A Promise to the Moon [BL]

Chapter 3.:

Pete finished the phone call with his mother, feeling completely exhausted both physically and emotionally. He drove several hours early in the morning and, thanks to the fight with his father yesterday, he couldn’t sleep properly, doubting his decision to leave. His body desperately needed the rest.

The slightly warm shower he took refreshed him partly, but his body still demanded sleep. He felt a tightness in his chest which made it difficult to breathe. This feeling always signaled him that he should slow down and let his body relax, otherwise he would have to face the consequences of his recklessness. Pete lay on the bed; his eyes locked on the ceiling above as he focused on breathing to make sure he would slow down his speedy heartbeat. It took just a few minutes before his body gave in to the tiredness, making him close his eyes as he fell asleep.

The doorbell woke him up. Pete felt confused, not fully realizing where he was or what time it was. He stood up heavily, taking slow steps toward the front door as his mind kept catching up with his surroundings, reminding him of the place.

“Good evening.” A tall young man greeted him with a smile on his lips. Pete scanned the person. It was visible that this person had to work out regularly. His firm muscles were perfectly drawn under his shirt.

“Good evening.” Pete replied to him with a blunt expression as he tried to remember why the stranger stood in front of his apartment, not really remembering the deal he made with Mrs. Aranya.

“Oh, my apology. I am Bass. You met my mother in the morning. Ma told me that you would like to have a tour around the town. I happened to be free, so I came early.” Bass quickly introduced himself and explained what he was doing in front of Pete’s new home, seeing his confused expression all over his face. Pete c****d his head, rewinding the conversation with Mrs. Aranya in the morning, just to realize he blindly agreed to get a tour guide.

“Nice to meet you. I am Pete.” Pete didn’t know how exactly he should react. He never liked meeting strangers and any kind of interaction with new people always felt awkward. Bass stood in front of him, keeping his broad but sweet and gentle smile on his lips while looking at Pete. He towered above him, which made Pete feel uncomfortable even more. The entire posture and demeanor of this person made Pete anxious.

“I know. Were you sleeping? Your hair is a bit messy,” Bass replied to Pete’s introduction while he stretched out his hand towards PEte’s head, trying to touch Pete’s hair, but Pete quickly avoided him, making a step back into the house.

“Umm. I felt tired after driving.” Pete uttered while carelessly brushing his hair with his fingers in order to fix his hairstyle.

Pete wasn’t used to others touching him without warning. He didn’t like that. He kept just a few friends and, so far, he had only made one very close friend, with whom he hung out often and whose touch Pete could tolerate. His best friend and his parents were the only people he let touch him without warning and without feeling uncomfortable.

“If you don’t feel like going out, we can postpone it to another day.” Bass quickly offered another alternative, but Pete shook his head. He couldn’t possibly refuse him since he had already agreed to take him around the town, so getting this done as soon as possible was the only option left. If he postponed, it would just make Pete feel uncomfortable until it would be over.

“It’s alright. Give me a moment please. I will just change my clothes.” Pete excused himself politely before going back to the bedroom, hastily changing his clothes and properly fixing his hair before going out. Bass waited in the living room patiently.

He knew only a little about the person he was supposed to give a tour around the neighborhood, but so far, he liked Pete. In Bass’ eyes, Pete looked decent and like a polite person. He even considered Pete as being cute, because of the panic reaction when he tried to touch him. Pete’s behavior reminded him of girls in an Asian series he often watched thanks to his mother's obsession with them.

“I am ready.” Pete announced, closing the bedroom door after him and walking out of the house. Bass still stood in front of the opened main door, only moving aside to let Pete pass.

“What place would you like to get to know first?” Bass asked him politely with a friendly tone. Although Pete seemed to keep something to himself and keep his distance from Bass, he didn’t look like a bad person, but his shyness sort of surprised Bass. He wasn’t used to people being like this. In this small town everyone knew everyone, so seeing someone being this shy was something new for him.

“I’d like to go to stores and markets and also some nice diners and restaurants. I need to do some grocery shopping.” Pete replied to him. He fell asleep shortly after he talked to his own mother, which was right after ma left, so he had no time to actually think about where he would like to go or which places he would like to visit, not to mention he was still partly in daze when talking to ma in the morning, so he didn’t properly remember the conversation with her.

When he was looking for a place to live, he had very few conditions for the place, so he knew almost nothing about this city, which left him now absolutely unaware of the places around there and what he would like to visit during his time there.

“Well, I guess we should visit the market as a last place, then. It would be quite inconvenient to carry all the groceries with us. About the restaurant. I guess I can take you to the one my family runs and later I can show you some others. If there is anything else you need, feel free to tell me so I can take you there.” Bass offered directly, already planning another tour.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Pete replied to him. For some reason, the presence of this person made him feel more nervous as the conversation proceeded. Pete felt like Bass kept the conversation going on purpose. His deep eyes followed each of Pete’s movements, making it look like Pete was under the microscope. They both left the garden though the side gate once Pete locked the door of the house and the gate as well.

