It Was You Page 2

  I’m shocked! You must be a serial killer yourself. I’m not going to talk to you anymore, I wrote back, and immediately followed up with a second text. JK. It sounds like it’s right up my alley. What’s it called?

  Tries, Lies, and Alibis.

  I typed in the title and read the summary. This definitely looked appealing – more than watching reruns of Friends for the hundredth time. I’ll check it out, I texted. Thanks for the rec!

  No problem. I’ll let you enjoy it. Drop me a text tomorrow and let me know what you thought.

  He was cutting our conversation short? I bit back my disappointment. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to talk to me again. He’d asked me to text him tomorrow, for heaven’s sake. He was probably going out with friends right now. It was a Friday night, and he wasn’t scheduled tomorrow.

  I kind of wished he’d asked me to talk about it in person, though. I was dying to see his face while we talked, because I wouldn’t have thought in a million years that he was the kind of guy who watched serial killer documentaries. From the conversations we’d had in person, I would’ve guessed he only watched sports – and while I did enjoy sports, I could only talk about them so much.

  But whatever. If he wanted to continue this conversation by text, I’d do it.

  Sure, I wrote. Talk to you later. Enjoy your night.

  Will do, he said. Hope the movie doesn’t keep you up all night.

  I couldn’t resist sending one last text. Keep me up? It’s more likely to inspire me!

  *

  Working through the weekend was a pain in the ass, especially since Sam didn’t have any shifts. Wren kept bugging me for updates, but I didn’t have any to give her. “We’ve been texting” was all I could or would say.

  I was quickly getting hooked on bantering with him. We had the same sense of humor, not to mention the same taste in TV shows and music. I found it funny to think I’d once wondered if sports would be the only thing we had to talk about. At this point, it was hard to stop talking to him.

  By Monday, he still hadn’t asked me out. I had today and tomorrow off. Wednesday, we were both on the schedule. I’d finally get to see him again, now that I’d gotten a glimpse of the real him. I couldn’t wait to see if our text connection would translate to real life.

  I relaxed most of the day, trying not to think too much about Sam. He was probably just waiting to start his new job before he asked me on a date. He must’ve not wanted things to be messy at work for his last couple of weeks here. Clearly he was interested, or he wouldn’t still be texting me. Or could he just be looking for a friend? No, because he’d been so flirtatious when he asked me for my number.

  He was also responding to my texts surprisingly quickly considering he was at work. We were always understaffed, and even during the week, I found it hard to get a moment to myself more than once an hour or so. Sam was still replying almost as fast as he had over the weekend, like some kind of texting ninja. I’d have to watch him on Wednesday and try to figure out how he managed to get away from the customers so often.

  Of course, I was going to be watching him anyway.

  Did Jacob come in today? I texted. Jacob was an older man who came in every morning and sat with his laptop for about five hours. None of the staff knew what he was doing online, and every time somebody asked him, he’d mutter something about hacking into the government.

  No, he wrote back after a longer pause than usual. Guess he had better things to do!

  Better than taking down capitalism? I said. What could be better than that?

  Hey, even anarchists can have a life, Sam replied. How do we know he doesn’t have a wife and a family?

  It’s not too likely, considering that he smells like he showers about once a month.

  People are into all sorts of things, he wrote back. Maybe that turns his wife on!

  At four-thirty, I peeled myself off my bed and padded into the hallway to knock on Chelle’s door. “Sure you don’t want to come to that meeting?”

  She pushed her chair back from her desk. “I wish I could, but there’s no time.”

  “Come on. This is Fronton’s first Pride festival we’re talking about. You’re going to hate yourself forever if you don’t help organize it.”

  “Maybe another time,” she said. “I’m in the zone with this essay I’m writing.”

  She was studying English, after changing her major about a thousand times. Even though she was twenty-three, a year older than me, she had another two years left in college.

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “This is, like, a historical event.”

