Sequel: By Now ›
More Than Words
I've got some questions I'm hoping you could answer
After showing Nick around the store, teaching him how to use the cash register, the system we use to sort the books and explaining a little more about the history of the shop, it was almost lunch time, so I asked him if he’d like to go to lunch.
“Doesn’t someone need to stay in case someone comes to the shop?” he asked.
“Nick, this is a small town. If someone comes by, they’ll see the sign up in the door telling them when we’ll be back and they’ll just come then. No one’s really in a rush here.”
“Oh.” he said. “All right, then. Where should we go? I don’t know anywhere to eat here yet.”
“Lucky for you, I know the best restaurant in town.”
“Um, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but do they have things for vegetarians there?”
“You’re vegetarian?” I asked. He nodded and blushed slightly.
“I always feel awkward when I need to make sure that wherever someone’s taking me has vegetarian options. It feels like I’m throwing their offer back in their face.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” I said. “I don’t mind, and I respect you for being committed to something that big. Don’t worry though. This place has plenty for vegetarians. Apparently there are a lot of them around here. There’s even an all vegan/vegetarian restaurant a couple blocks down. I’ve never been though, so I don’t want to take you somewhere terrible on your first day. Then you’ll move away and I’ll have to hire someone else.”
“Thanks, Ellory.” he said.
I took down the Help Wanted sign and hug the “Back at ___” sign, changing the hands of the clock to show an hour from now.
“Ready?” I asked, grabbing my manpurse messenger bag from behind the counter.
“Yeah, let’s do it.”
On the walk over, I was noticing a lot of people staring at Nick, mainly girls. I got the sudden urge to hold his hand, to show that he was mine, but then I reminded myself he wasn’t. I’d just met him, and I wasn’t even sure if he was gay. I bet he wasn’t. That’d be just my luck. I find an amazing guy, who I invite work with me, that I’ll have to see all the time, then he turns out not to be into guys.
“Everyone’s looking at me.” he said, looking awkward.
“It’s ‘cause they don’t recognize you. We’re a relatively small town. We may not know everyone, but we’ve seen everyone before. But don’t worry about it; they won’t bother you. Probably.”
“Oh, that’s good then.” he said.
“Want to play 20 questions?” I asked suddenly.
“Sure.” he said. “It’d be nice to get to know each other a little more before I move in tonight.”
“Okay, first question… are you a morning person?”
“Sometimes.” he said. “A lot of the time I’m really lazy and don’t want to get out of bed, but I’m not grumpy in the morning.”
“Okay, 2… are you neat?”
“Relatively. I mean, I don’t have stuff lying around all over the place. I do tend to leave dishes until the end of the day. Like, I won’t wash my breakfast dishes until after dinner. It saves water, you know, if you do all your dishes at the same time.”
“Not a problem with me.” I said. “I’m the worst at washing dishes. I try and use paper plates and one pot for everything I cook. Anyway, question 3, do you like to listen to music?”
“Yeah, I really do.” he said. “My closest relationship is with my turntable.”
“Really? You like music and you have a turntable. I have all my mom’s old vinyl and I haven’t gotten around to buying a turntable yet. We’re going to be listening to a lot of music. Question 4, what’s your favorite holiday?”
“Probably Halloween or Christmas. Because Halloween you get to dress up and Christmas you get to see all your family.”
“Good answer.” He liked having fun and dressing up, and he also likes family… These are good qualities to have in a boyfriend… Okay, stopping that train of thought right there. He is not my boyfriend, nor will he probably ever be. Calm down, Em. “Question 5, do you sleep around at all? I need to know if I’m going to be kicked out of my apartment because you’ve brought someone home.”
“No, I really don’t.” he said. “I don’t really like dating much, because you never really know it’s going to end, and you just… someone’s going to be hurt in the end, and I don’t want it to be me. So unless I really feel for someone, I’m probably not going to date them.”
“That’s good, I guess. I don’t really date much either. I like being single. It’s so much simpler. Carly, though, she’s hell-bent on me dating someone.” I was careful not to say any genders. I didn’t know if he would take the fact that I’m gay very well. “Question 6, what kind of underwear do you wear?”
“Odd question, but okay.” he said. “Boxer briefs. Briefs are too tight and boxers are too loose.”
“Same here… Don’t start mixing your underwear up with mine, though.” I said.
“Oh, come on. You know you want to wear some of my sexy boxer briefs.”
“Well, if they’re washed, then sure. Don’t let your dirty underwear get mixed up with mine.”
“Will do.” he said.
“Question 7, do you like dessert?”
“Favorite part of the meal.” he said, smiling.
“8, do you like food?”
“Yeah, I eat like a pig.” he said. “Except meat, of course.”
“Of course.” I agreed. “9, why’d you become a vegetarian?”
