Animate Me (16 page)

“That’d be great,” Mom replies, as she pulls out some fruit. “Would you two mind cutting this up for me?”

I turn towards Brooke. “Do you mind getting it started? I just have to ask Dad about something. It’ll only take a minute.”

I hurry back to the court and when I step inside Billie comes right over and punches me in the arm.

“Hey, what’s that for?” I grumble.

“Cheating on Dani, you swine.” She gives me the ultra-bitchy Billie look. “And am I right, is B-Girl modeled after Brooke?”

Curtis joins us shaking his head. “I warned you dude, that this could get messy.”

“Yes Billie, B-Girl is Brooke but please, you have to keep that a secret. Brooke doesn’t know about it….she has no idea. Besides, she has a boyfriend already.”

“Your bosses, bosses, boss, right, dude?”

Curtis is so damn helpful.

“Yeah, he’s president of Sketch Republic,” I admit defeated.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she spews. “What are you going to do when she finds out about the drawings and that you’re
so
in love with her? Cause from the looks of it that could be soon. Then her boyfriend will find out and you’ll find your ass on the street like a cheap hooker.”

I clasp my hands over my head and groan.

Billie pushes me. “And how could you do this to Dani, asshole?”

Dad steps up and joins us looking totally confused.

Curtis pulls her back. “Calm down, baby. Dani is in on this.”

“What do you mean
in on this
?” Billie’s face and neck are getting red. I notice her tattoos take on a different look as a result.

“Who’s Dani?” Dad asks me, while watching Billie with a frightened look.

I take two steps back and fold my arms. “That’s it…we’re leaving. I should’ve known it would be a mistake to come here.”

“Who’s Dani?” Dad asks louder this time.

“Dani is Nathan’s pretend love interest, that Brooke, his real love interest, is helping him hook up with,” Curtis explains.

“What?” My Dad says with a faraway look as if he is calculating a complex math problem in his head.

Yeah, good luck with this one Dad.

“What, are you fucking kidding me! Nathan, I thought you were a smart dude,” Billie says, shaking her head.

“Evidently not,” I offer as I start walking towards the gate.

“Don’t leave, Nathan,” my Dad insists, trying to be the voice of reason. “Consider the ramifications, son. Leaving under the effects of provocation is only going to make things worse. How will you explain the deviation to Brooke? It defies logic which is intrinsically unsettling.”

“Huh?” Asks Billie.

I can’t blame her. You have to hang with dad awhile to get his particular form of geek speak.

He turns towards Curtis and Billie. “Let’s just all agree to have a nice lunch and give Nathan a chance to recalculate and reformulate his strategy with Brooke another time, somewhere more appropriate.”

“Dad’s right,” Curtis nods. “Besides, Mom’ll be really bummed if you leave now.”

I turn it over in my mind. “Okay,” I agree. “But only if you promise.”

They nod and so I go back in the house to rejoin Brooke where she and my mom are chatting away like long lost friends. Despite all the drama we just dodged, for a moment I allow myself to imagine Brooke and I in the future. I picture us as a real couple hanging out here on a Sunday with my parents, and I get a warm feeling in the pit of my nervous stomach.

Luckily lunch is uneventful other then my mom’s obsessive staring at Billie’s tattoos. Everyone is polite and talkative. Brooke seems particularly enchanted with my dad’s stories about ideas he’s pursued with his inventions. After lunch Curtis gives Billie a feral look and they disappear somewhere in the house while dad offers to show Brooke his work studio. I decide to stay behind and help Mom with the dishes.

“Oh, Nathan. She’s lovely, really lovely. She’s just the kind of girl I hoped you would find.”

“But Mom, she’s just a friend. She has a boyfriend already, and he’s the president where I work.”

“Perhaps,” she states in that cryptically female way. “But clearly you two are meant to be together. She’ll just need some time to work it out.”

“You really think so?” I ask, not hiding the hope in my tone.

She firmly nods. “You’re crazy about her, aren’t you? I can see it in the way you look at her.”