  “You’ll have to go down in history without me,” she said. “Sabrina’s not going to make it, either. She’s giving a guitar lesson.”

  “Ah, so that’s why you’re not bothering to come,” I teased. “I see how it is. All right, then. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

  “You didn’t want me to go, anyway.” She put her hands back on the computer keyboard. “I know you. You’re going to flirt it up with every pretty girl that’s there. I would’ve just gotten in your way.”

  “Whoa, now! You act like I’m a player or something.”

  “Or something.” She grinned.

  I headed downstairs, still shaking my head. Chelle knew me all too well, but this time she was wrong.

  I wasn’t going to be flirting with any pretty girls at this Pride meeting. Not when I had a certain boy taking up this much of my mind.

  Three – Ella

  The first Pride festival planning committee meeting was conveniently taking place in one of the boardrooms of the library where I worked. I took off my ID badge and headed over there, fighting the urge to take out my phone. I’d been texting Sam’s crush all day, and I was dying to see how she’d respond to my last little joke.

  It seemed like Sam had good taste in women. Judi was as cool and smart as he’d said. Even though I had no idea what she looked like, I was developing a tiny bit of a crush on her, myself. Too bad she was into guys – specifically my little brother. Oh, well. If this worked, he could bring her home to meet the family, and I’d make a new friend.

  We’d definitely click in real life. I could tell from her quick wit and the things we had in common. In fact, the more I talked to her, the more I wondered why she’d even be interested in Sam. Nothing against him, he was a great guy, but he wasn’t exactly deep. Judi, on the other hand… she was extraordinary.

  The boardroom was already filled with about ten people, a few of whom I recognized from around town. I said a silent thanks that no girls I’d dated were here. In a town of less than two hundred thousand, the queer community was minuscule, and I’d half-expected an uncomfortable run-in with someone I’d been out with in the past.

  I headed over to a guy I vaguely knew named Ian. When he saw me, he squealed and jumped up to give me a hug. “Ella, it’s been forever! How have you been? Do you know Julie?” He pointed at the girl on the other side of him.

  “No, I don’t believe we’ve met.” I looked the girl up and down, trying not to let my jaw drop. I was absolutely certain we hadn’t met, actually – I definitely would’ve remembered her if I’d encountered her before.

  She was short and curvy, with fire-engine red hair shaped into a delicate pixie cut. While her features were calm, her eyes were lively. Energy bubbled under her surface, and she gave the impression that she was amused by everything around her.

  “Nice to meet you.” She took my hand, and a jolt went through my system. “What was your name?”

  God, I’d forgotten to even introduce myself. “Ella.”

  A smile turned her lips upward, and she bit the lower one as if trying – unsuccessfully – to stop it. “How do you know Ian?”

  “We went to college together,” Ian said before I could get a word in. “We both volunteered at the LGBT club, but Ella was getting her master’s in library science while I was wasting my time on that damn accounting degree.”

  “Did you not find a job yet?
” I asked.

  I only half-paid attention to the answer. I wanted to sit closer to Julie, to ask her more about herself. Ian had planted himself directly between us, blocking her completely from my view. I leaned forward so I could see her, hoping I came off like I wanted to involve her in the conversation. She met my eyes, and the way she held my gaze told me she knew exactly what I was doing.

  “So it’s really that tough to find an accounting gig out here?” she asked, appearing completely unruffled even though she was still keeping her eyes on me. “Have you thought about moving back out to Denver?”

  “I’ve thought about it, but I don’t see how it could work,” Ian said. “I don’t have the money to move out there and start paying rent while I job-hunt. Life was so much better out there while we were in college, though, wasn’t it?” He nudged me.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I like Fronton.”

  I wanted to ask Julie what she did for a living, but Ian launched into a speech on the comparative merits of Fronton versus Denver. Apparently Denver was better in terms of the queer community, the education, the nightlife, and the culture, and Fronton had no benefits whatsoever.

