But Simon, Sometimes Life Is Blue [A Sequel to Love Simon]

Chapter 5

To close out the night, our close group heads to our usual dining spot, piling out of my red Subaru Outback in the Waffle House parking lot. Nothing was better than breakfast at night: who doesn't love fluffy scrambled eggs instead of a heavy dinner? And of course waffles or pancakes drenched in syrup; salty, crispy, oily hash browns; and delicious crispy bacon! Bacon was my ice cream -- best food on earth. It was also the ultimate topper - bacon made everything taste better.

Nick and Abby lead the way, dancing around a "Closed for Seating" sign blocking the isle, toward an unoccupied corner of the restaurant. Ignoring the sign, we follow as they slide into a booth tucked as far away from the other patrons as possible. It was our usual place and since we were regulars (and probably because we tipped well), the waiters always let us have the "closed" corner for ourselves. Here we could be loud and stay all night and still not disturb anyone.

I scoot into the booth already reaching for the menu, followed by my Bram, who slid in next to me. I push my hand into the seat, sliding deeper in to give him space and while my hand was still on the leathery cushion, I felt his long slender fingers slid over mine. His touch was electrifying. I glance at him quickly, in surprise, and couldn't help grinning. It still surprises me how good his touch feels. 

He shoots me a quick tight-lip smile, scrunching his face cute for a quick second, before innocently picking up his menu and absorbing himself in the choices.

I absorb myself in his cuteness. [Play the video to absorb yourself too :P]

Bram is my gorgeous model-looking soccer star boyfriend. He keeps his tight black curls cut in a cute long top with short sides. His eyes are wide, soft, beautiful and very expressive and they get extra sparkly whenever he smiles. Ahhh, that smile. His smile is so pretty that I feel like the sun is warming my whole body -- wide and even, and absolutely perfect whether his lips are closed or open, showing very white teeth. I don't know how I hadn't noticed before we starting dating, but whenever he smiles, these amazing dimpled lines run down his thin brown cheeks. He is so beautiful!

Nick, Bram and I were all tall, but my boyfriend was so slim he was probably only about 13% body fat, with long thin muscular arms and flawless square shoulders that did not slope like guys who do too many weights. He also had this long thin enticing vein that ran down his biceps on each arm. I would know. He tended to wear sporty clothing, including sleeveless shirts, showing off his arms and drawing my eyes to stare. I admit, I once went searching the library for an anatomy book and tried to look it up -- I think it's called the brachial artery. Whatever it was, it made me feel all warm and delicious; a special below-the waist kind of delicious. 

Normally, soccer wouldn't be that big of at deal at our school, but our football team had a losing record and couldn't seem to break out of their now six-game losing streak. So soccer it was. Bram, Nick and their friend Garrett make up Creekwood's soccer trio, leading Creekwood to more victories than any year before and setting all sorts of records. Since I don't know much about soccer, I can't really tell you too much. Don't worry, I make up for my lack of knowledge by out screaming Leah and Abby when the guys play. 

All this to say, somehow Bram fell under my radar. I had always known him as Nick's awkward shy soccer friend because he didn't say much. But now, I don't know how I hadn't been immediately drawn to him as we sat together at the same lunch table year after year. Now that I knew he was My Blue, the one I had been writing all my deepest secrets to, it's like the blinders came off. And that little meek caterpillar had transformed into this magnificent beauty.

I grin, just watching him, but out of the corner of my eye, someone breaks my moment.

I notice Leah still standing, a scowl on her face, giving me the stink eye. Maybe she was still a little bitter about the theater incident. Or maybe she had seen the faces we gave each other and it probably felt like we were rubbing our cuteness in her face. 

Ahhh... the benefits of being a couple! 

Poor single Leah always got stuck in a lone chair at the end of the table. All alone. 

Only, I wasn't feeling very sorrow for her right about now, since she was ruining my moment. Again. Twice in one day. Still, she was my best friend, so I guess I also couldn't gloat too much. Being surrounded by lovey-dovey couples couldn't be easy.

Soon, a new waitress heads our way. When she arrives, Nick and Abby order a shared carb-loaded meal of one peanut butter waffle and side order of double-sized hash browns.

One never to be concerned about her size, Leah orders a bacon, egg and cheese melt with a side of hashbrowns and an extra side of ham and a waffle. As long as I have known her, she has always been different from the other girls and insisted on loving herself and her body no matter how much she weighed. I admire her strength. Also, it was a relief not to be around a picky salad eater who made you feel guilty for not counting calories. Life should be enjoyed.

When the waitress comes to take his order, Bram defers to me, whispering in a low tone, "My treat." His fingers squeeze over the top of mine under the table.

Life should be enjoyed indeed. And on that note, I was in a super bacon mood, so my eyes hunt for the baconiest meal on the menu. "I'll have the All Star breakfast with a side of bacon!" I blurt out to the waitress, already dreaming of all that bacon.

Once the new girl got the details down, she repeats my order. "That'll be the All Star breakfast with two scrambled eggs, white toast with butter, three strips of bacon, upgrading to the chocolate chip waffle," her eyes shift up from her paper to look at me almost accusingly, "And an additional side of three strips of bacon."

Suddenly, I felt all the eyes of my friends zone in on me.

"That's a lot of bacon," Leah comments.

Damn you, Leah, I think. Really? You ordered an extra side of ham and a waffle. Why can't I have an extra side of bacon? Only three little slices. Still, I feel guilty under her gaze. "I'm really hungry," I mumbled self-consciously.

Everyone is silent, making things even worse.

Then Bram's fingers squeezed the top of my hand again, reassuringly, "Bacon is so good." He gives me a soft smile -- no judgment -- and I relax.

How in the world did I get this super awesome boyfriend? Gorgeous, kind and considerate.

Bram rambles off his order to the waitress, taking the attention away from me. His saving me only made him even cuter. Gosh, I had it bad.

Still I felt bad for ordering that extra side of bacon and wished I could take it back. Not only was Bram paying for my meal but I felt all those eyes judging me. But seriously, bacon was so thin and flat and it was gone almost instantly. Three slices really just were not enough. It was bacon, for crying out loud!

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Nooo!!! Wattpad deleted one of my paragraphs accidentally. I only kinda remembered it and had to re-write. No fair. My original paragraph was better. Oh well. Hope you enjoy this! I wanted this chapter to capture Simon's adoration of Bram and also Bram's sweetness and care of Simon. I'm working on Chapter 6, so that should be along in less than a week.

Survey: Do the video and picture in the middle of the story help you see what Simon sees in Bram or do they distract from the story? Do you prefer text only?