Anonymous (7/12)
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"Morning!"
"You’re late!"
Scotty laughed, dropping his bag off on the counter. "Can I get the food going before you start in?"
Vicky smiled. "I turned on the ovens for you."
"Thank you, Vicky."
She watched Scotty as he maneuvered around the kitchen, putting on his jacket and checking the equipment.
"So...why are you late?"
Scotty glanced at Vicky with a smile, then looked away, blushing. "I overslept. Late night."
"Ohhh. You were talking to your mystery man."
"We’re going to meet."
"Really?!"
Scotty smiled. "This afternoon."
***
At the sharp knock on the door, Scotty looked up. He smiled, somewhat nervously, at Kevin as he entered the kitchen. Despite his assertions to Kevin-33 that any attraction was meaningless, it was still hard to ignore, especially after their conversation the previous night. He had asked - almost begged, really - for something, anything, that would help Scotty picture him. The response was simply "blue eyes," but it was enough to bring Kevin Walker to his mind. And then he couldn’t get him out of it. The two Kevins blurred together, confusing him while at the same time pushing him over the edge. His response to Kevin-33 had been something like "rogfbvijogf" as he slammed his hand down on the keyboard.
"Scotty?" Kevin asked loudly.
Scotty focused on Kevin again, shaking his head to clear it and fighting the blush climbing up his neck.
"Sorry?"
"I said, is it OK that I’m back here?"
Scotty smiled. "I’ve given up trying to keep you out."
Kevin grinned. "Um," he looked down, and if Scotty didn’t know better, he would have thought Kevin felt as awkward as he did. Although Scotty assumed it wasn’t for the same reason. "The Senator’s about to start his speech. Are you ready to serve the food after that?"
"Yeah, we’re all set."
"Great," Kevin paused. "Uh, everything looks really - "
The doors opened, and Kevin jumped away. Vicky walked in, carrying a tray, and quickly sidestepped Kevin.
"Sorry!" he said.
"Don’t worry about it. Hi, Kevin," she said as she walked over to the counter next to Scotty. "You look good. New suit?"
Kevin glanced down at his clothes. He knew he wouldn’t have time to change after the event. He figured if he had to go in a suit, he should wear his best one.
"Yeah, I uh - I mean, no. It’s not new. I just don’t wear it that often."
"Looks sharp," Vicky said. Then she looked slyly at Scotty. "Doesn’t he?"
Scotty looked at her with a slight deer-in-the-headlights expression. He looked at Kevin, then quickly down at the meal he had completely forgotten about. "Really nice," he muttered.
"Thanks," Kevin said softly. Then he added, stronger, "I have to go...work."
Scotty nodded, and Kevin left the room. After several beats passed, he turned to Vicky. "What was that all about?"
She shrugged innocently. "Just thought I’d bring it to your attention."
Scotty sighed. "Don’t think I haven’t missed your little hints. Kevin is a colleague, OK? And kind of an annoying one, at that. Not to mention, probably straight. Besides, the only person I’m interested in is...Kevin. The - the online Kevin."
Vicky held her hands up in surrender. "OK. Sorry."
She picked up a fresh tray of beverages and walked out of the kitchen. Scotty stared at the food in front of him for a moment, before sighing and returning to work.
***
"I’m here. Sorry I’m late," Tommy apologized as he opened Kevin’s door and climbed in the passenger seat.
Kevin took a deep breath. He was parked about a block away from the coffee shop and had been staring in its direction since he arrived. "It’s OK," he said. "I wanted to make sure I got there after him, anyway."
"Why am I here again?"
"Reconnaissance," Kevin muttered.
"What?" Tommy asked, laughing.
"I want you to go in and see if he’s there, and come back and tell me."
Tommy rolled his eyes. "Why me?" he rephrased.
"Because you’re the least likely to tell the others."
"Ha! Think again," Tommy said. "I’m under strict orders to take pictures with my cell and send them immediately to Kitty and Justin. They’ll take it from there."
