Page 47 of Bi-Partisan

“So, are we going to talk about your birthday party?” Casey asks as he unloads the takeout bag onto his coffee table.

It’s Friday night, and we’re having one of our semi-regular dinner and co-existing nights. Usually we do these at my place because Casey lives in a shoe-box sized studio so he can save up for a house. But there’s a new video game he wants to play, and I don’t have a gaming console, so here we are.

I turn my head and furrow my brow. “You mean the one I just had?”

“Yup.” He hands me an egg roll, then points his own at me. “Specifically, your boyfriend staying behind once I left with Sophie and Mina.”

“Fake boyfriend,” I correct.

“Didn’t look all that fake from where I was sitting,” he says, then he smirks. “Darlin’.”

I scowl at him. “Okay, one, shut up.”

He grins and takes a bite of his egg roll.

“Two, your Southern accent needs work, and three, of course it didn’t look fake. We had to convince my parents it was real.” I turn my attention back to our Chinese food, opening a pair of chopsticks so I can dig into my lo mein straight out of the carton.

“Yet, you both continued to be all cozied up after they left,” he points out.

I shift on the small leather couch, making it squeak as I get comfortable. “I think he's just an affectionate person.”

He uses his chopsticks to pop a dumpling into his mouth and chews for a few moments. “Okay, but don’t think I missed the ‘baby’, or the way he stayed behind to help clean up.”

“That’s just how he is. It’s that Southern charm,” I say, although I know I’m just grasping at straws.

“Or, it was just an excuse to be alone with you.”

I don’t know why I’m even bothering trying to avoid talking about this. Casey always sees right through me, anyway. And to tell the truth, I think I want to talk about it. I’ve been flustered all week after the party, between how affectionate Jamie was the whole night, the bill, and the moment we had at my door, I’ve been off-balanced.

I sigh and stab my chopsticks into the carton. “Okay fine it was but only because he had a birthday present for me, and I told him how I hate opening gifts in front of people.”

Casey scoffs. “Sophie and I aren’t allowed to get you gifts but your ‘fake’ boyfriend is?”

“I told him not to,” I say sheepishly.

“Well what was it?” he asks.

“It wasn’t so much a gift as it was…. I don’t really know what to call it to be honest.” I glance down at my lo mein sitting in my lap. “He drafted a bill to allow for funding from the animal welfare act to be allocated to animal rescues. He said it was because he promised to help when I asked him about the intake center for District Pets, but it’s way beyond what I expected from him for that.”

I lift my head to see his slightly bewildered expression.

“No kidding,” he says with a shake of his head. “Adrian, he likes you.”

“Well, I figured that given that he slept with me,” I deadpan.

“That’s not what I mean and you know it,” he says, unamused. “He likes you. He cares about you and not just in a friend way.”

“Yeah I know, and I think you’re right. We kind of had a… moment.”

He cocks his head to let me know to continue.

“I kind of thought he was going to kiss me as he was leaving,” I say before frowning a little. “Well I guess he technically did, but it was just on the cheek.”

“Did you want him to kiss you for real?” he asks carefully.

“I think I did,” I admit. I groan and tip my head back to rest on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. “What is wrong with me?”

“Nothing.”

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