“Well, the whole idea of eating something that never really had a chance to live before it died never really sat right with me, and after seeing one too many PETA pamphlets, I decided that I’d stop eating meat.”
“Cool, cool.” I said. “Favorite movie?”
“Forrest Gump. I don’t know why I love it so much, but I do.”
“It is great, isn’t it?” I said, smiling. “11, if you could choose between living here, England and Texas, which would you choose?”
“So far, here. It’s so calm and easy going, but not boring, you know?” he said.
“12, did you like Texas?” I asked.
“Yeah, I did. It wasn't home, and there are some bad memories of living there, but there are a lot of good ones as well. Southern hospitality isn't just a stereotype, either. It really exists.”
“13, why did you move?”
“I needed a change of pace.” he said, shrugging.
“14, what’s the best car ride you’ve ever taken?”
“Weird question, but it was probably a couple summers ago. My best friend in college and I took a road trip across America, travelling to each Bamboozle show, starting in California, then Chicago, then Jersey. They’re two weeks apart, so we were able to goof around in between. It was a lot of fun.”
“I’ll bet.” I said. “I’ve always wanted to take a road trip.”
“Maybe one day you will.” he said. “But don’t wait too late. You never know when life’s going to be over and you’ll have a list of things that you want to do, but haven’t yet, and then you’ll be screwed.”
“Deep.” I said. “All right, 15… favorite ice cream flavor?”
“Chocolate chip cookie dough.” he said. “I cannot get enough of that stuff, no matter how bad it is for you.”
“Excellent. So we can buy a huge tub and share it.” I said. “Question 16, what was your favorite subject in school?”
“Either English or Math. I don’t really like math, but my math teacher was one in a million. Well… I was homeschooled for a lot of high school, but when I was at school, my math teacher was amazing. So funny.”
“Question 17, why were you homeschooled?”
“Family illness.” he said, determinately not looking in my direction.
“That sucks. I’m sorry.” I said.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“All right, question 18… what do you like to read when you’ve got spare time?”
“Umm, a lot of sci fi, fantasy stuff. I don’t really like reading stuff about the world we live in. It’s too depressing.”
“Why is it depressing?”
“It just reminds me that everything’s only temporary. And that there’s a lot of shit wrong in the world that I don’t have any power over changing. And that was question 19.”
“Damn.” I said. “All right, last question, then… what’s your sexuality?” I bit my lip, knowing that I was about to hear the answer that could kill all my dreams. Or he could hate me for asking. Either way, I was worried.
“I’m gay.” he said, smiling over at me.
I think my heart just skipped a beat.
“Doesn’t someone need to stay in case someone comes to the shop?” he asked.
“Nick, this is a small town. If someone comes by, they’ll see the sign up in the door telling them when we’ll be back and they’ll just come then. No one’s really in a rush here.”
“Oh.” he said. “All right, then. Where should we go? I don’t know anywhere to eat here yet.”
“Lucky for you, I know the best restaurant in town.”
“Um, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but do they have things for vegetarians there?”
“You’re vegetarian?” I asked. He nodded and blushed slightly.
“I always feel awkward when I need to make sure that wherever someone’s taking me has vegetarian options. It feels like I’m throwing their offer back in their face.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” I said. “I don’t mind, and I respect you for being committed to something that big. Don’t worry though. This place has plenty for vegetarians. Apparently there are a lot of them around here. There’s even an all vegan/vegetarian restaurant a couple blocks down. I’ve never been though, so I don’t want to take you somewhere terrible on your first day. Then you’ll move away and I’ll have to hire someone else.”
“Thanks, Ellory.” he said.
I took down the Help Wanted sign and hug the “Back at ___” sign, changing the hands of the clock to show an hour from now.
“Ready?” I asked, grabbing my manpurse messenger bag from behind the counter.
“Yeah, let’s do it.”
On the walk over, I was noticing a lot of people staring at Nick, mainly girls. I got the sudden urge to hold his hand, to show that he was mine, but then I reminded myself he wasn’t. I’d just met him, and I wasn’t even sure if he was gay. I bet he wasn’t. That’d be just my luck. I find an amazing guy, who I invite work with me, that I’ll have to see all the time, then he turns out not to be into guys.
“Everyone’s looking at me.” he said, looking awkward.
“It’s ‘cause they don’t recognize you. We’re a relatively small town. We may not know everyone, but we’ve seen everyone before. But don’t worry about it; they won’t bother you. Probably.”
“Oh, that’s good then.” he said.
“Want to play 20 questions?” I asked suddenly.
“Sure.” he said. “It’d be nice to get to know each other a little more before I move in tonight.”
“Okay, first question… are you a morning person?”
“Sometimes.” he said. “A lot of the time I’m really lazy and don’t want to get out of bed, but I’m not grumpy in the morning.”
“Okay, 2… are you neat?”