Kevin spun to face him. "What? Tommy!"
Tommy stared back him. "Since when are we not allowed to blab? You know the code - if one of us has something on a sibling, we spill."
Kevin groaned, falling back against his car seat. "I can’t believe you."
"Your fault for giving me so much notice."
"I called you an hour ago."
Tommy shrugged. "That’s plenty of time."
Kevin sighed sharply. "OK, will you please just go in there already?"
"Is this a looks thing?"
Kevin turned to him. "What do you mean?"
"Like, if he’s weird-looking, are you going to bail? Because I don’t know if I’m really the best judge to give you a looks report."
"It’s not about looks!"
Tommy stared at him.
"It’s a little about looks," Kevin conceded. "Mostly I just want to make sure he showed up, and to get a little bit of warning about what to expect."
Tommy sighed. "OK, how do I know it’s him?"
"He’s bringing me a flower."
Tommy started to grin.
"Shut up," Kevin said preemptively. "Do you know how many people have books or whatever at a coffee shop?"
Tommy shook his head. "No, I think it’s...sweet."
Kevin sighed, turning away.
"Is it a corsage or a bouquet?" Tommy added.
"Tommy!"
"OK, OK. I’m going."
Tommy opened the car door and climbed out again. Kevin watched as he walked into the shop. Then Kevin exhaled slowly, bending forward and resting his forehead against the steering wheel.
He wasn’t sure how much time passed. When the passenger door opened again, it startled him completely. He opened his mouth to say something, but Tommy shushed him as he climbed into the car.
"Well?" Kevin finally asked. "Was he there?"
Tommy turned to him somewhat cautiously. Then he nodded. "He was there."
Kevin let out a relieved sigh. "So? What do you think?"
"He kind of reminded me - well, that is... You think that restaurant guy is attractive, right?"
"Scotty? Yeah, sure," Kevin asked surprised. "Why are we talking about him? What difference does it make?"
"Because it is him," Tommy said quickly.
"What?!"
Tommy pulled out his phone and opened to the photo album. He held the phone out to Kevin, who leaned forward to stare at the small image.
"Oh my God," Kevin whispered, eyes closing in disbelief. "Scotty Wandell."
***
Scotty, his chin resting in one hand, reached out with the other to stop his phone in its current state of spinning in a circle. He angled it so he could see the time display. 12:50. He sighed and tried to decide how long he should wait before officially admitting Kevin-33 wasn’t showing. His phone didn’t have internet, so he couldn’t even check to see if there had been an e-mail. He hoped there had been, because he couldn’t believe, after everything, that he would stand Scotty up.
"Scotty?"
He glanced up, feeling his heart start to pound. "Kevin?" It...couldn’t be.
"Hey! What are you doing here? I mean," Kevin said, rolling his eyes in self-deprecation, "coffee obviously."
And Scotty breathed out a short laugh. Of course not, he thought, trying to ignore the (large) part of him that was disappointed.
"Oh," he started to say, then paused to regroup. "I’m just - "
"Mind if I join you?" Kevin asked, pulling out the opposite chair before Scotty could even reply.
"Um," Scotty responded nervously, abortively reaching out to the flower on the table. "I’m kind of waiting for someone."
Kevin shrugged, "That’s OK. I’ll move when they get here."
Scotty stared at him, at a loss, while Kevin blew on his coffee and then took a sip.
"Nice work this morning," he said after he finished swallowing. When Scotty didn’t respond, Kevin looked over at him. "I figured you’d have some comment on the Senator’s speech. You always do."
Scotty stared at him for one more beat, then took a deep breath. "Kevin, I’m sorry, but I’m not really having a good morning, and I am waiting for someone, so if you could - "
Kevin finally looked at the flower. "Oh! Are you waiting for a date?"
"Yes, so would you please just - "
"Is this a first date, or have you been seeing the guy for a while?"
Scotty looked at him, startled.
