Page 134 of The Build-a-Boyfriend Project

Eli swallows. Why not?

“I don’t know.” He tries to smile. “I just am.”

He swears he can hear Peter’s smile in his laugh. “Fine. We’re both sorry.”

“There, happy?”

“Yes,” Peter says through a yawn.

“Do you want to get dinner on Monday?” Eli asks out of nowhere.

“Oh, uh . . . sure! Let’s do it. We have to celebrate anyway.”

“Celebrate?”

“Your article?”

“Right, right. Let’s do it.” Eli pulls his comforter closer around himself. “Let’s do Doobu, first date round three?” He doesn’t mean for it to be a question, but that’s how it comes out.

“Sure,” Peter tells him. “First date round three.”

“Okay, go to bed. Please.”

“I will,” Peter says. “You go to bed too.”

“I will.”

“Good night, Eli.”

“Night, Peter.”

Eli ends the call first, setting his phone back on the charger. He lies back down, but try as he might, he can’t fall asleep for another hour. Because he knows what he has to do.

And frankly, he can’t wait.

Chapter Seventeen

Who Framed Roger Rabbit, dir. by Robert Zemeckis

Eli knows he should never wake up on a Monday feeling hopeful. But he can’t help that rise in his chest as he opens his eyes just a few minutes before his alarm goes off. Sure, his body is fighting against him like it always does, and he lies there in bed scrolling on his phone until the absolute last possible second.

And it’s raining, so his perfectly styled hair plasters itself to his forehead and the toes of his socks are soaked through thanks to a puddle he doesn’t see.

And the first bus that comes Eli’s way is out of service.

And the second bus is packed full of wet people who smell like sweat.

But he’s hopeful.

He walks into the Vent offices still feeling like he’s finally won, even as he sits down at his desk in front of Michael’s empty office, the ever-constant reminder of where he’s stuck. Except now he isn’t.

Well, hopefully he isn’t.

He resists the urge to email Michael, to walk around the office until he finds him, to ask him if there are any updates on the article. If the editorial team has gotten ahold of it, if the article is going to come out soon.

Eli has to stop himself, knowing he won’t get anywhere rushing things.

He’s waited five years for this.