Cid (working title) - 6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Billy’s POV

So far this school year had been the longest three months of his entire life. August wasn’t so bad, but as soon as he’d laid eyes on his friend, the ever quiet, tough-to-crack egg named Cid, his life had seemed to slow down.

They’d gotten together for coffee a few times, and Billy had finally managed to get Cid to agree to ordering up some food and eating it together. After two solid months of trying, that’s as close as they’d come to a ‘real’ date.

He was ever the optimist though; every day he held out hope that he could burrow just a little deeper into the artist’s world and hopefully share it with him. At this rate though, they’d both be graduated, maybe onto a master’s program, and by them maybe had their first kiss.

Billy groaned aloud and rolled his eyes. He closed the document on his laptop and rubbed his eyes.

“You okay?” His classmate and friend of about two months, a guy named Frank, elbowed him. “You didn’t sleep again, did you?”

Not much.

“Dude…” Frank started before Billy shot him a look.

“Not for lack of trying.” He admitted.

Frank shook his head. “That’s what, the third day this week?”

Billy frowned and pretended to pay attention to class for a moment before replying. “You keeping score?”

His friend clammed up and turned his head back to the front. He stared at his screen intently and Billy knew he’d been too terse with his words.

“Hey…Frank?”

The brunette slowly turned his attention back towards him.

“I’m sorry, dude. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”

Frank nodded. “We’re cool, man.” But he didn’t look like he meant it.

Billy hated to be an asshole. He was getting nowhere with Cid and it wore on him more and more daily. He didn’t need to alienate the only friend he had, too.

“Meet me for lunch?” he asked quietly, hoping for a more positive response.

“You’re not meeting your boyfriend?” Frank asked, his tone flippant.

Was Cid even his boyfriend? Like they’d even had a real discussion about their ‘relationship’ whatever it was at this point.

“No.” he answered. “He’s got a class.” He lied.

Frank seemed to brighten. “Cool. Uh, yeah. I can do that. Gotta love the fry line, right?”

Billy rolled his eyes. “Blegh. I’m getting a part-time gig just to avoid it.”

“I could pay…my folks wired me some dough. Being an only child has its perks sometimes.”

Admittedly, the idea was awesome. They could go somewhere else and avoid the horrible food, but also miss running into Cid at all.

“Yeah, dude. Something healthy sounds good.”

“Buffet? You can eat only veggies if you want.”

That sounded really good. He had to smile to himself over how his mother would be pleased at him eating better.

“Deal.” He agreed.

An hour later, they were in line at the buffet, plates in hand. Billy looked over the offerings; soups, salad fixings, a meat carving station, and loads of veggies and pastas. His mouth watered.

“I’m starved.” He told Frank.

“I bet! Come on, you first.”

He took his time crafting the perfect salad and topped it off with vinaigrette dressing. He sniffed it and it made him smile.

“Now this is real food.”

Frank, who’d loaded his plate up with pasta salad and a generous helping of carrots fell in beside him.

“I second that one. Come on, let’s find a spot.”

They scoped out a booth and camped out in the corner; Billy suspected that Frank wanted to bend his ear with his view of how things were going with school and their classmates.

To avoid conversation right off the bat, Billy dove into his lunch with gusto. He sipped on his water in-between bites and didn’t look up until he was ready to actually talk.

“Good stuff, huh?” Frank asked.

“Yop.” Billy agreed.

“So…how’s classes going? Did the professor love your presentation?”

Billy smiled and remembered the brilliant “A+” he’d received. “Oh hell yeah he did. Said it was brilliant. You were right…that background and formatting changed the whole feel.”

“Happy to help, dude.” Frank ran his fingers over his glass of soda. “My uncle taught me everything I know about sales, pitching, and how to woo a customer. He isn’t the best used-car salesman in the state for nothing.” He picked up his glass and took a long sip.

“You’re a great help to me.” Billy admitted. “Now I just wish everything would go that smoothly.”

Dammit. He’d just opened up that can of worms. He could almost literally see them wriggling out of the can and he watched Frank’s expression change from jovial to concerned. Was he ready for this type of talk right now? Couldn’t he just mention this to his sister and get the same type of nagging and advice?

Sigh.

“Billy…”

Here it comes.

“I don’t know Cid…”

“That’s right, you don’t. So just fuck off of him.” He gave Frank a murderous stare and watched the young man retract.

“Geez….chill out!”

It was official, he felt like he was going nuts. He’d just snapped at his friend and to be honest, he wasn’t even sure why anymore. Cid was his friend, he thought, maybe more? Nothing at all had happened yet…no kisses, not even a real hug. But yet...awww crap.

“I’m sorry.” He uttered and caught Frank’s glance. His friend’s hazel eyes softened their surprise and his posture relaxed.

“Billy…you’re my friend and I like you. We look out for each other, right?”

“Yes.”

“He doesn’t treat you like he wants you; at least not for a boyfriend.”

The words stung, but he didn’t know why the truth that he already knew so well would hurt. He knew that Cid considered him more of an irritant than anything else. Course that was just his anxiety talking…for all he knew Cid could be falling madly in love with him but really, honestly sucked at showing it.

“He’s taking things slowly.” He shot back with no conviction to his words. “He’s been hurt in the past. I’m not going to rush him.”

Frank nodded. “Fair enough. But careful…guys like that will either take it too slow or they’ll end up hurting you the same way out of revenge. My mom had that happen to her.”

Billy’s brows went up. “It did?”

“Yup. Some sicko she knew right before she met my dad. They were friends for a long time before they dated. He had a long sob story of how he’d been hurt, etc. Well, he turned out to be the world’s biggest jerk. He cheated on her and everything, even hit her! She said enough was enough and left him. Called the cops and everything. Then she met my dad and moved away just to be safer.”

“Damn! Did he ever find her again?”

“He tried to, but my uncle knows a ton of people. He convinced the cops to haul him in and threw him in jail for a few years.”

Billy blinked a couple times. “Wow.” He couldn’t imagine Cid coming after him, but he was sure that Frank’s mom didn’t see that coming either.

They sat in silence for a long moment before Frank reached his arm across the table and clapped Billy’s hand.

“I just want you to be careful. You don’t know this guy’s past or what he’s capable of. If he’s leading you on, isn’t it better to stop trying to get him to fall in love with you and just be his friend? Find someone else who’ll open up to you?”

He had to admit, he was getting a little weary of the non-dates he and Cid went on. But there had to be a reward, right? Something for all his labors.

“I know he’ll come around. I feel it. He’s been so hurt…by what or who I don’t know, but I won’t hurt him like that.”

Frank shook his head and sighed. “I hope you’re right, kid.”

So do I.