"Vicky told me." Kevin leaned forward and added softly, "It wasn’t much of a surprise."
Scotty’s eyes narrowed. "Kevin, I don’t really care to talk about my personal life with you."
Kevin shrugged. "OK."
They both remained silent, and Scotty stared as Kevin casually looked around the terrace, drinking his coffee with no apparent intention of moving. Scotty sighed. "It’s a first date."
"What’s his name?" Kevin asked immediately.
Scotty paused. "Ke - n."
"Ken? As in Barbie?"
"It is a name."
"Is he plastic-looking?"
Scotty exhaled in annoyance. "I don’t know what he looks like," he said sharply.
"Oh! Blind date."
Scotty stared back at him.
"So, he’s late?"
"A little," Scotty admitted.
"Maybe not," Kevin suggested.
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe he showed up, saw you, and left."
Scotty scoffed, slightly surprised and a little hurt by the comment. He didn’t reply, though; he simply stood up and grabbed the flower and his phone off the table. He began to walk away.
"Come on! It was a joke!" Kevin called after him.
Scotty didn’t turn around. Kevin leaned back in his chair, watching him go, and thought about everything that happened.
After a few moments of indecision in the car, he had sent Tommy home and had driven off himself. However, he had only traveled a few blocks before he abruptly turned around. He couldn’t stand the thought of Scotty sitting there alone, feeling rejected. He had no idea what he was going to do, and when he arrived there, he spontaneously decided to pretend to have no knowledge of S.W. or the date plans. He hadn’t intended to hurt Scotty’s feelings; he wasn’t even really aware of what he had been saying. Everything was so messed up right now.
Kevin closed his eyes and shook his head. Opening his eyes again, he stared out at the other tables. Suddenly, Kevin remembered something S.W. had written, something about a man he argued with, someone he was attracted to in real life. Could he have been talking about...?
Kevin stood up quickly as a plan flashed fully-formed into his head. First, he needed to get to his computer and send an e-mail.
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"Morning!"
"You’re late!"
Scotty laughed, dropping his bag off on the counter. "Can I get the food going before you start in?"
Vicky smiled. "I turned on the ovens for you."
"Thank you, Vicky."
She watched Scotty as he maneuvered around the kitchen, putting on his jacket and checking the equipment.
"So...why are you late?"
Scotty glanced at Vicky with a smile, then looked away, blushing. "I overslept. Late night."
"Ohhh. You were talking to your mystery man."
"We’re going to meet."
"Really?!"
Scotty smiled. "This afternoon."
***
At the sharp knock on the door, Scotty looked up. He smiled, somewhat nervously, at Kevin as he entered the kitchen. Despite his assertions to Kevin-33 that any attraction was meaningless, it was still hard to ignore, especially after their conversation the previous night. He had asked - almost begged, really - for something, anything, that would help Scotty picture him. The response was simply "blue eyes," but it was enough to bring Kevin Walker to his mind. And then he couldn’t get him out of it. The two Kevins blurred together, confusing him while at the same time pushing him over the edge. His response to Kevin-33 had been something like "rogfbvijogf" as he slammed his hand down on the keyboard.
"Scotty?" Kevin asked loudly.
Scotty focused on Kevin again, shaking his head to clear it and fighting the blush climbing up his neck.
"Sorry?"
"I said, is it OK that I’m back here?"
Scotty smiled. "I’ve given up trying to keep you out."
Kevin grinned. "Um," he looked down, and if Scotty didn’t know better, he would have thought Kevin felt as awkward as he did. Although Scotty assumed it wasn’t for the same reason. "The Senator’s about to start his speech. Are you ready to serve the food after that?"
"Yeah, we’re all set."
"Great," Kevin paused. "Uh, everything looks really - "
The doors opened, and Kevin jumped away. Vicky walked in, carrying a tray, and quickly sidestepped Kevin.
"Sorry!" he said.
