The Broken Circles - 3. Chapter 3 - Circles

Chapter 3 - Circles

David drove off as I began walking down the ramp and my mind was aflutter with the thoughts of what had happened in the past few hours. It had gotten pretty cold and I scolded myself for not bringing a warmer jacket. Heck, my mind was so clouded by things to expect on my date with David that I forgot to bring a scarf at the very least. Upon nearing the metro, I nearly bumped into someone lying on a bench. He was a big guy, dressed in jeans and a extremely dirty white shirt. His body was turned away from me. Realizing how cold it was I reached out and nudged him.

“Excuse me mister, are you okay?" I asked. The man mumbled something unintelligible and rolled over to look at me. His face was covered with dark grease, that was messily moved about with a dirtier rag, reminding me of the old photographs of coal miners. He squinted at me and I saw him visibly shiver from the biting cold.

"No, the damned taxi won't come and pick me up. The hell's wrong with this world?" He said with a deep gravelly voice. "Car broke down and I couldn't fix it in the past few hours." I stared at him like he was crazy. Why didn't he take the metro? Regardless, I realized that if he had stayed asleep he might have frozen to death.

"Listen, there's a restaurant that has cheap coffee nearby. Let me buy you a cup," I offered helpfully. The man looked at me curiously, bright gray eyes obscured by dark busy eyebrows As he got up, I realized how massive he really was. The clothing seemed well worn and grease streaked about his body. I winced trying not to judge. "I'm Eli."

"Mack. Nice to meet you," he said, as we shook hands. His hand was freezing to the touch and was rough and calloused. We walked a few blocks and I saw the large well lit sign, "TASTEES". It had been a greasy spoon my friends and I hung out at throughout highschool. Mack looked at me cautiously and I responded by smiling innocently.

"Don't let the sign fool you; the food is terrible," I said. Mack let out a surprised deep rumble of a laugh. The waitress stared at us uneasily but seated us and soon coffee was brought to our table. I didn't want him to go hungry so I ordered an entree for him, soup and pancakes.

"...thank you," he said cautiously. I smiled and nodded politely and watched him scarf down the pancakes. Not many words were said during my second dinner; I watched him eat, while he watched me watch him eat. He caught his reflection on the napkin dispenser and there was a really surprised look on his face as he cast me a sideways glance. "Oh, geez, I look terrible!"

"Hey, I'm not judging you, I'm just glad I caught you before you froze to death," I replied. He chuckled at that.

"I'll be right back, I didn't realize how dirty I got fixing my car," he said quickly before launching himself out of his seat and headed towards the restroom. He was gone for a few minutes and in that time I was wondering why I had made the decision I did. My evening went from near-disappointment to magical to strange in a span of a few hours. When I heard the men's restroom door open I turned my head and found myself staring at a completely different person. Gone was the haggard looking hobo replaced with a broad shouldered mountain of a man. He gave me a sheepish smile which I returned in full. He had washed away the grime of car grease. "Let's start over again. Hi, I'm Malcolm."

"Malcolm? I'm Eli. Nice to meet you. Again." I said, a little bit more nervous than before. Wow, he cleaned up nicely, I thought.

"I only just got a look at my face in the reflection. No wonder you thought I was homeless," he said, grinning, flashing me an handsome smile. His eyes sparkled in the poor lighting.

“Wait, so you weren't joking about the car?” I exclaimed, taking a sip from my warm mug of coffee. Malcolm shook his head. “But the shabby appearance and the sitting outside the metro, I thought you were a hobo!”

“No, no, I'm no hobo,” he replied, dipping his spoon into his soup. My face burned a bright red.

“So, erm, what do you do for a living?” I asked. He drank from his mug and nodded quickly.

"I work for a computer company in Rockville. I got into a car accident a few hours ago and tried fixing my car but all I got was an oil spray to the face. I was waiting for a cab to take me home.”

“Oh wow…” I said, covering my mouth with my hand. Malcolm looked at me sheepishly and I returned the look with a smile. He reached into a back pocket and pulled out a wallet.

“Here,” he said, handing me a card. It was promptly labeled the company name and his name near the bottom. Wow, it was real, I was thinking, turning over the card. On the back was a phone number.

“Wow,” I said, studying the handwriting. It was very messy, scrawled across the entire card. Maybe it was a phone number of a girl he was dating, I thought handing the card back to him; better not take a risk then. “Here, you'll probably need this.”