“Jump on.” Bass got to the bike parked in front of the main gate of Pete’s apartment. He took out the second helmet from under the seat, handing it to Pete. Pete looked at him with his eyes widened, not expecting to be moving around the town on a bike. He preferred cars since they made him feel more safe. Pete shook his head, refusing to get on. Not only the bike itself scared him, but accepting the ride also meant getting close to Bass.

“Come on. It’s better to get on a bike. It’s way faster and we can avoid crowded streets and traffic easily.” Bass tried to convince him, but soon he noticed a hidden fear in Pete’s eyes, together with the confusion. He was visibly scared and worried.

“You never rode a bike?” He asked him, and Pete confirmed his assumption with a shake of his head. In the capital, people used bike taxis, which were convenient for a huge and crowded city, but Pete never used them either. He couldn’t get this close to a stranger.

“Don’t worry. I promise I will drive slowly.” Bass replied to him with a smile, trying to calm him. He made a step towards Pete, putting the helmet on his head and tightening it under Pete’s chin before he pulled him to the bike. Pete’s first instinct told him to move away from Bass, but Bass didn’t give him space to react fast enough.

Pete felt reluctant to get on but, in the end, he had no other option than to follow Bass and just get on, since his grasp on Pete’s hand didn’t seem to loosen no matter how hard Pete tried to fight it.

“Hold tight.” Bass grabbed Pete’s hands and wrapped them around his waist. Pete removed his hand almost instantly but Bass placed his hands around his waist one more time, keeping them in place.

“I guess you haven’t eaten yet, so let’s have dinner in our place first and then we can get a tour around.” Bass informed him before starting the bike, not waiting for Pete’s reply. Pete closed his eyes because of his fear, but the gently cold fresh air blowing around his ears helped him relax and after a few seconds Pete opened his eyes, watching the shops and buildings in passing streets. As promised, Bass drove relatively slowly so Pete could observe the entire neighborhood. The night lights and less crowded streets compared to what he was used to seeing in the capital made this place strangely alluring, almost magical.

“So? Are you still afraid?” Bass asked him, slightly turning his head back to Pete, to make his voice hearable for Pete but making sure his eyes would still see the road in front of them.

“No.” Pete replied to him, enjoying the ride, and forgetting his discomfort from sitting so close to another person and his hands wrapped around his waist. The weather was nice with the clear sky and the air held the salty scent of the nearby sea. A sudden thought came to Pete’s mind. If freedom had a smell, it would probably be this salty scent full of water.

The air in the capital was always heavy, making it hard to breathe and with dozens of smells always present in it. The city was crowded, full of cars and bikes, which kept polluting the air, so Pete never enjoyed walking the streets and staying outside for a long time. This place was different. The city was smaller, streets less crowded and, although he could smell the scent of different kinds of foods and other smells mixed within, the scent of the sea was just too strong, putting everything else aside.

“Do you like it?” Bass asked him after seeing a smile on Pete’s lips in the mirror.

“Umm. I do.” Pete replied to him cheerfully. He kept turning his head from left to right and back, trying to see everything that these streets offered, afraid he might miss some interesting place.

Bass suddenly pulled the bike to the side, parking right in front of the local restaurant.

“We are here.” Pete lifted his eyes, checking the restaurant.

“One Bite? Is that really the name of the restaurant?” Pete asked, turning his gaze to Bass. He was not only surprised but amused as well. It was definitely sticking out among the other places here.

“Well, yeah.” Bass replied, not feeling amused by Pete’s reaction.

“It fits perfectly. Once you have one bite here, you won’t eat in any other place,” Bass continued explaining, and Pete couldn’t miss the pride in Bass’ voice. Pete understandably nodded his head, trying to hold his smile under control.

“You will see.” He grabbed Pete’s arm, pulling him inside the restaurant. Although Pete felt uncomfortable when he first saw Bass and the way he talked to him, something about him just made Pete curious, able to accept the way he just treated him as if they had been best friends for years.

“Ma. Two servings of our special meal.” Bass shouted across the restaurant, still pulling Pete with him, leading him to the corner close to the counter. Mrs. Aranya peeked from the kitchen only to see her son, together with her newest tenant.

“Ah, good evening, my dear. How are you feeling now?” Pete didn’t reply, thinking she was talking to her son.

“She is talking to you. Ma doesn’t talk this nice to me.” Bass poked Pete jokingly, getting his attention and making him talk to Mrs. Aranya.

“Oh. Good evening. I am good. Thank you.” Pete’s reply came out roughly, since she caught him off guard.