Page 23 of Double Booked

I smiled at her holding up the fresh cup of coffee I had just gotten. “No, I’m good. Thanks though!”

Jessica stepped into line, striking up a conversation with Elizabeth as she took her order. For a moment, I envied her. What was it like to grow up in a small town like this? Where everyone knew everyone and everyone was a friend? I had been on my own for so long that it seemed foreign to me and a small bit of discomfort churned in my gut. But at the same time, there was some jealousy there as well.

“Sorry about that,” Jessica said, sliding into the seat across from me. “The dogs decided to roll in shit this morning and I had to hose them off before I left.” Jessica and her husband Jake lived on a two acre hobby farm right outside town. They had chickens, ducks, goats, and two dogs that seemed to get in more trouble than all the other animals combined.

“Oh no!” I said, laughing. “I can only imagine.”

Jessica rolled her eyes but there was a smile on her face. “I’ve never loved something so much but also wanted to strangle them. But enough about my crazy animals, how are you? How is it being back for a longer visit?”

I shifted in my seat. “It’s been pretty good actually,” I admitted. I had been nervous about the longer visit but reasoned to myself I could always change my return ticket but it had been pretty smooth. “We’re figuring out a routine. He usually cooks us breakfast in the morning or at least makes me coffee while he eats breakfast and then when he goes to work, I start working as well. Then we’ve been hanging out in the evenings. Sometimes Justin comes over as well and we watch a movie or something.”

Jessica’s eyebrows raised. “Justin comes over? And he’s polite to you?”

It was my turn to raise my eyebrows. “He is. Is that bad?” Was there something I didn’t know?

Jessica smiles and places a hand on my arm. “No! Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m just a little surprised that’s all. Usually Justin doesn’t get along with Colton’s girlfriends at all but I’m glad he’s getting along with you. You’re amazing for Colton, Jake and I have never seen him this happy, and it seems like Justin sees that too.”

I think about all the times I’ve caught Justin looking at us with an unreadable look in his eyes. “Maybe… I don’t know. I hope so.”

“What do you mean?” Jessica probed gently.

I hesitated. I didn’t know how much I could share with her. I knew Jake was good friends with Colton and Justin which meant Jessica was probably good friends too.

Jessica seemed to understand my hesitation as she squeezed my arm gently. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you. I know we haven’t known each other for long, but I have a feeling we’re going to be great friends. And even if that doesn’t happen, I’m very firmly on the girl power side of things. I know it might be awkward to talk about them as I’ve grown up with them, but if you let me, I’d love to be an unbiased ear for you. Well, not totally unbiased, as I’ll be on your side but as close as you could get.”

Her expression was earnest and her eyes were serious even as a small smile played on her lips. I felt the tension seeping out of me at her words. “I’d like that,” I admitted. “I don’t have very many friends to talk to about this.”

“Well you’ve got me. So tell me. Or we don’t have to talk about it at all and we can talk about other things.”

I wanted to talk about it but I wasn’t sure how to bring it up. How did I say, I think my boyfriend’s best friend is in love with him based on these things I’ve noticed? “I don’t know how to say it,” I began slowly and Jessica nodded. She looked around to make sure we were out of earshot of anyone else and then she leaned in.

“Is it about how close Justin and Colton are?”

My eyes widened slightly as she hit the nail on the head. I nodded and she smiled at me. “I figured. If you ask me, it’s why Colton hasn’t dated that much or why his relationships never lasted long before you came along. And why Justin doesn’t date.”

There must have been a look on my face as she quickly continued. “It’s different with you. I can see it, Jake can see it, and Justin can probably see it too. I always thought after college that those two would come home in a relationship but I guess not.”

Wait, Justin was who Colton dated in college? Why wouldn’t he tell me that? Was Colton not over it and that’s why he didn’t say anything? Was I getting in the way of him and Justin? The sharp ache of betrayal rose up inside me but understanding surged forward as well. God, I was such an idiot. That made perfect sense and explained their friendship and closeness. Jessica’s eyes widened. “He didn’t tell you.”

“He told me he was bisexual and dated in college but he didn’t tell me it was Justin.”

Jessica frowned and shook her head. “Men are dumb.”

“He didn’t owe me that information,” I argued weakly even as a sharp pain tugged at my heart in my chest. I didn’t know what to feel. I wanted to be angry he kept this from me but we hadn’t been dating that long and he didn’t owe me anything.

“No, but he should have provided it. I understand why he didn’t, he probably thought it would scare you off. Which tells me how important you are to him because in the past, he’s always held his relationships at arm’s length in order to not lose Justin.”

I frowned. “Why would it scare me off? You can’t help who you love and everyone has a past.”

Jessica pointed her finger at me. “And that’s how I know you’re perfect for him. Because that is your reaction.”

Understanding dawned on me. “Not everyone has reacted the same way.”

Jessica shook her head. “Nope. Some of them got pretty ugly too. This is a decently progressive town for a small town in Kentucky mostly due to Colton’s parents but we still have our bigots.”

“His dad was the mayor, right?”

“Yep, Mayor Forrest. But Agnes was the unofficial mayor, everyone knew that. And she’s a huge ally to the LGBTQIA+ community. Her sister, Colton’s aunt, is a lesbian and is married and lives in Pennsylvania. She started our first pride festival in the fall and did a lot of outreach work. I think they also expected Colton and Justin to come home from college dating but when they came home just friends, no one said anything. Even if we can all see how they look at each other.”

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