“I’ve been crazy about her for a long time,” I admit. “But I never thought I’d have the opportunity to talk to her, let alone become friends. It’s like the impossible doesn’t seem impossible anymore.”

“Like it’s meant to be,” she says with a dreamy look. My mom is such a hopeless romantic. I found a bunch of those erotic romance stories in the back of her closet once, leading me to believe that she can be well versed in suspending disbelief. That could explain her complete faith that Brooke will end up mine.

Brooke seems deep in thought on the drive back to my place. I try to relax and go with it, but finally I can’t take it anymore.

“You’re so quiet. What are you thinking?” I ask nervously.

“Just now I was thinking how much I miss having a family. I’m an only child, but before my parents got divorced we hung out a lot like your family does. And your parents are so cute together; they genuinely adore each other, don’t they?”

“Oh yeah, they make a good pair. I’m sorry that your family is split up but you can be a member of my family. My parents both liked you a lot.”

“Thanks.” She smiles warmly. “Your Dad’s pretty amazing Nathan. I’m knocked out by all the stuff he’s invented.”

“I’m impressed you got him to talk and open up so much, but I guess I shouldn’t be. Look how much you’ve gotten me to talk.”

She grins. “You’re both really similar you know? Both of you have super creative minds.”

“Well, we’re both geeky and awkward. That’s for sure.”

As I pull up to the house Brooke looks out the window.

“So your Mom talked a bit about Rachel when we were making lunch.”

“Really?” I’m not sure I want to hear this.

“So she told me that Rachel is living with a woman up North. You never mentioned that.”

I pull into the driveway. “It didn’t occur to me to mention it. I’ve only met her roommate once. Why?”

Brooke looks at me curiously. “Just wondering.”

I open the trunk to my car and pull out our stuff.

“Do you want to come in and hang out?” I cringe at how stupid that sounds but I’m desperate. I’m so addicted to her that it pains me to think about her driving away and going back to Arnold.

She steps closer and runs her hands along my shoulder. “No, I’ve got stuff I need to do—girl stuff.”

“Girl stuff? Anything I can help with?”

“Not unless you’re good at mani-pedis.”

“I could try,” I offer. I’m an artist…so how hard could it be?

She wraps her arms around me and holds on tight. “No, I think we will leave that to the little woman with the sharp scissors. But thanks for offering.”

I pause and look down at her lips with longing. “I suppose I used up all my practice kisses this morning, huh?”

“Yeah, mister, that was about a week’s worth, but who’s counting.”

She surprises me by reaching up and pressing her lips against mine. It’s a sweet slow kiss, her tongue barely grazing mine. When we part I pause for a moment with my eyes closed not wanting it to be over.

I feel her pulling her bags out of my hands. “That was so much fun. Thanks, Nathan.”

“Will you come with me again?” I ask, hopeful.

“How about next month? It’s the second Sunday every month.”

“Yup, it’s a date then.” I grin widely.

“So, see you tomorrow?”

I nod and watch her get in her car.

Inspired, I spend the rest of the afternoon drawing without restraint. Pose after pose, naked and clothed, stretched out and curled up. Laughing, pensive, smiling…every kind of beautiful.

Brooke.

“
We’ve been framed, Gumby. Never trust animated people.” ~Pokey
^x

A
t four in the morning I wake up suddenly and lay there stunned until it is time to drag myself to work. I watch the clock until the afternoon, when our group finally heads to Starbucks. Now I am minutes away from seeing Brooke again, signifying the impending conclusion of my restlessness.

I walk right past Morgan and into Brooke’s office. Brooke is working at her computer, so I go straight up to her desk and sit down in the one of the visitor chairs. She looks up when I set down her coffee.

“Well, hello.” She laughs but then stops when she notices the look on my face.

“Are you all right?”

I lean forward on my elbows. I gaze at the grain in the wood of her desk and finally ask the question that has tormented me for the last twelve hours.

