In Your Own Words

13. SUBJECT: THANKS FOR THE CHOCOLATE

to: cassandra.belford@baderu.com

from: weston.maguire@baderu.com

subject: Thanks for the chocolate

sent: March 4, 2017 at 4:49pm

Hey Cass,

I got the Reese's peanut butter cup you taped to my locker. Thanks, it was a nice surprise. How did you know they're my favourite? More importantly, how did you get into the men's locker room? These are very important and reasonable questions.

It's been busy. I worked two double shifts at the grocery store.

Mel and I are spending more time together now. Exclusively. We were on another date last week, right after the night we spent at Lena's, and I could tell she was itching to talk about where we stood.

Eventually, she asked me if I was dating anybody else, and I told her no.

She smiled and went back to eating. It was cute as fuck.

So yesterday I planned a big date. After work, I got a bunch of groceries to make dinner (it can be so convenient to work somewhere I have to shop at anyway), and I even picked up candles from the dollar store.

I was looking up instructions for baking chicken online when Jaz came home. I think I've mentioned it before, but Jaz is busy and hardly ever around.

He pulled a stool out to sit at the counter and asked me about Mel and what I had planned for tonight.

I gestured to the groceries and held up the white candles. I was proud of myself, not gonna lie.

"That's great, I'm sure she'll love it. What else are you doing?" He asked.

I frowned. I pointed at the food and candles again.

Jaz groaned. "Wes, man, you have to get her flowers or something. It's the gentleman thing to do," he told me.

"No, not if it's just a date. Maybe for like an anniversary. But this is a regular date. We're still really new." I shrugged. "I mean, do you think she's going to give me flowers?"

Jaz laughed. "Probably not. Hey, I read online that candlesticks on the dinner table were a tradition to keep unmarried couples from kissing, do you think that's true?"

"Probably not. I think it was more about the issue of lighting without electricity."

Turns out Jaz was wrong about two things. Mel loved dinner and the candles. She took photos of everything, and she even stayed over. I said goodbye to her early this morning because she had a dance team thing in Middleton.

As soon as she was gone, Peter came into my room and lay down on the floor next to my bed.

"Pete, what the fuck are you doing? It's too early. Get out." Weekends are my only chance to sleep in.

"I think the better question," Peter mumbled. "Is what the fuck were you doing last night? You guys were so loud." He yawned as if to say he hadn't slept last night because of the noise.

"Whoops," I said. "Sorry." Not sorry at all.

"No, you aren't." Sometimes I don't even notice how easily he reads my mind.

"Go back to bed," I told him, and hit him with my pillow. "It's still dark outside."

"No point." Another yawn. "Lena is on her way over."

"Uh oh. They broke up?"

He nodded.

Since the night we went to see her, Lena had been in limbo with Taylor. They hadn't spoken, so Lena still wasn't sure if things were over or if it was just a fight. Until today, anyway.