Page 30 of The Build-a-Boyfriend Project

“There you go again.”

“I don’t really know what else to say,” he offers. “I told Francine that I wanted to actually get out there, meet someone, finally explore the city after living here for so long. Look at where it got me.”

Damn, Eli thinks.

“I’m sorry. Really,” Peter tells him.

“Well . . . we all have to start somewhere,” Eli says. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve only ever had one boyfriend, so I was pretty nervous to meet you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t think first-date nerves are really something that goes away, you know?” Eli asks before he realizes that no, that’s not really something that Peter would be familiar with. “You just get used to it, kind of.”

“Yeah, well . . . I just didn’t want you to think that I was some huge asshole.”

“No,” Eli says. “Just a regular asshole.” He tries to add a levity to his voice so that Peter knows he’s being playful.

And Peter actually does smile at that, and there’s a comfort to the expression, like he can tell that Eli is telling a joke. “Do you know how to get better at it?” he asks. “At dating?”

“You sort of just have to do it, learn by experience.”

Peter smiles ruefully. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

Eli thinks about last night, about the Dating 101 idea that Rose had. He didn’t realize just how on the nose she was with that one. It almost comes out, Eli almost offers to help teach Peter a thing or two. But this isn’t his responsibility.

Eli opens his mouth, unsure of the words that he’s about to say, but then Michael makes his grand reappearance at the door to the meeting room. “Hey, Eli. Is everything okay?”

Eli wishes he could pretend that Michael actually cares, but he knows Michael is just waiting for the right moment to pounce on the gossip.

“Yeah, Michael. We’re fine.”

“Oh.” Michael pauses. “Then maybe you should get back to work, the phones have been ringing.”

“I was just leaving, actually,” Peter interjects. “Thanks for everything, Eli. And I’m sorry again, about . . . everything.” In an instant, the awkwardness seems to come back to the forefront.

Before Eli can say much else, Peter is stepping past him, Michael opening the door wider to let Peter out into the office where he heads toward the elevators.

“Another breakup?” Michael frowns in such a disingenuous way. “I’m sorry, Eli.”

“No, he’s just some . . . guy I went on a date with.” Maybe he shouldn’t tell Michael the truth considering how he apparently goes behind Eli’s back, but there’s no use in lying.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it didn’t go well. He came to apologize. Wanted dating advice.” Eli crosses his arms, stretching out the ache in his neck.

“Did you give it to him?”

“What?”

“The dating advice?” Michael asks.

“What was I supposed to say to him?” Eli’s asking himself just as much as he’s asking Michael. “Why does everyone think I’m responsible for teaching twunks basic etiquette?”

“Okay, okay, no need to get all hysterical on me. I was just curious.”

Eli ignores the “hysterical” comment. He hadn’t even raised his voice.

“You know my roommate actually suggested dating rehabilitation,” Eli says, unsure of why he’s sharing this with Michael. The moment just feels open. “She thinks that we need people out there to teach other people how to date or something.”