Imperfect

Chapter 1-2

“Toby!”

Tobias c****d his head at Pablo in acknowledgment. “Hey, man.”

Pablo rushed toward him and pulled him into a tight hug. “I didn’t know you were coming to my bar tonight.”

“It’s a last-minute thing.”

Then he noticed the man next to Pablo. The man had wrapped one possessive arm around Pablo. This had to be the man Pablo had been obsessed with over the last three months.

Tobias smiled and offered his hand to the stranger. “Hi, I’m Tobias Ruiz. I’m Pablo’s best friend since we were still in diapers.”

Pablo burst out laughing. “f**k you, Tob. You’re two years older than me. Don’t lie about your age, man.”

The man next to Pablo seemed to thaw a bit toward Tobias and shook his hand. “Keenan Underwood, Pablo’s boyfriend.”

Tobias nodded. “I saw the display earlier. Nice kiss.”

Pablo blushed. “Kee is a Neanderthal.”

“But you like it, babe.”

“I certainly do. I’ve been waiting forever for you to make a move. I’d almost given up. You didn’t respond to any of my flirting for the past few months. You were starting to give me a complex, stud.”

Tobias mock gagged. “Tone down the PDA, guys. Have pity on single men like me who will most likely be going home alone.”

Pablo snorted. “You’re a f*****g man-w***e. I can’t remember the last time you had to go home without at least one man or woman by your side.”

Tobias gasped at Pablo. “Slander. I don’t sleep around that much.”

Pablo rolled his eyes. “Just six different people every week then.”

“More than that if I get more than one person in one night,” Tobias admitted while winking at both Pablo and Keenan.

“Man-whore.”

“Prude.”

“Whatever,” Pablo retorted before tugging on Tobias’s arm and dragging him toward a corner table, which was full of some of the hottest men in the bar.

He grinned at and greeted all the men until Pablo pointed to the last man at the table. It was David.

“I want to say nice to meet you, but lying is a terrible habit.”

David’s face reddened in obvious anger and embarrassment at having his own words thrown back in his face. “Indeed.”

Everyone’s eyes at the table darted back and forth between Tobias and David. There was an awkward silence for a moment.

Then Joshua spoke up. “The two of you know each other?”

“Tobias attended a private school,” David replied while still appearing annoyed and more than a little irritated. “We crossed path multiple times during the interschool Mathematics and Science competitions.”

Javier whistled under his breath. “Judging by your build, I thought you’d be one of the high school jocks. You know the type. More brawn than brain.”

“I was an anomaly, I guess,” Tobias confirmed without breaking his gaze away from David’s face. “I excelled in both football and wrestling. I did well academic-wise, too. I prefer to be an all-rounded individual.”

David huffed softly. “Should have worked on your character and personality instead. You would be more likeable then.”

Tobias clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes at David. “What the f**k is your problem?”

David got up and moved toward him. “You. You’re my f*****g problem. What are you going to do about it?”

Pablo insinuated himself between Tobias and David. “Hey, guys. Come on. We’re all friends here. Right?”

Tobias didn’t respond, and neither did David. He watched as a couple of David’s friends pulled the man farther away from him. After that, everyone began talking all at once in their attempts to sort of reduce the palpable tension at the table. For the next few minutes, the conversations were rather stilted. Not that he joined in at all. He was still pissed off. It took him several moments to calm down enough to laugh along at some of the jokes. He would steal glances at David once in a while, though. He couldn’t help it. f*****g David and his f*****g pretty face.

Tobias always got who he wanted in his bed, except for David. The man had rejected him many times in the past, and he was simultaneously humiliated and aroused by David’s refusal to sleep with him. He had no idea why David didn’t want to have s*x with him, but it made him yearn to have the man in his bed even more. His obsession with David explained his tendency to pick up one-night-stands who reminded him of the man. He would f**k them and pretended he was buried balls deep inside David, but they were never enough. They barely scratched the itch gnawing inside of him.

He was so lost inside his head, he jumped a little when he heard David laughing out loud about three feet away from him. He heaved out a sigh and signaled for one of the servers to get him another bottle of beer. When it was brought to him, he chugged the whole bottle down in less than a minute. He didn’t think he would ever get the chance to be with David. For reasons unknown to him, David hated him and his guts. It made his heart ache a little. He might as well drown his sorrow in alcohol. It might help to numb the pain even if just for a moment.