“No, you can have it, the phone number on the back is my phone number.” My eyes lit up and I smiled. I shoved the business card into my wallet and put a $10 bill on the table, but Malcolm raised his hand to stop me. “No, Eli, you helped me a lot as it is. If you hadn’t talked to me, I would have spent the night on the bench and probably fallen asleep and caught pneumonia or worse.” I relented as he put a $10 on the table. “Where do you work, by the way?”

“I work at a health food store in Rockville,” I said in a meager voice.

“Freshfoods?” he asked. I slowly nodded. “That’s like the only health food store in that area, that I know of, at least. See it on my way to work everyday, but never made it inside though. Is it a nice place?”

“It’s okay, I guess, you tend to not think of the place you work at as a ‘nice place’ after a certain point but it pays the bills.” Malcolm chuckled which warmed my heart. We moved from our seats as the lady took our money and started our short trek back to the metro.

“Maybe I’ll stop in to see you then…if that would be okay with you. I don’t want to sound like I’m stalking you or nothing,” he murmured, staring at me with a nervous glance.

“That would be really nice, Malcolm.”

“Mack, you can call me Mack.” We had reached the metro. It was running its last few trains before closing.

“So where do you live? The metro is cheaper and gets you pretty much anywhere you need to go,” I asked, indicating the train map. Malcolm looked at it as if he never saw it before.

“Wow, I never rode the metro before. I just drive everywhere, one of the habits you pick up from living in a state with no train system. I live in an apartment with a roommate.” He looked for the metro stop near to his apartment. After searching for a few seconds, he placed his pointer finger on a tiny red dot labeled, ‘White Flint.’ “Near here.”

“I have a friend who lives near there too.” My thoughts immediately shifted to Gregory.

“Let me ride the train with you. It would save me 20 or so dollars to get there, and a fraction of the time as well. That is, of course, if you don’t mind me tagging along.”

“I wouldn’t mind at all, but I have to get off at Catholic University. It shouldn’t be too hard of a train ride, considering it’s on the Red Line.” He nodded seemingly to understand everything I had to say.

“Excellent!” he said, clapping his hands, looking around the station. He glanced at the ticket booths and the kiosks and the escalators. Then he turned to me, shoving his hands in his pockets, and looked confused. “So, how do I ride the train?”

***

It came as a real surprise to see Mack when I thought I was going to see Gregory one day. We stood there gawking at each other until Gregory emerged from his room to greet me at the door.

“What are you---?“

“What are YOU—?!”

“What’s going on?” Gregory asked. A smiled crossed my face as I turned my head toward Gregory, without taking my eyes off Malcolm. Mack smiled with me, and we both shrugged.

“Nothing, I was just confused for a moment."

“I was just introducing myself to your friend, Gregory,” Malcolm said right on cue. I nodded to Mack and shook hands with him, as well as introduce myself…for the third time. He opened the door more so that I can walk in. The apartment looked much cleaner than the last time I was there. There were no loose sheets of paper scattered on an unused pool table, no pizza boxes piled up against the trashcan, and no dirty clothes scattered about the floor. Mack moved past me and into the kitchen.

“I’ll be right back,” Gregory said, as I noticed he was still walking around in sweat pants and a t-shirt. I sat by the new dining room table turning my seat to face Malcolm. He was standing in the kitchen munching on a sandwich.

“Hungry?” He asked, handing me half of his sandwich. I smiled, and began munching. It was a roast beef sandwich but it tasted amazing.

“Mack, this is really good! Where’d you get this meat?”

“I cooked it myself. It’s actually leftovers from two nights ago. I don’t like eating out much…too expensive, terrible for you. Besides, I like to savor a home-cooked meal every day.” he asked, taking a big bite from his sandwich. "Do you cook?" I looked at him and violently shook my head.

“No, but I can burn water really well!” I exclaimed and laughed loudly. His eyes twinkled as he chuckled. After the laughter silenced itself, we sat at the table staring at each other, but I didn’t say anything else, instead, waited for him to mention that magical night a few weeks ago.

“Are you ready, Eli?” Gregory asked slipping on his windbreaker. I turned my head to him and smiled, getting up from my chair.

“Where are you guys off to?” Malcolm asked, clearing the table of dishes.

“We’re going to game,” I said swiftly, hauling my backpack over my shoulder. Mack looked confused, but shrugged, figuring I was just another geek. That much was entirely true. “It was nice ‘meeting’ you Malcolm, I hope to see more of you.”

“And I you,” he replied, smiling broadly. He disappeared into the kitchen and we walked out the door.

