Page 34 of Talk to Me

Collin didn’t show up until bedtime Sunday night, and I wasn’t the least bit bothered. Though his ability to hold onto a grudge was legendary, I was surprised he was holding onto this particular one as long as possible. I’m the type of guy who will apologize immediately if I’m wrong, but if the other person is to blame, I’m never going to apologize to keep the peace. Especially if the person in question is acting like a total tool.

So, I let him ignore me Sunday night and Monday morning and went about my typical routine without speaking to him unless necessary. I was so on top of things that I actually had time to wait in line at Midway Roasters for a coffee before my first class. As if that didn’t improve my day, I ran into Theo on my way from my first class to my second. As he breezed by, he smiled and said, “No one has called me a dick yet today!”

Laughing, the two of us gave each other a high five as we passed. Somehow, seeing that Theo had found some humor in his problems made me feel better about everything. Even if people still stared and whispered—and even shouted insults from time to time—he was getting to a place where he didn’t let it bother him as much. I wasn’t certain if it was the best outcome to his situation, but I suppose you have to accept any type of win.

After my last class, I went to the dining hall for lunch. The dish of the day was the incredibly midwestern goulash with buttery garlic toast, and the dining hall actually made a pretty good version of it. Since they made huge batches of it, they didn’t give students too much crap if we went back for seconds and thirds. Goulash day was a great day to fill up in the dining hall.

Once my belly was distended and I couldn’t possibly eat anything else, I went back to my dorm and freshened up. I grabbed my lanyard and wallet, and headed to the parking lot. Like every other Monday during the school year, I planned to go to Spice House to hang out with Arthur. I was thinking about what candy I’d pick up at the gas station for him on the way when I got shoulder checked in the parking lot.

Looking up, ready to argue about who hadn’t been paying attention to where they were going, I saw Theo standing there, smiling at me. The frown on my face flipped into a smile.

“I had the right of way,” I said. “I demand an apology.”

“I’m sorry,” Theo replied immediately. “Especially since I bumped you on purpose.”

“Rude,” I said, then continued walking.

Theo laughed and fell in beside me, following me as I made my way to my car. We’d barely walked a few yards when he spoke up again.

“So, what’s the intent, chat?” he asked.

Stopping dead in my tracks, I turned to him.

“Excuse me?” I cocked my head to the side.

“What’s the plan?” he said, chuckling. “What are you about to do?”

“Sorry,” I said. “I don’t speak whatever language that was you were speaking.”

“Don’t be a snob.” He reached over and nudged my upper arm. “Really. What do you have going on? Wanna hang out?”

“Sorry,” I said. “I actually have plans. Kind of this standing arrangement on Mondays. That’s the…intent?”

His face fell, but he chuckled. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I go hang with a friend every Monday after classes and lunch. It’s a thing.”

“Oh,” he said, looking down at his feet. “Like your…boyfriend…or whatever?”

A laugh burst forth from my throat.

“I don’t date guys who are old enough to be my grandpa,” I said.

Theo looked up at me, a confused smile on his face.

“I’m not opposed to an older guy, but ten years is my limit, I think,” I added.

“You said he was a friend.” Theo shrugged.

“Well, yeah,” I said. “If someone asked about you, I’d say you were a friend. So, the logic you employed is faulty at best.”

I turned to continue to my car and after a moment, Theo fell in beside me again.

“Well, now you have my curiosity piqued,” he said. “Why are you sneaking off campus to visit a man who’s old enough to be a grandpa?”

“Sneaking?” I scoffed. “If I was sneaking, I wouldn’t be walking in broad daylight through the parking lot and you wouldn’t have seen me.”

“Fair.” Theo agreed. “But really—what’s the deal?”