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“Sam?”
“Seriously?”
“What was wrong with him?” Tara asks, out of curiosity as much as annoyance.
“He keeps doing that thing with his teeth. If he’s going to have a relationship with one of my closest friends then there is a real danger, he will join our friendship group…” Isaac turns to Tao, “can you honestly see yourself sitting through a film on movie night with someone doing that with their teeth?”
Tao concedes the point. “We’re back where we started then. Josh, Dan, or Ben.”
“Not Ben.” Charlie says quickly before Nick and Imogen can say it.
“What’s wrong with Ben Wilson?” Sahar asks, “He seemed nice enough to me.”
“Just… not a Ben.” Charlie says adamantly. Sahar looks as if she intends to argue but then she catches Imogen’s eye and says instead.
“At least he doesn’t insist on us reading yet another book about a gay British prince falling for an American written by an American.”
“Which one was that again?” Nick asks, flustered, scouring the sheet of paper where he has written his notes.
“Nick Nelson.” Elle exclaims, “do you seriously have a crib sheet on all the potential boyfriends?”
Nick rubs the back of his neck, “I can’t keep up otherwise. Now the Red, White and Royal Blue addict, was that Sunil or Lewis?”
“Neither.” His boyfriend laughs, tousling Nick’s hair, “It was Kyle.”
******
Isaac Henderson wants to believe in romance. Not for himself, he’s done a lot of thinking over the past eighteen months since James McEwan kissed him in the corridor of the Hotel Mignon, a lot of investigating and exploring too. He has read widely, as to be expected, but has had some discreet conversations with people who know about this sort of thing, the student at Elle’s college and other friends of his. Isaac is now quite sure that he is asexual and quite possibly aromantic. He feels neither desire nor the desire to feel desire. He is content.
James has proved a good friend, after they got over their misunderstanding in Paris, they had come to the conclusion that they still like each other very much as friends and enjoy each other’s company. James had sealed the deal when he told Isaac of the job going at The Story Bird bookshop. James had recommended Isaac to Alison the owner. Isaac had made a favourable impression and had been offered the job immediately, with James beaming with pleasure to have his friend on board.
Isaac settles in well at The Story Bird once he learns that he cannot spend all day Saturday reading the stock. He is a fount of knowledge in respect of books of any genre and people soon start to come to him for recommendations. He can also identify books from the most obscure of references or the slightest of descriptions.
It’s about a man…
They might have been at sea…
Helena Bonham-Carter was in the film… (he checked in with Tao for that one).
It’s translated from the Japanese…
The customer would keep talking and something in Isaac would click, he would tap a few words into the shop’s computer and direct them to the shelf, or otherwise order it for them online.
Isaac is happy.
James is not happy.
He understands that Isaac can’t like him back, unlike Max and Owen who simply didn’t like him back, and Charlie who he had never had a chance with anyway. As year twelve progresses and more and more students from Truham and Higgs pair off (the picnic tables at the front of school are filled to capacity with courting couples every morning), James becomes more and more convinced that he is unlovable. He has exhausted the possibilities of Truham’s out gay population (C Spring) and sadly concludes that he is destined to be alone. At least until he escapes the town for university.
Isaac observes his friend is sad, and it makes him sad too. James is not like Isaac; he isn’t designed to be single. He dearly wants a boyfriend, and Isaac, because he is fond of James sets himself a challenge to make it happen.
******
Like James Isaac swiftly concludes that he needs to look outside the confines of Truham Grammar School for Boys to find a potential mate for James. Although the information is never likely to come in useful, he already knows that his ideal date would be an excursion to a bookshop, that makes it simple he, and James, are already in one, at least one day a week. Isaac wracks his brains and comes up with an idea which he takes to Alison. A Queer YA book club, every other Thursday after school upstairs in The Story Bird’s coffee shop. It wouldn’t be work, Isaac is restricted in the number of hours he can work anyway, but the kind of guy who is likely to attend a queer YA book club is just as likely to be a soulmate for James.
He explains his plan to his friends from the Paris squad as he needs their help to get it off the ground. Elle protests that Isaac shouldn’t meddle, but Tao who finds Thursdays particularly trying, waiting for Elle to come home from Lambert, is up for it. Charlie loves books, almost as much as Isaac, and Nick loves Charlie so they sign up as a two for one deal. Darcy ducks out, much to Isaac’s relief, but Tara says she will attend at least while Isaac is trying to get the group of the ground. Sahar says she will join and also ask Imogen. Elle is persuaded to give Isaac the benefit of the doubt, and also to design a poster and some flyers to give out in the shop, to potential candidates.
The first meeting consists of Isaac, Charlie, Nick, Tao, Tara, Sahar and James. Imogen has a hair appointment but promises she will come next time. Isaac is disappointed but his friends reassure him that ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’, particularly James who has no idea the book club is for his benefit.