***

Freshfood’s was one of those occupations where you never quite knew where you stood with your bosses. Obviously you had to brown nose a bit in their presence to even be noticed, but I wasn’t about to start. I did my job, and went home. No kissing up, no putting down, no gossiping, I was too lazy to do any of that. My coworkers and supervisors all liked me fine, but that was because I was pretty low maintenance though many people just ignored the fact that I was there, minus the fact that I did everything under the sun. Janice my immediate boss was a cool lady. At times she came across as being crass, but I didn’t mind that, and she sometimes resembled a mother figure in my life. She gave me comfort in knowing that things in life aren't always wonderful, but never as bad as we make it out to be. One day, on my break, I was sitting in the backroom feasting upon Kettle chips and free-ranged hot dogs. I always ate a lot, and working for a health food store helped my cravings, and at the same time kept me healthy, or as healthy as one can be stuffing his mouth with chips and hotdogs. I finished my meal in record time, giving myself enough time to do some reading, as I had recently bought the third book in the Harry Potter series. Janice poked her head into the backstock and when she saw me, her eyes lit up.

“Eli,” she said in a singsong voice. I looked up at her and then clock to make sure I had time, and slowly wondered why she called me.

“Mm?” I asked. Janice turned her head out of backstock and then returned to look at me.

“There’s a man here for you. You better come out, he’s looking kind of confused, and won’t talk to anyone but you.”

“Is it work related?” I asked slightly aggravated that my break was interrupted. She shrugged her shoulders.

“No, but hurry up, I want to take my break,” she said and ran off to the floor. I sighed heavily and got up from my seat, muttering curses upon anyone who stole my chair. I peered my head out of backstock and onto the floor wondering who the hell would come to ask for me on my break. Janice knew most of the customers and could easily deal with anyone who asked for me, so if this guy asked for me then something must of happened. Unless this was some goddawful joke she was playing with me--

“Malcolm,” I said suddenly, turning a corner. He was perusing some vitamins and had a somewhat confused look on his face. He turned his head and smiled, handing me the bottle.

“What’s this do?” he asked. I looked down at the bottle, and smirked.

“Natural laxative,” I said smiling. His eyes widened in minor shock and laughed at his insolence.

“Of all the things to pull off the shelf, eh? Why don’t the companies just put down what it’s used for?!” he stammered slightly peeved. I smirked realizing why and slipped the bottle back onto the shelf.

“Well, because the FDA doesn’t regulate herbal medicines. Anything herbal such as pills you take from a plant or tea, the company can’t list their properties. Research has been done on all herbs, but if a company was to do something like that, they’d get sued the pants off them. And man, I am probably boring you, aren't I?” Malcolm chuckled.

“So do they work?” he asked. I shrugged and moved down the aisle, next to him. Perusing the shelf myself, I pulled down a bottle with the same name, only a different company.

“Some companies have different ideals, which some customers go for. Others tend to just buy the cheapest, and well, supplements are a lot like designer shoes. This company is pretty good.”

“Which one do you use?” I reached up and grabbed a bottle of nettles.

“This one. For allergies, I get them pretty bad. You do NOT want to see me early spring.” Mack took the bottle and read the label. “It is good for many other things, but this style of nettles is really good for allergies.”

“I was wondering long are you going to be here tonight?” Mack blurted out. I was a little taken aback by his question but tried to play it off nonchalantly.

“Um..well, I’m here until 9, but I don’t want you to wait until then. I’m just coming back from lunch, so I’m not particularly hungry. Maybe another time? But if you are hungry, maybe I can point out some yummy dishes in the grocery section.”

“I’d like that,” he said, beginning to stroll towards the fridges. I followed at him, my face beaming.

***

That was Malcolm’s first time to Freshfoods. He was impressed by the store's ambiance, and seemed to breathe in the idea of eating healthy. I managed to lure him to the store at least once every two weeks and chat with him about random happenings. Rarely did I ask him about Gregory. If I tipped my hand about how I felt, then I wasn’t sure how Malcolm would react. Chance and my other friends knew I was gay of course, but around new people, I wasn’t sure how to open myself up, which explained my horrible insecurity around strangers. I was still trying to find out who I was, While most gay men I met were into the club/bar scene, I wasn’t, and was more than content spending all my nights at home drawing, or playing a video game. One night after work, I barely made it through the front door when I noticed I had a voicemail message.

“Yo, cap’n, this is Chance, haven’t heard from you yet tonight. I was wondering if you were hungry, but I know that you usually are. Give me a call when you get this. Ciao.” I chuckled softly and began dialing his number.

“What’s up, kiddo,” I said as he picked up.

