Vincent Kinsington

We each ordered a slice of pizza. I got a slice of the combo. Chet got a slice of the buffalo chicken ranch. We got our drinks and sat down at a table for two. It was crowded in here, but no one would be suspicious. We were just having lunch as friends. There were plenty of college students in here that were just friends.

I opened the contacts on my phone before I took a bite of the pizza slice. I wanted to know how he saved his contact info. I smiled. Favoritesoccerplayer. Well, he wasn't wrong.

"So why are you going into Entrepreneurship?" Chet asked. He took a bite of his pizza.

"So I can go into the family business," I said.

He thought about that deeper than I thought it warranted. I took a bite of my own pizza. It was delicious. This was probably the best pizza place in town.

Finally, Chet said, "Is that because you want to go into your family business or because your family wants you to?"

I shrugged. "They've always told me I'd go into the family business, but it's not like I don't want to."

"But would you rather do something else?"

I hadn't really thought about it. It might have seemed strange, but because I had been told all along that I would enter the family business, I never thought about anything else.

"Even if I didn't go into the family business, I think I'd still study Entrepreneurship. I think I'd like to start my own business if I didn't go into my family business."

He seemed more satisfied with that answer.

"So what is your family's business?" he asked.

"Kinsington Plastics."

He coughed over the root beer he had just swallowed.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

He nodded. "Your last name is Kinsington?"

"Yes."

"Your family's business is Kinsington Plastics?"

"Yes." A familiar sort of dread began to form in my chest. In the past, when people acted like this after finding out my family's business, they began to use me.

Chet's smile eased that dread. "My dad is a plant manager there," he said easily. "He always talks fondly of the owners. The founder and her son."

"My grandma and my dad," I said.

The smile disappeared from his face. "But your family told you all those horrible things. I thought they would be nice from how my dad speaks of them."

"My grandma is nice," I quickly said. "It's mostly my mom who says those things."

"I see," Chet said. He didn't seem too convinced though.

"Who is your dad?" I asked to get the subject off my family.

"Nate Watakeekul," Chet said. He watched me eagerly to find out if I knew his dad.

"I know him," I said. "The workers like him and my dad likes him and both of those things are hard to accomplish. He is a great plant manager."

Chet beamed at this. I could see the family resemblance now. He didn't look exactly like his father. I wouldn't see them and think of the other, but now that I knew, I could see the subtle similarities.

"Do you look more like your mom?" I asked.

"I've been told I resemble her more than my dad," he said. "Kannika - my sister - actually takes after my dad, but in a prettier, feminine way. Who do you resemble more? Mom or dad?"

It was an innocent question, but one that sent me close to a panic attack.

"My mom. What are you studying?" I changed the subject quickly.

"Sports management."

"You like sports that much?"

"I love sports, but especially soccer." He got this strange dream like sparkle in his eyes that made him instantly more attractive.

"Why sports management? What do you want to do with that degree?"

We continued to eat our pizza slices as we talked. Chet was almost done with his already. Would one slice be enough for him? The slices were really large, but didn't athletes need to eat more?

"Well, it would be great if I could play in Major League Soccer after college, which I think I can unless I get a really bad injury and after my time in MLS I'd like to coach, but not high school coaching or anything. I'd like to coach college soccer and then the MLS and then the Olympics. No. No. I'm getting ahead of myself again," he said it so excitedly and adorably that I couldn't help but smile. "I should at least get my masters in sports management. I think I can get that while I'm playing in the MLS. Am I rambling?"

I shook my head. I didn't want him to stop talking. I didn't know anything about soccer, but the way he spoke about it was infectious. He could speak on it for hours and I didn't think I would get bored of it.

"I can speak to Alex for you if you want," Chet said as I finished my pizza.

"No," I said, but I was happy he even had the thought. "I deserve his anger." I took a sip of my cola before I continued, "And he's very perceptive - like you - and he might figure out there is something between us."

Chet's face fell at that. "You don't even want Alex to know about us?"

"It's not that," I said. I started to reach for his hand, but became aware of everyone around us so I stopped myself. "He's just mad at me right now and he should be. I did something terrible. It doesn't seem right for me to be happy right now."

Chet didn't seem to like that. He sat back in his seat and frowned slightly. His fingers tapped the table. He sat forward once again and said, "You don't think you deserve happiness if someone is unhappy?"

"Not necessarily, just Alex...I hurt him when I should have been helping him, when I should have been happy for him. I should spend some time supporting him and Mateo now rather than flaunting my own happiness."

"Do I make you happy, Vince?"

I smiled not only at his name for me, but because my heart filled with warmth. "You do," I said.

He smiled handsomely at that. "Let's get out of here," he said. It was too bad that 'let's get out of here' meant going back to campus instead of going somewhere the two of us could be alone.

We got back in my car and I pulled out and headed back to campus. "We will tell them soon, Mateo and Alex, about us," I said.

Chet didn't say anything. I glanced at him before I looked back at the road. He stared out the passenger side window with a thoughtful expression. I didn't like his silence. Maybe not telling Alex and Mateo was really bothering him. Maybe we should just tell them. Except it was all so new with Chet. Had lunch today counted as an official date? If so then we had only been on one date. I wasn't sure it even counted though.

I parked at the back of the cafeteria parking lot where I had picked him up.

"We can tell them if you want," I said. I didn't think it was a good idea to tell them while Alex was still so angry with me, but I didn't want to lose Chet even though our relationship was still so new.

"I've been thinking," Chet said. His eyes finally turned to me, "I don't want to keep this secret."

"Keep it a secret from Alex and Mateo or from everyone, my family?" My heart was already beginning to beat faster in panic.

Chet must have seen the beginning signs of my panic because he reached across the seat and took my hand in his. That should be okay. No one would be able to see that.

"I don't want to keep it secret," Chet said, "but this feels special and I want to keep that safe for as long as I can. After thinking about it, I don't really want to tell anyone about us yet." Then he looked all around outside the windows before he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. My heart exploded. "I'll call you after soccer practice," he said. He paused with his hand on the door handle. "Unless, you want to come watch soccer practice."

"I think that might be too obvious," I said.

Chet nodded. "That's true. A lot of the guys on the team figured out Mateo was dating Alex simply because Alex kept showing up to the practices."

"I do want to watch you play soccer though," I said. And I did. He loved it so much and I had never seen him play. I loved hearing him talk about soccer so seeing him play would be just that much greater. "I'll come to your next home game," I said.

"That would be great," Chet said, "You'll probably have to sit by yourself though. Unless you don't mind sitting with Mateo's family. Since last night, they've decided to sit next to Alex at the games."

"They are accepting him then," I said and I was truly relieved when Chet nodded. I had made a lot of mistakes. I just hoped that Alex and Mateo would forgive me for all that I had done.

"Mateo's family is pretty great," Chet said. "His little brothers want to play video games with Alex, his sister thinks Alex is just the greatest, his grandpa gave Alex a big hug and so did his mom. And his dad has finally come around to welcome him too."

"Good," I said.

"I should get going," Chet said.

"Chet."

He paused to look at me. I looked around just to make sure no one could see us and then I leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. The smile on his face was the greatest yet.

"I'll call you later," he said and got out of my car.

It already felt empty without him.