Not in That Way Ch. 02

We get to a stop light and I pull his left hand up to my mouth and give it a kiss.

"You know" I start, "You trying not to act like you're nervous is actually making me nervous."

He chuckles as we turn to each other, "I'm sorry." He smiles, "I just want it to go well."

I shake my head, "I don't see how it can't go well. Unless you suddenly realized you hate kids or bring up the Seahawks to my dad."

Tom laughs, "Well noted on both points."

We drive a little more and my phone goes off. I gesture to Tom who reaches for it in the cupholder, "That's probably Grace."

He holds it up, "Do you want me to open it?"

I nod as he reads it out, "Yeah it's Grace just wondering where we are."

"Tell her we're like ten minutes away." I instruct as he quickly types out the message.

My phone goes off again and this time, Tom pauses. His voice shifts a bit, "It's from Gabe. He says he stopped to pick up cookies and should be there soon."

Tom sets my phone back down in the cupholder and looks straight ahead at the road. Now I can tell he's annoyed, with the slight pout on his face doing nothing but making it worse.

I pull into the nearby shopping center and park at one of the stalls off from the road. I sigh, wondering why things shifted so quickly in such a short amount of time.

"What's the problem now?" I ask, not wanting to deal with an argument before meeting my family.

"Why didn't you tell me Gabe was coming?"

I shrug my shoulders, "Because I didn't know he was until just now."

Tom doesn't seem satisfied with my answer, so I continue. "Look, Grace or Andy must have invited him, okay? He's close to my family and we're celebrating my mom's birthday, so it's not unusual that they called him."

Tom shakes his head, "It is when it's the first time they're meeting your boyfriend!"

I put my hands on the steering wheel, "I don't see what the big deal is, okay. This doesn't change anything- we're gonna have a nice dinner and they're gonna love you, and yeah Gabe is gonna be there, but so what?'

He looks like he wants to say more, but doesn't. I take the opportunity to lean over and give him a kiss, a move that softens his expression.

"Okay fine. I'll drop it." He says, along with a smile that I'll learn later proved to be fake.

***

We finally make it to my parents' house and his mood has shifted considerably. He's taking in the surroundings like I wanted him to and we share a cute moment just looking at the outside of my childhood home before we walk towards the backyard. I look back and see Tom, wearing that beige jacket that looks too good on him, along with that slicked back hair and ivory skin. The look does wonders for my fantasy of hooking up with a boy as hot as him in my childhood bed.

Those urges get pushed aside when I see Andy carrying a little Ella on his shoulders while having a beer with my dad. Ella calls out my name loudly, and the guys turn to see both of us and walk over.

"There he is!" My dad says before pulling me into a hug. Andy does the same before bending down slightly so I can pull Ella from his shoulders and into my arms. I carry her, loving her excited expression just from my presence.

I introduce Tom to my dad and Andy, and they greet him kindly and offer up a beer. He takes one and I chuckle to myself, knowing full well that he hates beer of any kind, but to his credit, he doesn't make a face at the first sip.

"He's really trying," I tell myself, as we stand around the grill.

My mom walks out of the house carrying a large platter of cheeses and meats, followed by a very pregnant Grace and a barely walking Lizzie, who's carefully carrying a bowl of potato salad with her small hands. She sets it down and runs up to me, getting a glare from Ella who wanted her uncle all to herself.

"Finally, you made it! I'm starving here." Grace says as she pulls me into a side hug.

I take a look at her stomach, "That's cause you're eating for two, sis." She rolls her eyes as I grab Tom and introduce them to each other. They shake hands as Grace looks at me with a weird expression at how formal it seems. Still, she welcomes him warmly.

My mom is next, and Tom reaches over to the bouquet of flowers. "Happy Birthday mom." I say, as she kisses me on the cheek. I gesture to my boyfriend, "This is Tom" and she promptly gives him an unexpected hug.

"So nice to meet you!"

He hands her the bouquet, saying "And these are for you" which earns him a warm smile. My mom scurries back into the kitchen to find a vase as we rejoin the group.