“You know, I never quite understood why you call me that. I'm a whole year older than you,” he said.

“Because you're a big kid,” I said, slipping into bed. I pulled the covers over me still in my work clothes. What can I say, work at times was so draining that I couldn't muster the strength to get into my jammies. “Besides, I could call you much worse.”

“Touche,” he said. I could hear the muffled sound of him shifting in his seat. “So what’s going on, pappy?”

“Nada mas, capadre.”

“You up for catchin' some grub with me?” he asked to which I smiled.

“Sure thing, commander, what do you suggest? Tastees?”

“Sounds like a plan, cool cat, I’ll be at the front door in a few minutes,” he said. Chance had almost as much trouble sleeping as I did, and spent some nights just driving around.

I slipped back out of bed and into my sneakers and trudged back upstairs. My family didn’t mind me staying out, since they knew I was on a weird schedule for work. There I opened the door and waited out on the front steps for the love of my life. Chance’s busted up rabbit pulled in on my street and he stopped the car right at my front gate smiling at me.

“Hey handsome,” he said, grinning toothily. I rolled my eyes and opened the passenger’s seat.

“Hey sexy, what’s going on?” I asked. He averted his eyes to the road and took a minute to respond.

“Not a whole lot, Eli, just dealin’ with life and all of the joys that come with it,” Chance said, chuckling. No one was out on a cold night like this. DC was weird like that.

“I know not these ‘joys’ you speak of, mortal,” I said. Chance let out a burst of laughter. Minutes later, we found ourselves at Tastees.

“What’s new, hammy?” I asked, watching him stuff a hamburger in his mouth. Why is it that everytime we hang out, food was always involved? As much as we ate, both of us seemed content with our bodies. When he was younger, he had the body most men would kill for, rock hard abs, a slightly hairy chest, finely tapered build. When I first met him, I think I visibly drooled. Two years later, and one 'freshmen 15' ago, his built had averaged out, allowing him to grow a little flab around his waist. I still thought he seemed extremely attractive.

“So so hungry,” he said. I rolled my eyes and took a small sip from my Sprite.

“Okay, smartass, aside from the hunger pangs?”

“Oh not a whole lot. I’ve got a date later this week,” he mentioned. "I’m nervous."

“Oh? Who’s the lucky broad?” I asked between bites. Chance grimaced and then shrugged nonchalantly.

“Tiffany,” he said quietly and conservatively. My jaw dropped and I felt my eyes bug out. Tiffany Tiffany? The girl who broke your heart and stomped all over the remains? The bitch who I caught cheating on you, but never told you because I feared your reaction?!

“....Oh,” was all that came out.

“I knew you’d react that way. That's why I wanted to do it in person,” he said, sheepishly. I quickly regained composure as he tried to explain himself. “Look, she wants to get closure, and she feels bad about what she did, and feels that she made the wrong choice. She wants to get back together.”

“Oh man, why are you telling me this?” I said, slightly flabbergasted. Chance had his head bowed and looked up into my eyes like a reproachful dog.

“Because I want you there with me.” I think my jaw dropped again. Did he just say what I think he said??

“What, let me get this straight. You want me to sit in on a date with you and your ex and watch you either suck face or play footsy. This blows. Couldn’t you have lied to me or something??"

“Well, I don’t like lying to you. You’re my best friend, and I think you deserve the truth even if it isn’t pretty.”

“Yeah well, the truth sucks.”

“Will you come? Please? I really could use the moral support. And it won’t just be you, Tiff and I. You can bring a date,” he said cajolingly. I stuck my tongue out distastefully. I didn’t think a date with Chance and his ex, and me with a random friend who was suckered into coming out with us seemed fair at all. Chance was going to be the one with the nookie afterwards. “What about Malcolm? Or David, I haven't met either of them for some odd reason," he mused smiling deviously. I sighed and fell back against my seat, sliding down the ancient vinyl exterior. "Speaking of which, whatever happened after your date with him?" he asked out of the blue. My eyes widened, oh shit, I totally forgot about him. We had been in contact via phone calls and as attractive as he was, I was just so wrapped up in Chance that he sort of fell by the wayside.

"You know, I have no idea...we're friends, I guess," I felt awful that I didn't see David as anything more than a friend, especially since he seemed so interested in me, but even if I landed a great guy like David, I knew in the back of my mind that I'd always doubt my feelings because of Chance. "You know what? Fine, count me in. But don't blame me if it sucks."

