I don’t think I wanna get back together with her anyways, knowing what I do now, that she doesn’t actually love me, I wouldn’t wanna be in a one sided relationship. God, why do I always have such bad luck with relationships? Am I too clingy? ‘Cause I always seem to be the one with the broken heart in the end.” I asked, more to myself than to the other three.
“Maybe you should just switch teams.” Kyle said with a small smile on his face, looking at Colby, who smiled back.
“Yeah, thanks for the offer, but no thanks.” I said, smiling, looking at Kyle, giving him one of my “I need to talk to you alone” looks. He nodded and we both turned back to the conversation, which wasn’t much.
“Are you gonna be okay, sweetie?” Colby asked, squeezing my shoulder, looking me straight in the eye with his piercing blue ones, which were only intensified by his dark brown hair styled similarly to mine, but longer. I personally think it looks better on him than it does on me, but whenever I bring it up, he always goes on about how I shouldn’t down talk myself.
“I’ll be fine, Colby, really. She was just another girl. There’s better ones out there, hopefully.” I said, adding on the hopefully part quietly so they wouldn’t hear.
Colby did hear it, though, since he was so close, resulting in him hitting me. “There are better ones out there, and you’re gonna find the love of your life, whether it be tonight or tomorrow or a couple years from now.” Colby said.
I hugged him tightly. “Thanks, Colby. That helped, it really did.”
“I’m glad I could help.” He said, pulling away from our hug and getting off the couch to go over by Kyle, kissing him softly, hugging him tightly. “I think I’m gonna go, hon. I’ll call you later, kay?”
They kissed again, Colby practically on his tip toes. The height difference between the two of them was almost cute enough to giggle over.
“I love you. Talk to you later.” Kyle said, reluctantly letting go of Colby.
“I’ll see you later, sweetie.” He said, hugging me and kissing my cheek before he left. “And you, too.” He hugged Austin last before he left.
I smiled. “Straight or not, I will always love that guy.”
“Well he’s my loveable guy.” Kyle said, sitting on the couch next to me.
“And I really don’t know what I would do if you switched teams, man. I think I’d go crazy.” Austin said, sitting on the opposite side of me.
I laughed. “I think you’d be fine, Austin. You can already handle Colby, and he’s gay enough for three guys.”
Kyle looked at me with his mouth open a little, slightly offended.
“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, chill, Kyle.” I said.
Austin looked at the clock. “Whoa, it’s already past midnight, that’s why I’m yawning. I think I’m gonna head up to bed. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“Alright, night, Austin!” Kyle and I said in unison.
Once we knew that he wasn’t coming back in here, Kyle turned to me, concerned again. “Now, what did you wanna talk to me about?”
“It’s probably waay to early to tell anything like this, but I’m...confused.” I said, thinking that was the best way to put what I was feeling towards Derek right now.
“Confused..about what, exactly?” Kyle asked.
“So after Alisha broke up with me, I went to the bar a couple miles from my house and met this guy there, who I told everything to about me and Alisha. We talked for a good hour or so. He started getting kinda close, but not weirdly close, towards the end and we exchanged numbers and everything. I thought he would just be another guy I befriend, but I don’t know...it feels...different with him.” I said. I only wanted to talk to Kyle about this because he knows more about this kind of stuff than Austin, and if I told Colby, god knows he’d try to get me together with the guy.
“Different like...butterflies in your stomach? Stumbling over your words?” He asked, smiling, getting a little excited.
“Well, no, because I was venting about Alisha.”
“Was he hot?” He asked.
“Oh god was he.” I said before I could catch myself.
Kyle giggled. “Caleb has a crush.”
I scoffed, blushing a little in the process. “It’s way too early to notice anything major, we just met tonight and the conversation was pretty much once sided.”
“How close was he getting?” Kyle asked, tucking his feet underneath him, looking like a teenage girl getting informed on the latest gossip.
“Well, he kept like, massaging my leg and we hugged before I left to come here.”
“Go for it, Caleb! He seems into you!” Kyle said, bouncing on the couch a little.
“I don’t even know if he swings that way, and I don’t swing that way, at least I thought I didn’t...and that’s what I’m confused about. How could one guy change the feelings I have towards guys in general?”
“Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying...?” Kyle asked, slightly shocked.
“No, no, at least not yet.”
“Did he offer to give you a ride home?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah, but I turned it down, ‘cause I only had like two beers.”
“Oh my god!” Kyle squealed a little. “He’s so into you already! You need to call him up right now, I don’t care what time it is. You two need to talk now that you’re all vented out and basically over it.”
I laughed a little. “No, Kyle, I’m not moving on that fast, that’s ridiculous.”
“She probably already has.” Kyle said, seeming kind of regretful that he brought it up.
I looked at him, confused.
“Why do you think she didn’t love you anymore?” He asked quietly.
Kyle was so right. “That cheating little...I can’t believe it. I guess the whole I don’t wanna hurt you bit in her break up speech makes more sense now.”
“Sooo you gonna call him or what?” Kyle asked, staying persistent.
I sighed. “You just wanna see how hot he really is, don’t you?” I asked, smirking, pulling out my phone.
“Psh, nah. Never. I need to call Colby and tell him all about this, he’s gonna be so excited.” Kyle said.
“Don’t. Not yet.” I said, scrolling to Derek’s number.
He sighed. “Fine, fine.”
I rolled my eyes at him and pressed send.
“Hey Caleb.” He answered.
I jumped a little, not expecting an answer from him. “Hey Derek.”
“Did something else come up?” He asked.
“Nah, I was just calling to see what’s up. Makin’ sure your number wasn’t a phony.” I said, smiling a little.
He laughed. “Why would I give you a fake number? Did you really think I hated talking to you and meeting you tonight?”
I blushed, Kyle noticed and suppressed his giggle. “No, I guess not. Thanks again for letting me vent to you, and sorry it was such a one sided conversation.”
“No, no, it’s okay. You deserved your own conversation for what happened to you. Don’t worry about it at all.”
“I was wondering if you’d wanna do something tomorrow, like chill at my place or yours, or even my friend Kyle’s, ‘cause his house is really nice.” I said, smiling, getting hit by Kyle in the process.
“Alright, lets do your friend’s house. How’s one sound?” He asked.
“Awesome for me. I’ll see you then.”
“Yup, bye.”
“Bye.”
I hung up and Kyle was smiling uncontrollably. “You so blushed.”
“I knoooow, I’m just...I don’t know what to think about him right now, I really don’t. He didn’t seem too interested over the phone.”
“Just give it time, Caleb. Give it time. I’m headed off to bed, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He hugged me before getting up and heading into his room. This is one of the rare nights that Colby isn’t staying over. I should probably make the best of it and go to sleep now, too.
“Yes, Caleb, you can spend the night here.” Kyle called to me before I could ask.
I smiled. “Thanks.” I pulled the blankets I usually used out of the wooden chest by the TV and fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillows.