Page 89 of Studious
“Some fool child took a video of him kissing a boy at school under the bleachers, and Danny found out about it and came to tell me before I heard another way.”
“Were you surprised?” Alden asks.
“No. He never seemed interested in girls.”
“And it didn’t bother you?”
“Never. What has bothered me is that I didn’t know if my Daniel was happy. That’s all I want.”
“I’m pretty happy these days,” I say, not realizing how true it is until I say it. Alden is everything I didn’t know I wanted. I’m sure I’m staring at him with a dopey expression, so I focus on my meal.
Mom interrupts my thoughts. “Oh! Mijo. This came for you.” She gets up and goes to the table by the front door, returning with an envelope.
She hands it to me, and I read the return address, my stomach fluttering. It’s from the alumni association of my high school. I look up at her. “This is about my ten-year reunion, isn’t it?”
“It could be.” She gets a faraway look in her eye. “Remember how handsome you looked for your prom? You could dress up like that again.”
I laugh. “No way. And thanks for bringing that up. It was the night Brian broke up with me.”
Alden puts a hand on top of mine.
“He wasn’t a good one for you,” Mom says. “I know you loved him, but that was a high school love. It wasn’t a long-term thing. You both had to find out more about yourselves before you could commit to someone else.” She studies me. “Have you ever wondered what happened to him?”
I can’t lie. “Yeah, I have.” I open the envelope and read the invitation. The event is a few months out.
“Have you ever looked him up on social media?” Alden asks.
“No. I’ve been tempted, but I held back because I thought, no matter what, I’d regret finding out. If he’s married or not, if he’s done well or not. It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to think about him.”
“He hurt you, though,” he says. “Maybe you need some closure.”
My initial reaction is to say no, shut this down. But then I think, what the hell? “Maybe I do. Want to go?” I ask.
Alden raises his eyebrows. “To your high school reunion? As your date?”
“Yeah.” I’m ignoring my mom’s pleased expression.
“If you want me to go with you, I will.”
I smile at him. “Thanks.”
We finish eating and help my mom with the cleanup. Once we’re done with the dishes, I tug on Alden’s sleeve. “C’mon. I want to show you something.”
He looks at me questioningly but follows. I pull him down the hallway to my childhood bedroom. It’s been turned into a guest room, with not much of me left, but I close the door and press him into it.
Then I lower my mouth to his.
He kisses me back hungrily. He’s a pro now.
I’m sure if my mom walked by, she could hear us moaning, but I don’t care. I need him. My hand snakes to the front of his pants.
“Danny,” he whispers. “We shouldn’t.”
“We very much should. Can I suck you off?”
He shakes his head, eyes wide. “I don’t want to do that to your mom.”
I take a step back. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