***

Chance had planned his date later that week. About midweek, I wasn't sure who to call, David or Malcolm. Malcolm was probably the safer of the two options, he didn't seem interested in me 'in that way' and I felt that there'd be no point making everyone at lunch uncomfortable. But David seemed interested, though I was still questioning his motives. I spent a good hour juggling the options and dialed.

“Yellow?” Gregory’s voice answered. I smacked my forehead.

“Hey Gregory, what’s going on?”

“Not a whole lot, same ol', same ol',” he said.

“That’s cool, um, hey, is Malcolm there?” I asked politely, if a bit nervous. Gregory paused for a second before responding.

“Um, yeah, let me get him.”

“Thanky muchly.” I waited a few seconds before Malcolm picked up.

“’Allo, ‘allo?” he said immediately. I paused, not fully recognizing his voice. I chuckled at his greeting.

“Hey kiddo,” I replied.

“Yo, Eli, how’s it hangin’?”

“Do you really talk like that?”

“No, not at all, just never spoke to you on the phone before. Kind of nervous,” he said. I laughed.

“I won’t ask why then. Hey, what are you doing later this week? Perhaps I can take you up on that eating buddy excursion. I-I mean, if you are willing and able.”

“Oh cool, well, lets see. I’m not sure if I have anything planned. So sure, give me the time and place and maybe we can meet up early, hang out, stuff like that,” he said. I was speechless.

“Well, great, I’ll call you later this week when I have more solid plans. Um, do you mind if we meet a friend of mine?”

“Huh?”

“I promised that I’d be moral support for him because he’s going to see his old ex-girlfriend who is going to break his heart, and I would rather not have that happen to him seeing as he’s my best friend--”

“Whoa, slow down, partner, you could have just said that we’re going to meet a friend of yours and I would have been sufficiently satisfied.” He had a point, I suppose.

“Oh right, sorry about that,” I said apologetically.

“It’s okay.”

“Right.” The conversation died right there. We chatted a bit more and then I hung up, wondering why I began to talk as much as I did. Just a tad nervous speaking to him on the phone I suppose. I soon went on to dread the near future with Chance and my arch-nemesis, Tiffany.

***

Chance and Malcolm were late. To make matters worse, Tiffany and I were early. I tried to ignore she existed, and would have if she hadn’t spotted me like she did. She hailed me as if I was her servant and we were seated at the same table. Tiffany is one of those girls you love to hate. She seemed perfect in every way possible. Not only did she have the perfect teeth, the bouncy blond hair and the womanly curves, but she also had the brains to go with it. She thought she had it all, and could very well have, except she fucked things up with Chance. Chance and her were together for a greater part of highschool and into college. Then, mysteriously, she dumped him for reasons she refused to give Chance. I wanted to punt her across the restaurant. No, it wasn’t just that, but the way she treated me in general. Always with the condescending smirks and comments.

“So, Eli, how have you been?” Tiffany asked. I shrugged my shoulders and didn’t respond immediately.

“I’m good, and yourself?”

“I’m good...” she paused, “especially now.” She spotted Chance from across the restaurant. Chance had turned a bright pink, as I turned beet red seething from the surge of jealousy. Idle chitchat, googily eyes, still, no sign of Mack.

“I thought you were bringing someone,” Chance asked after seeing the look of worry across my face. I sighed and looked at my watch and grimaced.

“He’s not here.” I said curtly, counting the seconds before--

“So he’s not coming, is he?” Tiffany chimed in accusingly. I bared my teeth at her, and gripped my steak knife tightly. She saw my anger rise and smiled coyly.

“So should we order our food then?” Chance asked dubiously. He knew I didn’t want to give up suddenly, and kept his voice low from attempting to anger me further. Tiffany’s eyes wandered to the entrance way and she caught the eye contact from someone. She looked interested; this was bad.

“Excuse me, sorry I’m late,” Malcolm’s voice caught my attention suddenly. My heart lifted quickly as his hand gently touched my back and I turned my head and looked up. “Traffic was terrible. I apologize for the wait." Mack looked down at me and smiled warmly.

“You’re forgiven,” I mumbled quietly. He took the seat to the right of me, and glanced at the menu but quickly put it down. “Ready to order already?”

“Just about, I’m here so frequently that the waiters usually know what I want,” Malcolm said knowingly.

“No joke,” Chance said, chuckling.

“Eli, aren’t you going to introduce me, er us, to your friend?” Tiffany asked in her sickeningly sweet voice.

“Mack, this is Tiffany, Tiffany, Mack, Chance this is Mack, Mack, Chance,” I said softly, trying to keep the boiling rage from overflowing. Mack took turns shaking hands with everyone and Tiffany took a few seconds too long holding his hand, and for the first time ever I felt the tinge of jealousy for someone that wasn't Chance.