Then, in true Gabe fashion, he strolls through the back gate and steals everyone's attention. Ella and Lizzie wobble over towards him, screaming "Uncle Gabe!" as he scoops up the both of them in one motion. The trio are giggling like crazy as they walk over to us, with Andy and my dad greeting him like he's the long lost member of the family.

The girls settle down and Gabe's face lights up the moment he sees me. He pulls me into a strong hug, filling my nostrils with his soothing cologne as he exclaims, "Hey Dust!"

"Hey buddy" I say back, falling victim to his charm once again. We pull off, and he greets Tom with a cold handshake- not uncommon for them.

By now, the three of us have hung out several times and though it's never bad, whenever Gabe's around, I always get the feeling that Tom's on edge. We could be seated at a restaurant chatting it up, and the minute Gabe walks through the door- I see him shut down. My friend isn't any better- often leaving whenever I mention that Tom's coming over, or strategically asking whether or not he'll be there when I invite him out. I didn't notice it too much before, but since that little spat before we got here, it's become more obvious.

My mom comes back with the flowers arranged nicely in a clear glass vase, only to set them aside on the table when she sees Gabe. She too lights up and hugs him, pinching his cheeks much like she did when we were in high school.

"Happy Birthday Mrs. Green!" He says with that infectious smile and I swear, I can see my fifty three year old mother blushing. She looks over at the table where Gabe was standing, taking note of the bright pink box.

"Thank you, my boy." She says, pulling him into a hug. She turns to the box, "Is that from MaryAnn's?"

Gabe nods as he picks up the box and undoes the flap. I swear, I can smell the scent of cookies wafting over to me when he does.

"Chocolate chip walnut, yours" He looks back at me, "and Dust's favorite."

Even a few feet away, I can feel Tom rolling his eyes as my mom reaches for a cookie before we even open the table. She melts as she eats it, gripping onto Gabe's arm in thanks. I'd say she's exaggerating, but really, those cookies are that good.

My mom looks over at the spread and notices a few things missing. "Dustin, honey, can you grab the cobb salad from the counter and a bag of ice while you're there?"

"Sounds like a two man job" Gabe says as he walks into the house with me.

Once we're inside, I turn around and observe Tom with everyone else. He didn't seem to be floundering at all, which eases my worry.

Gabe comes up behind me with that bag of ice, along with a stainless steel bucket. He sets in on the counter to my right and looks out with me.

"So you wanna tell me why I was invited by Grace and not my best friend?"

I sigh, "This is kind of a big deal for Tom- it's the first time he's meeting everyone."

Gabe's eyes get big, "No shit?"

I turn, "Why do you look so surprised?"

He shrugs, "No reason. You guys have just been together for a while, I kinda assumed he'd already met them."

His comment, though slightly annoying, isn't off base. I first brought up meeting my parents for my dad's birthday two months ago and, at the time, Tom said it was too early. I tried a few more times after, but each time he always found a way out of it.

"I'm sure he's fine." He says, barring the usual sarcastic tone he has when talking about Tom. "Your family are good people, Dust." He assures, snapping me out of my worry.

"Thanks bro" I reply, giving him a half hug before we head back to rejoin the party.

***

The rest of the night goes smoothly. Tom seems comfortable around everyone, and ditches the "deer in the headlights" look shortly after we eat. He and Andy make the realization that they were both at SFSU around the same time, and reminisce about that.

Gabe is off being Gabe, giving the girls piggy back rides and reliving old stories from high school that my mom and Grace eat up like it's candy. It really is a joy to watch the way he fills up a room, but every now and then, I can see Tom rolling his eyes from the corner. Normally, I'd try and side with him for the sole reason that he's my boyfriend. But Gabe isn't doing anything wrong- and the fact that he's bitter over him being here, is starting to get on my nerves.

Eventually the night comes to a close and Gabe and I help Andy put Lizzie and Ella in their carseats. Tom offered to carry one of them, but once he picked up Lizzie, she woke up and fussed in his arms. Gabe came over and she went to him instead, easily falling back asleep.

