Page 62 of Cheater and the Saint
16
Saint
After my last class of the day, I shot Leo a text to tell him I was leaving before walking out to the parking lot and getting in my car. I was on my way to meet Mom and Patrick for dinner. All of our schedules had been busy the past few weeks, so that Friday was the first day we’d been able to finally set up a meeting time.
A little nervous, I took a deep breath and started the car. Meeting new people always made me anxious. I never knew what to say, or what to do with my hands, or where to stare. I worried about being boring. Yeah, I was weird.
The restaurant was only a three-minute drive from campus, so it didn’t take long to get there. Once parked, I hesitated before getting out of the car. When my phone buzzed, I grabbed it and grinned at the text.
Leo:Say hello to the fox from me. Oh, and can you bring me back some fries? I’ll give ya a bj for them.
Me:Yes, I’ll order you some fries. See you later <3
“Shit! No, no, cancel!” I fumbled with my phone, but it was too late. I’d already hit send. That damn heart emoji would haunt me. There was no taking it back now.
My face was hot and probably as red as Satan’s ass. A text came through, but I was too mortified to look at it. I got out of the car, slipped my phone into my jacket pocket, and walked to the entrance.
A pretty hostess greeted me, and I told her I was in a party of three under the name King. She checked her chart before leading me to the right side of the restaurant where I saw Mom and Patrick sitting in a booth in the corner.
“Pumpkin!” Mom said as she spotted me. Her wavy blonde hair touched her shoulders, and her eyelids had a dab of pink eyeshadow and mascara. She got out of the booth and pulled me into a hug. “I’m happy you were able to make it!”
I returned her hug before turning to Patrick. Holy shit, the guy was even more handsome in person. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle, and his silver hair had just a few areas of black.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said, standing to shake my hand.
“Likewise.” I shook his hand before shoving my hands into my jacket pockets.
Mom slid into the booth on Patrick’s side before he took a seat on the outside. I sat down in front of them right as the waiter approached and took my drink order. They already had their drinks.
Knowing I was pretty much worthless in most social situations, Mom started up a conversation, asking me questions that I could answer easily, and then she’d talk about her and Patrick, finding ways to include us both equally.
I said a silentthank youto her, which she answered with a wink. She knew me better than anyone.
“So, Saint,” Patrick said. “Other than studying, which your mom tells me you do plenty of, what else do you do? You have any friends?”
“Yeah, I have an online friend named Chris that I talk to a lot,” I said, knowing how pathetic I sounded. “But I’ve also made a few more friends this semester. Jacob and Angel. Angel is in my sociology class, and he’s really cool.”
Since the day I’d given him lecture notes, we’d started sitting together more in class, talked before and after it, and texted some, too. There were still times when I felt he was flirting with me, but that could’ve just been in my head.
Leo met him once and said he looked like vampire. To Angel’s face. And that led to an interesting conversation between them about whether or not vampires could really turn into bats, while I stood there and shook my head at them.
“You seeing anyone?” Patrick then asked.
I looked at Mom, not sure if she’d told him about me.
No matter how long I’d beenout, every time I met someone new, revealing my sexuality was something I had to freaking obsess over: when to tell them or if I should. I hated it. Such a simple question like “seeing anyone special?”that was easy for straight people to answer was awkward for me.
“My pumpkin doesn’t have time for boys,” Mom answered, clearly zeroing in on my nerves. Relief washed over me. “I hope that someday he’ll meet a good man and settle down.”
“Well, I actually amkind of seeing someone,” I admitted, and instantly kicked myself for it. Leo and I weren’t anything serious, so why had I even mentioned him? Mom’s shocked expression made me laugh. “Oh my god, is it that unbelievable?”
The waiter brought our food, so conversation was paused, but Mom kept looking over at me as the plates were placed in front of us. I knew she was going to pounce right when the waiter was gone.
“Tell me everything,” she said. “Name, age, what he looks like, where you met him. Leave nothing out.”
I sighed, glancing down at my steak. It’d be cold before I could eat it.
“It’s not that serious,” I explained, not wanting her to get her hopes up. Her dream was to have me meet a handsome man, get married, and live a happy life. Basically every parent’s dream for their child. Leo wasn’t that man, though, and I didn’t want her head filled with pipedreams. “His name is Leo and he’s twenty-three. We’re casually seeing each other. So stop mentally planning our wedding.”