“So, Malcolm, where are you from?” Chance asked.

“I’m from Ohio, grew up in Waynesville,” Mack said. I didnt know much about Mack’s origin, and never quite knew how to bring it up with him. Mack seemed like an affable fellow, but I felt kind of nervous breaking the ice.

“Where did you go to college?” Tiffany asked. Malcolm winced.

“My family was poor and my SAT scores weren’t good enough to go to the schools I had hoped. I figured I’d wait a year, earn some cash. My girlfriend was kind of in the same boat. We decided to get married shortly after highschool, and I managed to squeak by by working oddjobs around the city. Nothing too grandscaled.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Tiffany eyed him carefully then glanced at me as if I knew him any better.

"So, Tiffany, isn't it nice to see Eli again?" Chance interjected. Her eyes still transfixed on mine. She lazily turned her head to Chance and slid her hand over his and squeezed it, and I could see Chance's ears turn bright red.

"I guess, but I kind of wish it was just you and me, Chancey," she mewled. Chancey, I hated that nickname. It sounded like a bloated Pokemon. The waitress stopped by our table and took our drink order, and when Tiff saw her, she pulled Chance's arm close to her possessively. My jaw set stonily.

"You guys use to date right?" Mack asked curiously. She nodded. Chance seemed spellbound by her siren's call and wrapped his fingers over her arm, caressing it gently. "You two seem happy, why'd you break up?"

"Yeah, Tiff. Why did you break up?" I added, grinning slyly. She inhaled sharply and glared at me through slitted eyes. "It's been so long, I think I need a refresher."

"She needed space, Eli," Chance said on her behalf. He looked at me cautiously, like I was treading dangerous waters. "We'd been together through most of highschool and into college so I can understand her need to be free for a bit. But I'm hoping we can get back together; put the heartbreak behind us."

"Free?" Mack asked, confused. "Isn't that just a polite way of saying you were bored?"

"Or otherwise busy with other m--," I started, but Chance interrupted me..

"That's enough Eli, we all can play nice this one time, right?" he warned. I've always dreamed of the time Tiffany Dansforth would get her comeuppance. Chance looked weary and angry. This could end poorly.

"As always, you choose her side," I said, icily. "Instead of your best friend."

"You're not being a good friend right now, Eli."

"Funny, that's exactly what I was just thinking of you," I spat back. "You still can't past the rose tinted glasses, can you? Tiffany, did you ever tell him why you really broke up with him?" Tiffany looked embarrassed for the first time ever. Her eyes averted mine and Chance's. Mack sat quietly waiting for something to explode between the three of us.

"I know she wasn't happy, Eli," Chance replied, his voice sad and weary. "I was hoping you would be happy for me this one time. This one time." Airing our grievances at the restaurant would be the ultimate vindication, and I could feel the bile creep up. Then I saw the hurt in his eyes, like he desperately wanted his fairytale ending.

"I....I can't. Not about this," I said, standing up. I tossed a few dollar bills on the table and left.

***

I hated myself for storming out. Sure it was infantile but I didn't know what else to do. Chance and I never argued like that and the look Chance gave me made me feel like he was choosing her over me. He did and it sucked. Royally. Deep down, I knew he would never stop caring for me, and that I'd be his best friend regardless of what happened between he and Tiffany. Still, it took a few weeks for me to cool off. After that dreadful lunch, Tiffany and Chance decided to not get back together. Chance never mentioned why, and I never asked, though it was clear my reaction to her had something to do with it. I figured, he tells me everything in his life; if he didn't mention what happened, I suppose there was a good reason for it.

“Eli?” he asked quietly. We managed to squeeze in a hang-out session one day, just 4 hours of us chatting on his roof. The number of profound conversations we had while hanging out were amazing. Chance would talk about most anything on his mind, and I would be his sounding board. I would mostly listen, not always sure what to say, and he seemed very interested in what my opinions were.

“Yeah, Chance?” I asked, turning my head to face his. He kept looking at the stars, as if deep in his own daydream.

“Does looks matter?” he asked suddenly. I had always thought Chance was so drop-dead gorgeous that I was taken aback by his words. Why would it matter if looks were important? Unless of course... “Because my dearth of dates and relationships make me worry that I’m doing something wrong.”

“Chance, you are very handsome. Not only that, you’re just...I dunno, perfect, and awesome. You’re all of the above. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” I said. I grimaced knowing that I felt the exact same way.