“Relatively. I mean, I don’t have stuff lying around all over the place. I do tend to leave dishes until the end of the day. Like, I won’t wash my breakfast dishes until after dinner. It saves water, you know, if you do all your dishes at the same time.”
“Not a problem with me.” I said. “I’m the worst at washing dishes. I try and use paper plates and one pot for everything I cook. Anyway, question 3, do you like to listen to music?”
“Yeah, I really do.” he said. “My closest relationship is with my turntable.”
“Really? You like music and you have a turntable. I have all my mom’s old vinyl and I haven’t gotten around to buying a turntable yet. We’re going to be listening to a lot of music. Question 4, what’s your favorite holiday?”
“Probably Halloween or Christmas. Because Halloween you get to dress up and Christmas you get to see all your family.”
“Good answer.” He liked having fun and dressing up, and he also likes family… These are good qualities to have in a boyfriend… Okay, stopping that train of thought right there. He is not my boyfriend, nor will he probably ever be. Calm down, Em. “Question 5, do you sleep around at all? I need to know if I’m going to be kicked out of my apartment because you’ve brought someone home.”
“No, I really don’t.” he said. “I don’t really like dating much, because you never really know it’s going to end, and you just… someone’s going to be hurt in the end, and I don’t want it to be me. So unless I really feel for someone, I’m probably not going to date them.”
“That’s good, I guess. I don’t really date much either. I like being single. It’s so much simpler. Carly, though, she’s hell-bent on me dating someone.” I was careful not to say any genders. I didn’t know if he would take the fact that I’m gay very well. “Question 6, what kind of underwear do you wear?”
“Odd question, but okay.” he said. “Boxer briefs. Briefs are too tight and boxers are too loose.”
“Same here… Don’t start mixing your underwear up with mine, though.” I said.
“Oh, come on. You know you want to wear some of my sexy boxer briefs.”
“Well, if they’re washed, then sure. Don’t let your dirty underwear get mixed up with mine.”
“Will do.” he said.
“Question 7, do you like dessert?”
“Favorite part of the meal.” he said, smiling.
“8, do you like food?”
“Yeah, I eat like a pig.” he said. “Except meat, of course.”
“Of course.” I agreed. “9, why’d you become a vegetarian?”
“Well, the whole idea of eating something that never really had a chance to live before it died never really sat right with me, and after seeing one too many PETA pamphlets, I decided that I’d stop eating meat.”
“Cool, cool.” I said. “Favorite movie?”
“Forrest Gump. I don’t know why I love it so much, but I do.”
“It is great, isn’t it?” I said, smiling. “11, if you could choose between living here, England and Texas, which would you choose?”
“So far, here. It’s so calm and easy going, but not boring, you know?” he said.
“12, did you like Texas?” I asked.
“Yeah, I did. It wasn't home, and there are some bad memories of living there, but there are a lot of good ones as well. Southern hospitality isn't just a stereotype, either. It really exists.”
“13, why did you move?”
“I needed a change of pace.” he said, shrugging.
“14, what’s the best car ride you’ve ever taken?”
“Weird question, but it was probably a couple summers ago. My best friend in college and I took a road trip across America, travelling to each Bamboozle show, starting in California, then Chicago, then Jersey. They’re two weeks apart, so we were able to goof around in between. It was a lot of fun.”
“I’ll bet.” I said. “I’ve always wanted to take a road trip.”
“Maybe one day you will.” he said. “But don’t wait too late. You never know when life’s going to be over and you’ll have a list of things that you want to do, but haven’t yet, and then you’ll be screwed.”
“Deep.” I said. “All right, 15… favorite ice cream flavor?”
“Chocolate chip cookie dough.” he said. “I cannot get enough of that stuff, no matter how bad it is for you.”
“Excellent. So we can buy a huge tub and share it.” I said. “Question 16, what was your favorite subject in school?”
“Either English or Math. I don’t really like math, but my math teacher was one in a million. Well… I was homeschooled for a lot of high school, but when I was at school, my math teacher was amazing. So funny.”
“Question 17, why were you homeschooled?”
“Family illness.” he said, determinately not looking in my direction.
“That sucks. I’m sorry.” I said.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“All right, question 18… what do you like to read when you’ve got spare time?”
“Umm, a lot of sci fi, fantasy stuff. I don’t really like reading stuff about the world we live in. It’s too depressing.”
“Why is it depressing?”
“It just reminds me that everything’s only temporary. And that there’s a lot of shit wrong in the world that I don’t have any power over changing. And that was question 19.”
“Damn.” I said. “All right, last question, then… what’s your sexuality?” I bit my lip, knowing that I was about to hear the answer that could kill all my dreams. Or he could hate me for asking. Either way, I was worried.
“I’m gay.” he said, smiling over at me.
I think my heart just skipped a beat.