  “Denver isn’t so great,” Julie said. “It’s so crowded, traffic is terrible, and housing prices are getting out of hand.”

  “Sounds like you know the city pretty well,” I said, desperate to learn more about her.

  She nodded, and Ian cut her off again. “Sure, it’s not perfect, but it’s a whole lot better than this hellhole. Fronton is like the gaping asshole of Colorado.”

  The whole table had gone quiet as he said that, and the rest of the planning committee gaped at him. I stifled a laugh, and although he was still partly blocking my view of her, I caught a glimpse of Julie doing the same.

  “Um, okay. Let’s call this meeting to order,” a tall guy said, standing up at the head of the table. “My name is Todd, and as you all know, we’re going to be organizing the first-ever Pride festival for… the gaping asshole of Colorado.”

  I choked on nothing, and Ian patted my back with a smirk. I would’ve felt better about the profanity if everyone here was around our age, but there was a gay couple who looked to be in their fifties on the other side of the table, and an androgynous person who seemed to be a teenager a few seats past Julie. Luckily, all of them were laughing.

  “Where do we start?” someone asked.

  “When’s it happening?” someone else put in.

  “If someone wants to join the committee later, is that okay?” Julie asked.

  Todd held up his hands. “I’m going to tell you a bit about what we have planned so far, and then you can ask your questions – one at a time.”

  I settled back in my seat and listened. Apparently the festival was going to take place in mid-June. Todd was going to form us into subcommittees so that all of the necessary duties would get done. And other people, including Julie’s roommate, were welcome to join in at any time.

  By the end of the meeting, I was feeling good about the festival’s potential. Even though it was the first year and none of us had organized anything like this before, we had a room full of people who were excited and passionate about making it happen. There was a lot to get done before mid-June, but with all of us working together, I was sure we could pull it off.

  I was on the fundraising subcommittee, so I’d be trying to find corporate sponsors and helping to plan a fundraising event. Ian and Julie were on the marketing subcommittee, which meant they’d be putting posters up all over Fronton and trying to get the word about the festival. Their job seemed like more fun than mine – or maybe I was just disappointed because I hadn’t been placed with Julie.

  “Thanks again for coming,” Todd said. “I’m looking forward to seeing all of you in two weeks. Same place, same time.”

  Everyone filed out, chatting about their ideas for the festival. Even though Fronton was a small town, having a Pride event was going to be a big deal for the people who lived here. I imagined the older generation would’ve never guessed such a thing would ever happen in their own town.

  Ian, Julie, and I walked out of the library and paused to say our goodbyes. “I have to head home,” Ian said. “See you next time?”

  “Of course,” I said. “Great running into you.” I hoped seeing each other more often might turn him from an acquaintance into a friend. He was a cool guy – when he wasn’t getting between me and a pretty girl.

  “Good to see you,” Julie said, giving him a big hug.

  As he headed for his car, Julie turned to face me with another amused smile. Could she tell how nervous I was right now? I’d been hoping to get her alone since I’d met her, and now that it was finally happening, I couldn’t even look her in the eye.

  “Well, I’d better get going,” she said.

  I couldn’t just let her leave like that. It was so rare to meet a cute lesbian here in Fronton, and even if we’d barely spoken, I’d seen enough of her to know I was interested. Maybe she felt the same way. I’d never know if I didn’t take a chance.

  “Do – do you have plans?” I stuttered out, staring at her black combat boots. “Right now, I mean? I was thinking about grabbing a coffee, so if you wanted to get one with me…”

  She hesitated long enough that I looked her in the eyes again – her very pretty, deep blue eyes. “Sorry if it’s awkward to be so upfront, but are you asking me on a coffee date?”

  “Um… I guess, yeah. You could put it like that.” Way to exude confidence, Ella.

  Her smile turned regretful. “I have to say I’m flattered,” she said. “If things were different, I would’ve loved to.”