“Thanks Eli.”

“No problem, what are best friends for?” I said smiling dumbly, hoping that he’d turn his head to face me. Instead, his eyes seemed transfixed by the night sky.

“You know you’re special, right?” Chance asked suddenly. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, and instead remained silent for a few seconds.

“Special bus special?” I asked. Chance laughed loudly and shook his head.

“No, special as in you’re going to find that special someone, probably well before I do. You have that spark inside you that I-I don’t. Anyone worth his weight in gold would be able to recognize that.”

“Like you just did?” I countered, hopeful. Chance finally looked my way and his eyes twinkled like the stars he was just looking at.

“Yeah, just like me.”

“Chance, I think you’re going to find that special someone long before I do, if I ever do.” The words just flowed from my mouth as it was the most natural thing to say. I heard a soft chuckle from Chance.

“Care to place a bet on this?”

“Terms?” I asked dubiously. The cogs in Chance’s head were turning swiftly.

“Okay, if I win, you have to try to get along with that specific girlfriend.” Those words sliced through my being like a hot knife through butter. “If you win...I’ll give you 20 bucks. For me, the win condition is, hmmm, let’s see...Okay, if I am engaged with the date set and everything.”

“And for me? Unless some miracles are being performed in the government, I don’t think I’ll be allowed to marry.”

“Hmm, if you are settled down with a guy, living with him, and have life-long plans, then that’ll work.”

“This sounds stupid, Chance,” I said. “Besides you’re terrible with bets.”

“What’s wrong? Chicken?” he asked, instigatingly. I laughed at him and grabbed his outstretched hand.

“Fine, deal!”

“Excellent, the race is on.” Chance turned back to the stars, with a look of triumph on his face. I turned my head and looked to the heavens, hoping that I was the winner for once.

“What are you looking at?” I asked Chance. He shrugged his shoulders and pointed at the multitude of stars.

“That star.”

“Which star? There are billions.”

“THAT one,” he said with a hint of finality in his voice. I intentionally leaned my head toward his to see what he was talking about. There was a tiny star that was twinkling around a cluster that wasn’t. It seemed out of place, like it didn’t belong with the others around it.

“Oooh, it is pretty,” I said, hoping we were talking about the same star.

“We’re looking at the small twinkling star, right?” Chance asked. I guess he had that feeling that I was way off. I nodded.

“It looks like it is a tiny little light bulb that is about to go out,” I commented. Chance nodded.

“It’s yours.”

“What?” I asked. He turned to me and smiled warmly.

“It’s yours. I’m giving it to you.”

“That’s awfully nice Chance, but I don’t think you can just give me a star,” I mused. Chance gave me a defiant look.

“Why can’t I be the first?” There was a few seconds of silence.

“Okay, I accept your damn star.”

“I love you, kid.”

“I love you too, Chance.” And we hugged.

"You know, I was thinking, wouldn't it be great if Mack and David hung out with us? I feel like I'm missing a piece of your life," he said, glancing in my direction. "Mack seemed like a cool guy and I've been meaning to ask you about David. I thought you liked him." I thought I did too, I thought.

"I just have a lot going on my life. I think we're better off as friends," I replied. The four of us seemed so different, it would be a miracle if we got along. It would be nice to not have to pick and choose who I had to hang out with, if we all were grouped up. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. "I think it'd be cool to all hang out. I'd have to ask and see where people stood, I guess." Inside I was wondering how it would all work out. Malcolm seemed so mysterious and I knew so little about him. David would probably be cool with the idea of meeting other people in my life, I think. And Chance, well everyone liked Chance so I would look cool by proxy. Dare to dream, I suppose.

***

I hate being proven wrong. In coordinating things I found out that Malcolm was loads more amenable to hanging out with Chance again and David was the guarded one, though I didn't understand why he would have been. He seemed so upbeat when we started chatting and after I mentioned other people I could tell something was off, but he quickly recovered and agreed. Not sure what to expect, I offered Tastees as a meeting place. I got there early and grabbed a booth and waited patiently. Chance came soon after and we sat across from each other, basking in each others company. Song started working at Tastees recently and stopped by to chat.

"Eli, Chance, I didn't know you ate here!" she exclaimed, hugging each of us. Her hair was done up in pigtails, bangs hanging right above her eyebrows.

"You know us, we can't avoid cheap coffee. What gives, I thought you were at the coffeeshop?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I got canned after punching a guy who got a little touchy feely. I don't miss it. I just hope I'm not in the hospitality business forever."

