They both knew Morgan was trying to play on Taylor’s emotions, and they both knew he was succeeding. Taylor let out a long, exaggerated sigh. “Fine.”
Morgan raised a fist in triumph with his free hand.
“But I need to ask Will. I do not know if he is free,” he said, more to himself than to Morgan.

Eventually, they reached their cars, which were parked near each other. Megan managed to give him a kiss on the cheek—which, in his opinion, was way too close to his lips—and then went back to her boyfriend, hugging his arm possessively while still managing to give Taylor the eyes.

Sometimes, Taylor wished he was just overthinking all her behavior. He paused, then opened his car door. Before sliding in, he waved and called out to his friend, “I will be in touch,” hoping she did not think he was talking to her.

As he drove home, he hoped Will already had plans for the weekend and that the whole situation would be spared from him. But knowing Morgan, he was sure he would end up feeling sorry for him—the boyfriend who was left alone—and would insist Taylor tag along on whatever activity he planned.
Maybe he should hope Will had nothing to do, just so he could save him from being the third wheel.

He got home, parked his car in the garage, and went straight to the kitchen and dining room. His mum was reading a recipe from a book while making dinner. Her hands were greasy and covered in spices, and she was struggling to flip the page.

"Hey, I’m home," Taylor said as he walked in and helped his mum flip the page.
She gave him a warm smile and pulled him into a tight hug with her arms.
"Hey… you’re a lifesaver."
Taylor smiled a wide, toothy grin. "What’s for dinner?" he asked.
"I’m not sure. Some five-minute one-pot dinner," she said, blowing a stray hair out of her face. "I think all these quick recipes are a big lie. You get all excited, and it all goes down the drain the moment you realize the cleanup takes three times longer." She looked at the mess on the kitchen island.
"I’ll help you," Taylor offered, and as he planned to put his bag away and start peeling vegetables, his mum stopped him.
"It’s okay, baby. I just needed to blow off some steam. I’d rather you finish your schoolwork. Your sister’s in the living room—you can join her. If you finish before dinner, we’ll have more family time after."

His mum loves family time—it usually happens after dinner or on weekends. The whole family gathers to play board games, watch movies, or order takeout. Sometimes they forget about the board games and just talk. In general, his parents are very involved, and it hurts him deeply to keep a secret from them, especially since they know all the people involved.

He knows they do not want to relive what happened in middle school. And he knows he does not want to either.

He listens to his mum and goes to the living room. His sister is sitting on the floor, her books spread across the coffee table, leaving him no space to work there.

"Make me a space, Troll," he says affectionately.
She frowns but still moves aside to make room.
"If I’m a troll, what does that make you?"
He sits down next to her and starts pulling his homework out of his bag. With a bright smile, he answers innocently, "A brother of a troll?"
She pushes him, making him lose his balance, and he bursts out laughing.

Taylor finishes his homework, eats dinner, and now he is in his room after taking a bath. He knows he cannot delay the inevitable—he needs to talk to Will and ask him about his plans for the weekend. Even though they exchanged numbers, this will be the first time he makes the first move.

Taylor is sitting at his desk, staring at his phone, biting the skin of his thumb nervously. What is there to be stressed about? It is just a call… or maybe a message would be easier? What if Will has already gone to bed? He does not want to disturb him. Will can always answer in the morning.

Taylor grabs his phone and types a new message:

You: Hey, it’s Taylor. I wanted to ask if you have any plans for this weekend?

He presses send before he can second-guess himself. Then he places his phone face-down on the desk and gets up. As he starts making his bed, the phone dings. Suddenly his face feels hot, and he does not know why.

He hurries back to his phone, heart racing. Was it really a reply from Will? Or just a random notification?

It is Will.

Will: Collecting crickets with Oliver.

Taylor read and reread Will's message, still baffled. So many questions ran through his mind, and he typed:

You: Who is Oliver?

Will: LOL… out of everything I said, that’s what caught your attention?

Will: You’re really funny.

Taylor could feel himself turning red in embarrassment. Another ding—Will sent him a picture. He opened it and saw Will and a mini Will, cheek to cheek, giving the camera a kiss.

You: ADORABLE! What a cute little thing.

Will: I know! It’s all in the DNA.

Taylor laughed and thought to himself about the excuse he gave Morgan. He didn’t think the crickets thing was a good enough excuse. Another ding.

Will: Why did you ask about the weekend?

Taylor thought about what to answer and finally decided to tell the truth.

You: Morgan suggested we go on a double date.

Will: Really…

Taylor started to write to Will that everything was okay and maybe they should prepare themselves for next time Morgan offered a double date, but before he finished, Will sent him a text:

Will: Okay.

Will: Oliver let you borrow me this weekend...

Will: Only if you come next time we collect crickets.

Will: How does that sound?

Taylor thought to himself that after all the help Will had given him, coming to play with his little brother was a small price to pay. He would be happy to do that even without the condition. In his mind, he could see mini Will with the confidence of a mountain trying to negotiate with him.

You: That sounds lovely.

Will: You’re a funny dude.

Will: So… where are you planning to take me?

Will: I hope it’s somewhere fancy.

You: What do you think about driving to an abandoned field?

Will: I think that’s a story for the nine o'clock news.

Taylor laughed and sent Will goodnight before climbing into bed. He felt both relief and worry at the same time. He wished he had the courage to tell the truth and deal with the consequences and the risk of losing Morgan as his best friend. Taylor knew he was a coward for never saying anything. He was afraid it was too late to bring it up now. He knew it was cruel to wish it, but he really wished Morgan’s relationship with Megan would go down the drain.

And with that thought, he fell asleep.