"Don’t worry about it. Hi, Kevin," she said as she walked over to the counter next to Scotty. "You look good. New suit?"
Kevin glanced down at his clothes. He knew he wouldn’t have time to change after the event. He figured if he had to go in a suit, he should wear his best one.
"Yeah, I uh - I mean, no. It’s not new. I just don’t wear it that often."
"Looks sharp," Vicky said. Then she looked slyly at Scotty. "Doesn’t he?"
Scotty looked at her with a slight deer-in-the-headlights expression. He looked at Kevin, then quickly down at the meal he had completely forgotten about. "Really nice," he muttered.
"Thanks," Kevin said softly. Then he added, stronger, "I have to go...work."
Scotty nodded, and Kevin left the room. After several beats passed, he turned to Vicky. "What was that all about?"
She shrugged innocently. "Just thought I’d bring it to your attention."
Scotty sighed. "Don’t think I haven’t missed your little hints. Kevin is a colleague, OK? And kind of an annoying one, at that. Not to mention, probably straight. Besides, the only person I’m interested in is...Kevin. The - the online Kevin."
Vicky held her hands up in surrender. "OK. Sorry."
She picked up a fresh tray of beverages and walked out of the kitchen. Scotty stared at the food in front of him for a moment, before sighing and returning to work.
***
"I’m here. Sorry I’m late," Tommy apologized as he opened Kevin’s door and climbed in the passenger seat.
Kevin took a deep breath. He was parked about a block away from the coffee shop and had been staring in its direction since he arrived. "It’s OK," he said. "I wanted to make sure I got there after him, anyway."
"Why am I here again?"
"Reconnaissance," Kevin muttered.
"What?" Tommy asked, laughing.
"I want you to go in and see if he’s there, and come back and tell me."
Tommy rolled his eyes. "Why me?" he rephrased.
"Because you’re the least likely to tell the others."
"Ha! Think again," Tommy said. "I’m under strict orders to take pictures with my cell and send them immediately to Kitty and Justin. They’ll take it from there."
Kevin spun to face him. "What? Tommy!"
Tommy stared back him. "Since when are we not allowed to blab? You know the code - if one of us has something on a sibling, we spill."
Kevin groaned, falling back against his car seat. "I can’t believe you."
"Your fault for giving me so much notice."
"I called you an hour ago."
Tommy shrugged. "That’s plenty of time."
Kevin sighed sharply. "OK, will you please just go in there already?"
"Is this a looks thing?"
Kevin turned to him. "What do you mean?"
"Like, if he’s weird-looking, are you going to bail? Because I don’t know if I’m really the best judge to give you a looks report."
"It’s not about looks!"
Tommy stared at him.
"It’s a little about looks," Kevin conceded. "Mostly I just want to make sure he showed up, and to get a little bit of warning about what to expect."
Tommy sighed. "OK, how do I know it’s him?"
"He’s bringing me a flower."
Tommy started to grin.
"Shut up," Kevin said preemptively. "Do you know how many people have books or whatever at a coffee shop?"
Tommy shook his head. "No, I think it’s...sweet."
Kevin sighed, turning away.
"Is it a corsage or a bouquet?" Tommy added.
"Tommy!"
"OK, OK. I’m going."
Tommy opened the car door and climbed out again. Kevin watched as he walked into the shop. Then Kevin exhaled slowly, bending forward and resting his forehead against the steering wheel.
He wasn’t sure how much time passed. When the passenger door opened again, it startled him completely. He opened his mouth to say something, but Tommy shushed him as he climbed into the car.
"Well?" Kevin finally asked. "Was he there?"
Tommy turned to him somewhat cautiously. Then he nodded. "He was there."
Kevin let out a relieved sigh. "So? What do you think?"
"He kind of reminded me - well, that is... You think that restaurant guy is attractive, right?"
"Scotty? Yeah, sure," Kevin asked surprised. "Why are we talking about him? What difference does it make?"
"Because it is him," Tommy said quickly.