"Dude, that sucks!" Chance and I exclaimed. Song shrugged.

"You guys want your usual?" she asked, pulling out her pad of paper. We nodded and she went the extra mile with mussing up Chance's hair. Malcolm arrived third and took a seat next to me and I watched intently as Chance and Malcolm chatted and it looked like we were getting along pretty nicely. Malcolm, still very calm and collected, chuckled at Chance's jokes and he seemed more at peace than I had initially thought. When David arrived, he seemed like a fish out of water. Sure Tastees was kind of a dive, but it was filled with people I related to more than most other places. When he saw Mack his eyes narrowed.

"I know you," he said coolly. Mack's brow furrowed.

"Oh right, you were part of that 8 car pileup a few months ago. I believe you rear ended me," Mack replied. David looked offended.

"I wouldn't have if you hadn't slammed on your brakes," David said a little more angrily. Chance cleared his throat.

"You must be David, I'm Chance," he said, standing up to shake David's hand. David grimace and cast me a sideways glance and shook hands then took a seat next to him. There was an icky tension that hung in the air.

"So, David where are you from?" Chance asked. Mack and David refused to make eye contact, and the Brit decided to only chat with myself and Chance.

"London, near Kensington Square," he said, his voice calming down.

"Isn't that one of the most expensive places to live?" David looked slightly ashamed then nodded. "Wow, your family must be--"

"Rich, yes," David said curtly. "I don't like talking money or station if that's all right with you." The conversation came to a screeching halt. "Are you from the area?"

"Yes, my family is from Takoma Park, and I have deep roots here," Chance said, smiling gently. "How did you and Eli meet?"

"I saw you two having an argument and came to console him. Thankfully you two aren't a couple," David said, smiling at me gently. My eyes widened, thinking 'Oh crap, Malcolm doesn't know!' Malcolm's head jerked back in surprise and looked at me with a curious look on his face but didn't say anything. Chance caught my alarmed expression and reached over and clasped me by the shoulder.

"Well, I wish you two luck!" he chided.

"I'm sorry, Mack, I wasn't sure how to bring 'it' up," I apologized barely above a whisper.

"No, no, it's fine, I'm sorry you felt like you had to hide it from me," he said, grimacing. "It doesn't matter to me what you are; you were the first person to make me feel welcomed in the area, so I'm appreciative."

"What about you, Malcolm, where are you from?" Chance asked, pleased that the conversation didn't take a nasty turn.

"My family is of Scottish descent, farmers. Even now, my family owns a farm in Waynesville, Ohio. Me, mom, dad and 3 brothers. Nothing too fancy," he said. Periodically our eyes would catch and his murky gray eyes would brighten invitingly.

"That's cool, Mack," I said, smiling softly. David cleared his throat.

"Eli, how did you come by a name like that?"

"My adoptive parents wanted to keep my name something close to my birthname...Enlai and since my last name is Li, E. dot Li made Eli.... it was a clever solution," I said, chuckling. It was a story my parents told me time and again. The guys grinned at my story, as weird as it was. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted two girls ogling David, each egging the other on to chat with him. The braver of the two, a very buxom blond came up to us.

"Hi, I think you dropped this," she said, handing David a folded sheet of paper. Song came up from behind her.

"Really? That's your angle?" she said. David looked nonplussed and took the sheet of paper and opened it. "Sweety, look, I'm sure where you come from that's seen as cute, but man, it looks so desperate!" The girl turned bright red, but stood her ground. David glanced over the note.

"Thank you, I appreciate you giving me your number, but I'm afraid I'm accounted for," he said politely, handing the note back then to accentuate his point, he reached out his arm and casually wrapped it around my shoulders. Song maneuvered around her to pass out beverages, rolling her eyes. The blond made a high pitched squeak and hurried back to her table.

"Awwwwkward," I said, chuckling, disengaging from David's arm. His crisp blue eyes twinkled as he grinned at me. "But I finally get what you meant when I first met you, David."

"See?" he said casually. "But as long as I have you to scare away any pursuers I'm fine." Mack looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"So chums, what'll it be?" Song asked, taking everyone's order. The rest of lunch went without any other distractions or awkward moments. Chance and I saw Mack and David finally laugh at a few jokes, and loosen up. Song came by our table to chat and catch up. At the end of lunch, it was Malcolm that suggested that we do this again. I quickly agreed followed up with Chance and then David. It felt amazing to see us all magically bond even though we all had so little in common. As corny as it sounds, that first meeting paved a way to deep friendships down the road. And that road would have a few nasty potholes.