Mixed 'N' Matched Love

Nick's POV:

Even though the dinner decision happened to be tonight, I wasn’t gonna let Drew get to me. I had promised myself and Pat that I was going to keep my head high and not let anyone or anything distract me or bring me down about this. And I was also determined to make Drew pay for all the bad things he’s done to me.

He was going to PAY and feel all of the sufferings that I was forced to go through. Like I swear to God, if I don’t make him go through all of the nightmares that I have been through myself, then…I don’t know what I’ll do, but all I do know is that it won’t be good for him.

This afternoon, I tried to make the best of my day with Pat before having to head back over to my place and go through that stupid little dinner date.

Pat and I talked about some things and I even let a few past memories slips out now and then, but Pat took them easily and didn’t try pressing me for too much information when I didn’t want to, which was so unlike what Drew would’ve done.

It’s like the more time I spent with Pat; the more I began to wonder what I ever even saw in Drew and why I had never seen these little wonders in Pat before.

‘Why hadn’t I fallen for Pat instead of Drew?’ I wondered to myself. ‘Why did I have to fall for such a jerk like Drew, when I could’ve fallen for such a sweetheart like Pat first?’

But, I already knew the answer to those questions: Drew and I have been best friends since we were kids and Pat was just my jerk of a classmate during college; Drew’s seen me cry before and Pat was usually the one who was making me cry at the time; Drew was always taking care of me and making sure to watch out for me while Pat only knew how to watch me as I suffered and make fun of me; Drew’s known me longer than anyone else has and Pat didn’t know the first thing about me – I doubt he even knew my last name; and finally, there was also the fact that Drew was the sweet and sensitive type and Pat was the too cool for you and the playboy type that I hated – but it was also something that I couldn’t get enough of now.

Anyways, it wasn’t too long that we were together – meaning Pat and I – because soon Cal was coming bounding don the stairs like a puppy with brightly lit eyes on me and a wide grin on his face. I knew the reason why he was here, even I had almost but totally forgotten all about him.

I was too hooked up on Pat now and I never really noticed Cal before, since he was always dubbed as the ‘gay’ one or just not interested or ready in girls as most guys his age were at the time. But, now I was totally proved otherwise, that it was really the girls who weren’t ready for Cal as of yet.

“Hey, Cal, what’s up?” I said to him, trying my best not to show any signs of disappointment in my voice in case he felt bad. Just like Dex and Daniel were my friends, he was too and they’ve helped me a lot in my life and I couldn’t just hurt him like that, could I?

“Hey, Nick!” he was panting – once again much like a dog. “I didn’t know that you were coming over.”

I shot a sideways glance over at Pat, hoping that he wouldn’t say anything too mean to his older to discourage him or anything.

Even though Pat was younger than Cal by a total year and a month, it seemed to me and a lot of other people like Pat were the oldest since he was always acting like such a bossy jerk and Cal was more like the foolish, young one. I felt bad for him though sometimes back in our college days because I wasn’t the only victim of Pat’s.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were home,” I lied to him then. “Otherwise I’d totally have come over and asked you to join us.”

I gave him a sweet smile and I noticed all the sadness disappear out of him.

“Oh, it’s alright!” he gave me a goofy grin.

I smiled at him again, since I couldn’t think of anything else to say to him.

“Um, you wanna sit, Cal?” I finally thought to ask him.

Pat shot me an annoyed look, but I just ignored him and moved closer to Pat to give Cal space. So, basically, there were then, Pat with his arm wrapped tightly around my waist and Cal’s arm placed around my shoulders. It was a weird way to sit, I admit, but I knew exactly how Drew would feel when he stepped through that door that evening and saw the three of us together like that.

And that’s exactly what happened.

“It’s time to go,” he simply grumbled at me. “The other guys are already there and they’re all just waiting for you.”

”Wait, go where?” Pat turned to look at me then.

”Oh, my dad’s just having this little dinner party for Drew and I, and he said it was ok for you guys to come as well.” I explained to them.

”Oh, that’s cool,” Cal replied. “It’s been a while since we’ve had dinner at your house, Nick. I really do miss your maid’s cooking.” He gave a wide grin and then got up and headed over to where Drew was standing and waiting.

Even when Pat got up then, for some reason, I was unable to move my feet towards the door or even get up.

“Um, you guys go ahead, I just have to…get something,” I lied. “But, I’ll be right there, I’m not gonna try running away or anything, so don’t worry.” I gave them a fake grin to show them that I was joking.

I watched then as they all turned to start walking towards my house. I sighed heavily, feeling really warm all of a sudden.

I swear if you looked at me from the outside, you’d think that I was as cool as a clam, but if you were to just peer into my me, you’d not only see but feel just how loud my heart was hammering on and on. The time had now come to go to the dinner party and I probably couldn’t be any more nervous than I was just now.

I knew that pretty soon, my throat was going to get all dried up and I would soon start feeling all clammy and hot, which it always did when I got caught up in an act of distress or fright.

Pat must’ve noticed all the tension I was feeling, because I soon felt his hand squeezing my shoulder.

“It’ll be alright,” he whispered to me as if he knew the real reason he was invited to this dinner for. “Everything will be, I promise.”

Hearing those words actually made my heart rise a little and I felt as if the wind was blowing over me now, making me all cool and confident again. I smiled tentatively at him before heading out of the garage with him and followed behind Drew and Cal who were a few feet away from us.

I gulped back my fears as we got closer and closer to my street and soon I was grinning up at my house.

I was now ready for this and whatever else that was coming next. I was now ready for everything, thanks to Pat.