Cory
“NO WAY, that’s crazy thinking, Cory. Brett is so into you.”
I bent down to retie my sneaker lace.
“Come on, let’s go! It’s getting cold out here….”
We didn’t waste any time in getting back to our jog; both of us were well aware that we had only fifteen minutes left before Brett expected us at the B&G, and because we’d taken an extra-long detour from our regular route, we were farther away than usual. But our faster pace didn’t prevent us from chatting a little while we ran.
“I mean, is there anything at all about Brett’s behavior that suggests he’s not completely nuts over you? Because there’s absolutely nothing I can see, boyfriend.” Ally sucked in several short breaths in rapid succession and then went on to say, “The guy watches you like a hawk, he escorts you everywhere, he makes sure you eat and sleep enough… and I’ll bet he’s very careful to make sure you’re never sexually frustrated.”
Actually, Ally wasn’t even slightly off base about any of those things, but she’d completely missed my point. “I didn’t say that Brett doesn’t care about me… and feel responsible for me. We’re pretty much each other’s only real family, so of course he’s very attached to me.” I turned down the gravel path that cut through the quad. “All I’m saying is, it’s possible that, well… that Brett’s not gay.”
“He sleeps with you every night, doesn’t he? And it’s not all about sleep when you two are snuggled up underneath that shiny purple comforter, is it?” Ally was breathing more heavily now, as we were making very good time. “So, yeah, I think that pretty much makes him gay.”
Shaking my head, I dared to disagree. “No, Ally, that doesn’t make him gay. It just makes him devoted and loyal.” After a few more steps I slowed down so I could read the expression on Ally’s face. “You know, he never dated men before me.”
“From what you’ve told me, Cory, he never dated anyone before you.”
Finally, we reached the grassy courtyard in front of the B&G. Both of us crumpled in half to catch our breath. “I think we went five miles today. That’s our farthest distance yet. But Brett’ll be lonely for you soon; we’re a little bit late.”
She was refusing to hear what I was trying to say at all, and it was frustrating. “No, he’ll have plenty of company, believe me. Haven’t you noticed the way the girls in there stare at him?” I nodded toward the B&G. “They certainly don’t sense any gayness in Brett.”
Ally stepped closer and then sort of tumbled me down onto the grass so that we could stretch. “You, my friend, are creating a problem where there isn’t one. Mark my words, the split second your man catches a glimpse of you in that bar, this adorable, dreamy expression will invade his pretty face, and next thing you know, he’ll be drooling all over you like you’re nothing but a grape Popsicle.”
I had to laugh at that image. “Well, I may not be a grape Popsicle, but I have one in my pocket….”
Ally leaned over and swatted me with her empty water bottle, and then she fell back on the ground, a mass of giggles. “You’re too much, you know that? And that’s a visual image that no one but Brett really needs… but baby, you’ve got to let this whole bit of lunacy go—Brett Taylor loves you to death!”
In a very small voice, I again inserted my own two cents, still unwilling to drop the subject. “I just want him to have the freedom to be certain that a male lover is what’s right for him, that’s all.”
I never knew eyes could roll so far back into someone’s head. Ally was becoming exasperated with me. “Whatever, Cory.”
So I decided reluctantly to let the topic drop for now, and I stood up. Then reaching down, I grabbed Ally’s arm and pulled her to her feet. As I did so, a new thought entered my mind. “Hey, have you sent me any prank-ish e-mails lately, you know, trying to be funny?”
“What do you mean, baby?”
“Well, I’ve been getting these kind of strange messages from e-mail addresses I don’t recognize.”
“You shouldn’t open them; they could give your computer a virus.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. But it’s too late; I already opened them. Anyways, I thought maybe you were messing with my head a little, because you’re such a funny gal.”
Instead of seeing laughter there, confusion mixed with concern in Ally’s dark eyes. “I don’t know if I like the sound of that. Are these e-mails threatening?”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing like that.” I lunged forward to begin a final stretch of my calves, but Ally still stared at me, looking worried.
“Don’t worry about it, Ally. Forget I said anything, okay?”
Now it was Ally’s turn to refuse to let the subject drop. “At least tell me what the messages said.”
I was fairly confident that my face was already blushing as red as a radish based on the amount of heat that was radiating from my forehead (enough to roast marshmallows over). “This is so stupid. Someone just confused my e-mail address.”
“Tell me.” She meant business. Now I knew how she kept Ben in line; her voice could be very stern when she wanted it to be, almost scary.
“Okay, okay. The first said, ‘There you are, found you’ or something like that, and the second one said ‘Still so pretty.’”
“Sounds like you have yourself a secret admirer. Were there any more e-mails?”
“Just one more that said ‘We have some unfinished business.’”
Ally shook her head and mumbled something about some people not having better things to do with their time. Then, very bluntly, she pronounced, “That’s just plain weird.”
“I know. So you don’t have unfinished business with me? Because I know you think I’m still so pretty.” I was teasing Ally so that she’d lighten up about the subject, but she didn’t take the bait.
“Those e-mails aren’t from me, baby. You should let Brett know, don’t you think?”
This time I ignored her suggestion—the last thing I needed was a paranoid husband—and I grabbed her hand. “Come on. Let’s go get a drink before you head out.”
Just as Ally had predicted, Brett’s piercing eyes widened the moment he saw me, and despite the fact that a faraway, rather wistful, expression took possession of his even features, there was absolutely no Popsicle-craving drool involved whatsoever.
Well, there wasn’t very much.