#2

Since the third month in their relationship, Fridays had been days for themselves. Whether they were hanging out with other people, watching a movie, or getting ready for a road trip, this was the day they knew they would have time to be with each other. Both of them found comfort in this nugget of their routine, it was comfortable and they usually made good plans.

That was the issue for Patrick, though – too many good Fridays just become regular Fridays. It’s not that he didn’t like it, he thought, it was nice… but having another person by his side, someone who would cook a new recipe for him most weekends, someone who drove him to and from therapy… it was only new for a couple of months. He knew it was fucked up, but the truth is that he was bored of it now. He’d gotten used to Adam and, in his 30-something years of living, that had never happened to him. No one had been important enough for him to settle into monotony, and he hated it.

When he got home from work they reheated some of the soup they’d made together some days before. Adam told him about his day, not getting any callbacks for any job, about how he met an old lady while walking Silicón, and Patrick told him about work. Adam put the dirty dishes in the sink and kissed his forehead, reminding him to get everything ready for their date later that night. He went to his office and distracted himself by answering work emails, looking at his phone, looking at emails, playing with the dog, thinking about emails, just counting down the clock until their date.

It was his job to plan this week. He decided to just go to the park and watch ducks, talk about their childhoods, walking side by side. Never touching, not in public, not if Adam felt unsure. The real romance would begin back at their apartment, where he surprised Adam with vegan Indian curry, vegan lavender cupcakes, and head. It was nice. His boyfriend seemed happy, so he tried to be, too.

After dinner he kissed Adam’s cheek and told him he’d wash the dishes, so he should put something on the TV, or to go check on their dog. This was his least favorite chore – in his mind, it had no payoff. You have a pile of plates, you wash each one individually, and they get dirty again the next day. When he lived alone he’d do everything to distract himself for the growing mountain of dishes and this, his relationship, made him feel the same. 

He stared at the water washing the soap away. It took him a few seconds to catch that thought, and he felt guilty as soon as he realized that he’d just compared his fiancé to dirty dishes. This was bad.

He didn’t know how long he’d been mindlessly staring at the sink when Silicón’s loud, short barks interrupted him. He turned around to see her and, as usual, she was just freaking out at the neighbors who’d just gotten home. He gathered himself and finished the chore just in time for Adam to pop in behind him, rubbing his face against his back. Patrick dried up his hands and reached Adam’s face, petting him gently.

“I love you”, he said, “I’m really glad it’s Friday.”