Page 154 of The Build-a-Boyfriend Project

The door opens again.

Eli shoots up straight, ready to experience disappointment once again, but his heart swells when he sees Peter walking through the doors.

Followed by another man, the same man from the other day. He’s dressed differently, save for the same laptop bag. He and Peter make small talk, followed by more laughter.

Eli’s stomach sinks as they chat, the stranger laughing at whatever Peter was saying. And he wonders if this man is the same friend Peter mentioned on the phone call.

Peter’s eyes glide over the café before they settle on Eli, smiling. And Eli tries to force a smile back. Peter looks at the man, who’s joined the long line near the door, and whispers something before he moves toward Eli, the world slowing down to an impossible spin as Eli takes in the scene.

Wasn’t this the plan all along? To “fix” Peter, to work on him so that another man would want to date him?

Well . . . mission accomplished.

Eli stands too quickly as Peter approaches, nearly knocking the table over as he does so.

“Hey, hi!” Eli says.

“Hey.” Peter’s voice is quiet.

Eli tries to hug Peter, but Peter doesn’t seem to want to reciprocate, so he drops it, awkwardly lingering there before he offers Peter the seat across from him.

“Sorry for not ordering you anything, I got here too early,” Eli admits.

“It’s okay, Ryan is getting me something.” Peter peers over his shoulder, waving at the man he walked in with.

“Ryan.”

“Yeah, sorry. He loves this place. Wanted to get some work done while we talk.”

“Oh, well . . . okay.”

“You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, no,” Eli promises. Even though he does—he’d been hoping to have Peter alone. Despite the public nature of the setting, he’d pictured getting Peter all to himself for at least an hour or two, hoping that they could . . . find something that remained.

“I’m glad that you called, actually,” Peter begins. “I was . . . I wanted to call you, but I was afraid.”

“You were?”

Peter nods, his body stiff. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to say to you. And I was afraid that I might regret something if it came out in annoyance or anger. I didn’t want that to happen.”

“So, what changed your mind?” Eli dares to ask. “Why answer my call?”

“I guess I just . . . I had a feeling in my gut.” Peter hesitates. “And it made me admit to myself that I missed your voice.”

Eli pauses, unsure of what to say.

Peter smiles that lopsided grin at Eli, and Eli smiles right back. But as desperately as he wants to feel good about this, Eli can’t help but see Ryan in the background, talking to the cashier.

No, he tells himself. He cannot be angry at Peter.

If Peter’s moved on, then Eli has to accept it. At the very least, if he and Peter can become friends again, then everything will have been worth it.

“How have you been?” Peter asks him.

“Okay. Well . . . I’ve been better. I’m working here, actually. It’s just my day off.”

“I, uh . . . I thought you might be.”