The second meeting is more of a success, Imogen arrives with two boys from The Academy who she has discovered loitering on the street, Joshua and Daniel are already friends and out at school. They drink their coffees and discuss the week’s book Call Me by Your Name which fortunately both Josh and Dan have read. They agree the next book and that they will advertise it on the poster in the shop so anyone who wants to come along can be prepared. Finally, Josh and Dan suggest inviting their friend Kyle to see if he wants to join them.
Kyle is a good addition, apart from the fact he would be happy to sit and discuss the finer points of Red, White and Royal Blue every time except for the weeks when they read, Wear it Like a Crown. Ben Wilson is a friend of Kyle’s brother, and in the same year at the Comp as Sunil and Lewis. Finally, there is Abby and Nancy and her best friend from the city college, Other James. Gradually they form a little group of likeminded individuals (not borderline outcasts, thank you very much Mr Xu) and a pool of potential boyfriends for James to choose from. Except…
“So, Ben is out, and Kyle is only interested in royalty… what about Josh, he’s cute…” Nick adds,
“Is he now?” Charlie rises to the bait.
“Yeah, he’s got lovely curly hair and dim… oops I did it again, didn’t I?”
“You are such a dork.” Charlie says affectionately snuggling into his boyfriend’s arms.
“It’s immaterial.” Imogen announces with authority. “Josh only comes to book club because he fancies Dan.”
There’s a chorus of ‘what’, ‘really’ and Sahar asks, “How do you know that?”
“I’m an ally.” Imogen replies, “people like to confide in me.”
Sunil is out, his obsession with They Both Die at the End is a little draining, and a little sinister to be fair. That only leaves Lewis… Lewis is doing A levels in English, French and History, same as James and on the surface, they seem to have a lot in common, they both wept buckets at History is All You Left Me. Isaac decides, Lewis it is, now to put his other plan into action. Which is simply to throw James and Lewis together as much as possible and allow nature to take its course.
“What about James?”
“James?” Isaac questions, “He’ll be okay, he doesn’t really have a type, and even I can tell that Lewis is nice looking.”
“No.” Nick insists, “What about Other James?”
There is a collective groan at this. Not at Other James who is nice enough but at the idea of James and James, Jamesses, The Jameses or is James already a plural and should they really be individually known as Jame?
“He’s not really a contender is he.” Isaac says trying to be kind, “I mean I know I just said our James doesn’t really have a type, but you couldn’t call him and other James compatible, could you?”
“He’s at the technical college. Doing woodwork or something.” Tao adds. “He’s not exactly brains of Britain.”
“He didn’t even read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” Sahar adds, “he listened to it on audible.”
“Lin-Manuel Miranda,” Charlie sighs, earning a mock punch from his beloved, “who wouldn’t.”
“I’m sure he’s a lovely guy.” Isaac says firmly, “but James deserves someone with similar goals.”
“I am sure they both do.” Nick replies quietly, “other James is lovely too.”
“Right.” Says Isaac, “Operation get James a boyfriend phase two starts on Thursday…”
“Your mission… should you chose to accept it…” Tao interrupts.
“Our mission is to make sure that James and Lewis are left alone with each other as much as possible. Understand?”
They all say ‘aye, aye captain’, one or two of the Paris Squad even salute.
******
The best made plans of mice and men; Isaac reflects afterwards. It was going so well.
Or at least it was until Isaac received James’s text.
Hi Isaac, sorry will have to miss BC, something has come up and I’m needed at home this evening.
Well, Isaac supposes there is always next time, he is not too downhearted, they are discussing Timothy Janovsky’s Never Been Kissed Isaac’s choice and he is really looking forward to it. Abby and Nancy arrive without Other James, making his excuses.
“He’s got a job to do for someone. He’ll be back next time.”
“Okay, thanks, so Lewis what did you make of Never Been Kissed?”
“To be honest, Isaac… I thought it was a bit…”
After Lewis demolishes one of Isaac’s favourite books the evening can’t go downhill much further. Isaac walks home alone. He messages James but doesn’t get a reply and he doesn’t see him at school the next day. Saturday morning Isaac gets ready for his shift, perturbed, he still hasn’t heard from James, and it is not like him. They usually message most evenings, not often, enough to check in on each other.
James is in the shop when Isaac arrives, grinning from ear to ear he pulls Isaac into the stock room before he even has time to remove his coat.
“Are you okay?” Isaac asks, “We missed you at book club on Thursday.”
“Yes, I’m good, more than good in fact, I’m great.”
“Is everything okay, you know you said you needed to stay home.”
“Yes, it’s all good, perfect even. I didn’t want to miss book club, but Mum and Dad were out, and James offered to come over to help me put up some shelves.”