“So that’s it, isn’t it…Rachel’s gay?” I exhale long and slow, finally letting the air out of my chest. “It hit me in the middle of the night, and I’ve thought of nothing else since then.”

She gets up and closes her office door, then returns to her chair. She pulls up close to her desk and leans in towards me.

“Well, that would explain a lot, wouldn’t it?”

“I’ve wondered if that were the case from time to time. I even asked her once but she insisted that she wasn’t.”

Brooke has a sympathetic look on her face. I’m shaken even though I’ve agonized over the idea since four a.m., complete with visions of Rachel with other women dancing in my head.

“She must not have felt ready to admit it to you.”

“Is that what my mom thinks too?” I ask anxiously.

“Shouldn’t you ask her directly?” she gently suggests.

“I need to know right now. Come on, Brooke…”

She slowly nods, and I sigh.

“But please talk to her about it. I feel bad telling you.”

“Why didn’t I trust my instincts? Do you think Rachel was always gay, or did I make her that way?”

“Oh God, how could you think that? Of course she was born that way, but she must have cared about you enough to want to try men anyway.”

“Oh, lucky me!” I say sarcastically. “So remember how I told you that she loved me, you know…giving her oral sex? I was thinking about that all day and how she would always have her eyes closed. Do you think she was imagining I was someone else…a woman?”

“Maybe,” Brooke says sadly.

“Yeah, and her current roommate is kind of a tomboy. I swear, I’m so damn slow!” I press my fingers over my forehead in frustration.

“You just didn’t want to see it. Didn’t you say she was the first girl that you had a strong connection with? All things considered, I’m not surprised you didn’t pick up on it since she had indicated to you that she was straight.”

“You’re just trying to make me feel better,” I say quietly.

“No, I’m not. Give yourself a break; you aren’t only attracted to gay women. Like what about Dani? I know she isn’t gay. And you seem to enjoy me, and I’m not gay.”

“But you’re just helping me. That doesn’t count.”

“Sure it does, I’m not just helping selflessly. I always get really turned on with you,” she says matter of fact, like she’s talking about the weather.

“You do?” Suddenly it’s like the clouds have parted. Rachel, and all her gayness, fades out of my mind.

“What? You can’t tell? I thought it was rather obvious at your place yesterday morning. I’ve been very tempted to accelerate the education into advanced studies.”

I blush and immediately feel my pants tightening. “Wow, I’d really love to sign up for that.”

Oh, you’re such an idiot!
I shift in my chair, embarrassed that I opened my big trap.

“Damn…sorry, I’m just so clueless. I wasn’t completely sure you really felt like that…”

She laughs. “Well then, you’ll just have to take my word for it.” She looks down at her coffee and lifts it to examine it more closely. “Now, what do we have here?”

“Brooke Berry Shortcake,” I respond, smiling.

The drawing is of her perched like a sexy pin-up on top of a huge strawberry with a strawberry hat on her head. She’s wearing yoga pants and a fitted T-shirt.

“Oh, this is awesome. I love it!”

I smile at her and then look down at the pile of projects strewn over her desk. “Well, we should get back to work.” I slowly push away from her desk.

“Are you okay?” she asks, watching me carefully.

“I guess so. But I think I’ll drink the hard stuff tonight.”

• • •

Dani nails me near the break room.

“So I hear you and Brooke went to the Rose Bowl. What am I, chopped liver?”

“No, you’re just not Brooke.” I point out, confused that this isn’t obvious.

“But I’m your pretend girlfriend. I need attention too.”

I suppose she’s right since she’s the one trying to help me. “Okay, when should we go out again?”

“Well, a bunch of us are going out tomorrow night. Why don’t you take me?”

“Is Nick going?”

“Yup,” she says happily.

“I’m onto you, Dani.”

“Screw you, Nathan. I’m onto you too.”

The next day, just after lunch I get a frantic call from Brooke.

“Nathan, thank God you’re there. I’m so screwed. I have a presentation in an hour, and my damn computer’s frozen. I have documents I have to print out. I’d call the IT guy but he’s a raving idiot.”