Page 4 of Perfect Matcha
Chapter Two
“I have the best ideas,”Theo said, marveling at himself. Why had he never thought of this before? Everything was clicking into place, like a perfect algorithm.
Camden Ray was Mr. Social Circle. He had all kinds of friends, which was mystifying to Theo as someone who had basically only ever had two. One of whom he’d dated then neglected during the most stressful time of his life, so for real, Theo hadonefriend. Andoneex-boyfriend.
But Camden … heknewpeople. He was keyed into the queer spaces in town, and some of the kink ones too, which they did not speak about because Theo was an awkward prude.
“Who is your coolest single friend?” Theo asked. He grabbed Camden’s hot-chocolate mug to take another drink, only to remember he’d already downed it, so he seized the last heavenly ham sandwich thing instead.
Camden pushed Theo’s tea into his hand. “Umm. Here.”
Theo drank it greedily. Good ideas made him thirsty. “Freddie’s wedding is in two months.” The words tasted bitter on Theo’s tongue.
“And you actually want to go?”
“Of course. Maybe it’ll be weird, but we’ve been friends since we were seven. The Three Mountaineers should be at each other’s weddings, don’t you think?”
“I guess.”
The breakup with Freddie had definitely been Theo’s fault, regardless of what Camden thought. Theo had missed birthdays and special dinners. He’d slept through movie nights and eaten meals like an automaton. He’d been unavailable—physically, emotionally, in all the ways.
He used to wonder what would have happened if he and Freddie had waited to get together until after Theo finished school, but years and years of reflection kept bringing Theo back to one little problem.
He hadn’t loved Freddie.
He hadn’t allowed himself to.
Theo would never have been able to crack himself open and wear his heart as a necklace for the whole world to see. Or forFreddieto see. That was what Freddie had needed. What he deserved. Someone present, someone willing to be vulnerable. Someone to sing love songs to on the internet and celebrate with flash mobs in the town square. Freddie had found that person—they had a whole-ass YouTube channel together—and Theo was genuinely happy for him.
“What are you asking for exactly?” Camden said.
“A date.”
“Go with me. Be my date. It’ll be fun.”
Theo scoffed and waved that away. “My best friend bestowing a pity date on me for a wedding isn’t exactly the vibe I’m going for here.”
Not that Camden wouldn’t strike a fine figure at a wedding. He was all golden skin and chiseled jaw and working-man muscles. Theo was used to Camden’s ridiculous level of handsomeness and tended to disregard his looks as unimportant. Plus, he remembered the awkward teen years before Camden grew into his ears.
“It’s not a pity date,” Camden said, snapping Theo out of his blurry-eyed contemplation of the way Camden’s forearms looked like part of an ad for mail-order lumberjacks. “It could be real … Or we could pretend it’s real. I could hold your hand and kiss you and stuff.”
“A fake date for the wedding.” Theo scratched his chin, considering it, even though it was a bizarre and untenable suggestion. And what would they do after the wedding? Stage a breakup but continue to hang out several times a week? It made no sense, and Freddie would see right through it, which wasn’t ideal. Theo wanted Freddie to see him thriving. “Let’s save that as a last resort. Plus, aren’t you a groomsman? You’ll be busy.”
Camden frowned. “Then, what? You want a boyfriend? A fuck buddy? A fake date for the wedding who isnotme. I need some stipulations if I’m going to play matchmaker.”
“Well … a boyfriend would be nice.” Obviously, Theo wanted a boyfriend. Someone to share the enchilada plate at his favorite Mexican restaurant. Someone who would lose boardgames to him. Someone to cuddle up with while watching action movies. Someone to share cozy coffee shop dates.Sign him up.
It was the other parts of a relationship that were difficult. The letting himself be truly seen by a human who wasn’t the human sitting across the table from him at this very moment.Thatwas the issue.Thatwas why it’d been so easy for him to push off relationships for years and bury himself in work.
But now he had his diplomas and an established career. He was ready for a relationship. He just needed help finding a man, and who better to help with that pursuit than Camden?
“A boyfriend.” Camden grimaced around the word, which was no surprise. He’d never seemed interested in relationships.
“Yeah. Or the possibility of one. I don’t want a fuck buddy or a fake date.” Theo traced a scratch in the tabletop. “I don’t want to be lonely anymore.”
“So in this scenario, I set you up with ‘someone cool,’ you hit it off, you fall in love, you show up to Freddie O’Neil’s wedding full of new-relationship glow.”
“Yeah, easy peasy.”
