Page 50 of Kismet

“Yeah, man. It’ll be fine. He’s my cat, not Xander’s, anyway.”

Xander is my soon-to-be ex-roommate and my now ex-boyfriend. We moved in together the summer before we both started our graduate program and have lived together ever since. I was a fucking wreck when we moved in together, and he was there for me when I felt so alone and confused. We officially started dating about six months after, and have been together ever since.

We ended things when I got the job offer. He has zero interest in leaving the state, and long distance isn’t really my cup of tea. Plus, we were more friends with benefits than anything else. We weren’t in love. It was bound to end at some point. May as well be now.

“Are you excited for the job?” Weston asks, pulling me back into the here and now.

“Hell yeah, I am, man. Are you kidding?! This is why I’ve worked my ass off for the last decade.”

“Right on, my man. Does this mean you’re more likely to come visit me now that you’re only a few states away?” The underlying annoyance is clear in his tone. I haven’t been the greatest friend in the last few years. With school and work, and my own issues, I’ve barely been out to see him. He’s been here at least a dozen times since he moved, and I’ve flown out to see him twice… in five years.

“I will, I promise. I’m sorry.”

“Nah, don’t stress it, bro. You’ve had a lot going on. I just miss hanging out with you.”

“I do too. Maybe once I get settled in my new place, I’ll take a weekend trip down to see you.”

“Sounds good. Look, I gotta run. King and I are heading out to dinner with some clients, but let me know tomorrow once you hit the road. Drive safe, man.”

“Will do. Later.” Hanging up, I throw the phone down on my bed, resuming packing. Houston trots into the room, tail rolled like a curly Q.

“Hey, buddy. Ready for our road trip? Probably not, huh? Will be kinda boring for you. My bad, little dude.”

His giant green eyes study me as he sits perched on my pillow. His skin is dark gray, and his nose is all black. He behaves more like a dog than an actual cat.

“I think you’ll like Texas, though, little man. It’s hot as hell there. I see lots of sunbathing in your near future. Thank me later.”

“You’re never going to make friends in Texas if you keep talking to your cat like he’s a person.”

I jump, jerking my head behind me to where Xander stands. “Jesus, Xan. Don’t sneak up on people like that, you psycho.”

“Need any help?”

“Nah, I’m almost done. Thank you, though.”

“No prob. I was about to order some dinner. Want some?”

“Where you ordering from?”

“Cal’s, of course.” He laughs.

Cal’s is this authentic Italian restaurant that’s down the block from our house. It’s dirt cheap, but delicious as hell. I can’t even begin to count how many late nights we ordered from there while we were studying for exams.

“Sure. I’ll just get my usual, but can you get double? Kylie should be here soon. I’ll Venmo you.” Kylie is my PhD best friend. We went through the entire program together. She’s heading off to California soon, while I go to Texas.

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it, though, it’s on me.” He walks out as Kylie walks in. She’s here so much, she doesn’t bother knocking anymore.

“Hi, bye, Xan,” she says with a wave before turning her attention toward me. “’Sup, Cash. Hey, Housty boy.”

“Xan is getting us Cal’s for dinner.”

“Aww, our very last dinner together as a family.” She pokes her bottom lip out into a pout, throwing me her best puppy dog eyes, and I can’t help but laugh.

“You’re a dork. But I know. It’s surreal. I can’t believe I’m fucking moving to Texas.”

“How’s Xan handling it?”

“Fine.” I shrug. “We already ended it a few days ago.”

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