"What?!"
Tommy pulled out his phone and opened to the photo album. He held the phone out to Kevin, who leaned forward to stare at the small image.
"Oh my God," Kevin whispered, eyes closing in disbelief. "Scotty Wandell."
***
Scotty, his chin resting in one hand, reached out with the other to stop his phone in its current state of spinning in a circle. He angled it so he could see the time display. 12:50. He sighed and tried to decide how long he should wait before officially admitting Kevin-33 wasn’t showing. His phone didn’t have internet, so he couldn’t even check to see if there had been an e-mail. He hoped there had been, because he couldn’t believe, after everything, that he would stand Scotty up.
"Scotty?"
He glanced up, feeling his heart start to pound. "Kevin?" It...couldn’t be.
"Hey! What are you doing here? I mean," Kevin said, rolling his eyes in self-deprecation, "coffee obviously."
And Scotty breathed out a short laugh. Of course not, he thought, trying to ignore the (large) part of him that was disappointed.
"Oh," he started to say, then paused to regroup. "I’m just - "
"Mind if I join you?" Kevin asked, pulling out the opposite chair before Scotty could even reply.
"Um," Scotty responded nervously, abortively reaching out to the flower on the table. "I’m kind of waiting for someone."
Kevin shrugged, "That’s OK. I’ll move when they get here."
Scotty stared at him, at a loss, while Kevin blew on his coffee and then took a sip.
"Nice work this morning," he said after he finished swallowing. When Scotty didn’t respond, Kevin looked over at him. "I figured you’d have some comment on the Senator’s speech. You always do."
Scotty stared at him for one more beat, then took a deep breath. "Kevin, I’m sorry, but I’m not really having a good morning, and I am waiting for someone, so if you could - "
Kevin finally looked at the flower. "Oh! Are you waiting for a date?"
"Yes, so would you please just - "
"Is this a first date, or have you been seeing the guy for a while?"
Scotty looked at him, startled.
"Vicky told me." Kevin leaned forward and added softly, "It wasn’t much of a surprise."
Scotty’s eyes narrowed. "Kevin, I don’t really care to talk about my personal life with you."
Kevin shrugged. "OK."
They both remained silent, and Scotty stared as Kevin casually looked around the terrace, drinking his coffee with no apparent intention of moving. Scotty sighed. "It’s a first date."
"What’s his name?" Kevin asked immediately.
Scotty paused. "Ke - n."
"Ken? As in Barbie?"
"It is a name."
"Is he plastic-looking?"
Scotty exhaled in annoyance. "I don’t know what he looks like," he said sharply.
"Oh! Blind date."
Scotty stared back at him.
"So, he’s late?"
"A little," Scotty admitted.
"Maybe not," Kevin suggested.
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe he showed up, saw you, and left."
Scotty scoffed, slightly surprised and a little hurt by the comment. He didn’t reply, though; he simply stood up and grabbed the flower and his phone off the table. He began to walk away.
"Come on! It was a joke!" Kevin called after him.
Scotty didn’t turn around. Kevin leaned back in his chair, watching him go, and thought about everything that happened.
After a few moments of indecision in the car, he had sent Tommy home and had driven off himself. However, he had only traveled a few blocks before he abruptly turned around. He couldn’t stand the thought of Scotty sitting there alone, feeling rejected. He had no idea what he was going to do, and when he arrived there, he spontaneously decided to pretend to have no knowledge of S.W. or the date plans. He hadn’t intended to hurt Scotty’s feelings; he wasn’t even really aware of what he had been saying. Everything was so messed up right now.
Kevin closed his eyes and shook his head. Opening his eyes again, he stared out at the other tables. Suddenly, Kevin remembered something S.W. had written, something about a man he argued with, someone he was attracted to in real life. Could he have been talking about...?
Kevin stood up quickly as a plan flashed fully-formed into his head. First, he needed to get to his computer and send an e-mail.
Next Chapter
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