We say goodbye to my sister and Andy and then walk back to the porch to do the same with my parents. I don't know if he can sense Tom's annoyance, but Gabe lingers back, waiting until we're done to say his goodbyes.

We walk towards the street and I can hear my mom telling him, "It's always good to see you, my boy." I hope, for my sake, that Tom didn't hear it too.

I skip the usual joking and say a simple goodbye to Gabe who's read the room and leaves without much fuss. Tom exhales heavily once he gets into his car, and I get into the driver's seat, prepared for the worst.

Tom is silent for the entire drive back into the city. Normally, I'd try and work it out right away, but I just don't feel like arguing on the freeway when I'm going 80 miles an hour. Instead, I suffer through his little ticks- the soft sighs to himself, the tapping against the window- just waiting so we can resolve it like adults.

He makes no mention of me dropping him back to his place, so we head to mine and he follows me up in silence. Once inside, he sinks into the couch as I pull off my jacket and place my keys in the bowl by the door.

"You wanna tell me what the silent treatment is all about?" He grunts, "I thought we had a good night."

"We were supposed to" he finally says, "until Gabe showed up and completely took over."

I sigh, "I told you that I didn't know he was coming." I sit next to him, "Grace admitted that she messaged him about it, assuming that he was already invited."

Tom's barely facing me, instead, he gives me that same pout he's been wearing all night.

"I don't see what the big deal is, Tom, he's my best friend. And my family has known him for years- he always comes to family events." I glare, I don't get why you're so pissed off at him."

He stands up, "You just don't see it, Dustin." He shakes his head "He just sucks up all the oxygen in a room until you can't breathe! It's all about him!" He grunts, "And you don't notice it because you're his biggest fan!"

"Tonight was supposed to be about me finally meeting your family, but instead it turned into a round of everyone giving reasons why Gabe is so great."

"How is any of that my fault, huh?" I yell back at him, "i've been trying to get you to meet my family for months and when you finally agree, there's still something to complain about?" I raise my voice "We have this nice dinner with my family and instead of focusing on that, you're sulking about him! Jesus, Tom, we're just friends!"

His eyes peer onto me, "Can you honestly tell me that's all you guys are?" He says, dropping his voice a bit. "Ever since we started dating, I feel like I'm the third wheel every time he's around. He's always there- knowing exactly what you want to order at a restaurant or what to get your mom for her birthday."

"He even has that nickname that apparently one else can call you." Tom sighs, "I can't compete with all of that."

I shake my head, "No one said it was a competition."

He sits back down and it falls silent for a bit. I can hear him breathing, like he's letting all of his grievances out too,

"If Gabe walks through that door right now and says that he wants to be in a relationship with you, would you turn him away?"

"That's stupid, we're not-"

"Just answer the question, Dustin." He scratches his head, "I've seen the way you look at him. Don't give me that bullshit that you think of him as just a friend."

I stay quiet, knowing that any attempts to refute his claim would be pointless. Maybe he's right. Honestly, if Gabe did walk through that door ready to give it a shot with me, I wouldn't be able to say no.

We sit like that for a few more minutes before Tom gets up and looks back at me.

"I guess that's your answer."

And with that, he walks out the door and leaves me there, alone.

We talk a few days after that, once the dust has settled and our emotions aren't as high. And even though he's a bit more cordial, his mind is still in the same place it was.

We break up officially over lunch and the next day, he shows up to pick up the few things he did leave over at my place. Once he's gone, I look around my apartment, taking notice of what I managed to put up. There's a signed poster of One Republic back from freshman year when Gabe surprised me with tickets for my birthday. And there are a few spots on the ceiling from the time we drunkenly tried to make margaritas but forgot to put on the lid. There's even a polaroid of us that's been tacked onto a family picture we took shortly after Mikey was born. I remember looking at him weird when he put it there, but he insisted that he didn't wanna be left out.

Tom's right. Gabe is heavily involved in my life. And as much as I'd like to think that there may be room for someone else, I don't know if it's true. It took him all but ten minutes to pull everything that reminded me of him from this place- but Gabe's literally etched into the walls,

We may have dated for six months, but as I look around, it's as if he never even existed.