  “Oh, God. You’re seeing someone.”

  “Not even!” she quickly said. “There’s just someone that I’m interested in. Too interested, really. I’m crushing hard, and it wouldn’t be fair to you to act like I’m totally single when my mind’s actually on someone else.”

  I bit my lip. “Oh.”

  “Thank you, though! Really.” She twirled a piece of bright red hair around a finger. “If it weren’t for that, I would’ve gone in a heartbeat. You’re adorable.”

  Adorable? Not really what I was going for. But still, she was clearly making an effort to make her rejection as gentle as possible, and I had to be gracious about it. “No problem,” I said. “You’re gorgeous, obviously, but you seem like a cool, fun person as well. I hope this won’t make things weird, since we’re going to be volunteering together. Maybe we can still be friends.”

  “Friends sounds good.” She licked her pillowy lips. “I’ll see you around, then, Ella.”

  “See you.”

  I stared after her as she walked away. Her crush was one lucky lady. They’d probably be a couple soon.

  Who could turn down someone like that?

  Four – Judi

  I placed the tray of bagels inside the display case. The door chimed, and I stood so quickly I banged my head on the top of the case. “Ow!” I said to myself, rubbing the back of my skull. I turned to the entrance. “It’s you?”

  Wren smirked at me. “Hoping for lover-boy, huh?”

  I hadn’t meant to sound so disappointed. “Not at all, but… isn’t Sam working today?”

  “Yeah, he is. I just swung by to grab one of those.” She pointed at the sprinkle donuts.

  “At seven a.m.?”

  “It’s for later. I’m going on a road trip, and I didn’t want to go a full day without my fix.”

  I put the donut in a bag and waved away her money when she tried to pay for it. “Don’t be silly. And have fun.”

  “I plan to. And…” Her eyes slid to the door as it chimed again. “You too.”

  Sam walked in, and my heart jumped. He looked as cute as ever, even with his hair wet from the snow. I gave him a little wave. After all the texting we’d been doing, I felt oddly shy to talk to him in person.

  “Hey,” he said casually, as if he hadn’t been texting me nonstop until we both fell asleep last night
. “How’s it going?”

  “Not bad.” My cheeks were already getting hot. “How about you?”

  “I’m good. Give me a sec.” He squeezed by me to get to the back room.

  “I’ll leave you lovebirds to it,” Wren said.

  “We’re not lovebirds!” I whispered furiously. “Nothing has even happened! He hasn’t asked me out.”

  “Why don’t you ask him?”

  It was a good question. If he’d been a girl, I wouldn’t have hesitated. When it was two girls, gender roles didn’t apply. Somebody had to make the first move, or nothing would ever happen. With a guy, it was different. As much as they said they liked a confident woman, I knew a lot of men were turned off when a girl took the lead.

  I’d never been able to understand why that was the case. Personally, I adored when a woman had the courage to make their interest known. Like that girl on the weekend, Ella. She was cute as a button – even if she probably wouldn’t describe herself that way.

  She seemed to be trying to look like a “real” librarian, with her short dark hair and thick-rimmed glasses. But she was tall and a little gawky, and her youthful features gave away that she must’ve only finished her masters a year or two ago.

  I’d felt her interest from the moment we met, although I hadn’t expected her to act on it so quickly. Her asking me out was a pleasant surprise, and I’d hated having to turn it down. She’d taken it well, though, and who knew? If things didn’t work out with Sam, maybe something could happen there. Clearly we had some chemistry.

  But I hoped things would work out with Sam. I’d been thinking about him constantly since we’d started to text. Our interests were way more similar than I’d ever thought, and our personalities completely aligned. I just wondered if he’d let that side of himself show in person now that I’d seen it over text.

  “I don’t want to scare him off by asking him out,” I said. “Besides, I think he might be waiting until he leaves this job. I’ll wait and see what happens then.”