Imperfect

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

David leaned against the tree trunk and read the next chapter of the horror story on his e-book reader. He had a bit of a headache, but it wasn’t horrible. He was thankful he didn’t drink too much the previous evening. He never liked the hangover he got the day after a night of heavy drinking. It wasn’t worth it. He sighed and placed his e-book reader down on his lap before shutting his eyes for a moment.

It was a beautiful morning. There were plenty of people at the park, but nobody paid him any mind, which was the way he wanted it. He could read his e-book in peace for an hour or two before buying some food for his noontime meal and going back to his apartment. He might take a nap for a short while in the afternoon before he had to get ready for dinner with his friends later that evening. He was about to continue reading his e-book when a shadow over him caused him to look up in surprise. He groaned at the unwelcome sight.

“The park is huge, Tobias. Disturb someone else instead.”

Tobias smirked at him before sitting on the spot to his left. “What are you reading?”

“How to murder Tobias Ruiz in five easy steps.”

Tobias snickered. “That must be an excellent book.”

David didn’t respond. Instead, he ignored Tobias and continued with his reading. He expected that to be the end of their interactions. Thus, he was astonished when Tobias grabbed his legs and straightened them before placing his head down on one of his thighs. He stared at Tobias in shock and disbelief.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Resting.”

“Yeah, I noticed. You’re sleeping on me.”

“Your thigh is comfy. Don’t mind me.”

David wanted to shake Tobias off, but he had a strong feeling it would lead to an argument between them. He had no idea what game Tobias was playing at, but he decided to play along. Besides, he was hooked on the horror story at the moment, and it would be a waste of his precious time if he had to deal with Tobias’s antics. He proceeded with the next paragraph in the story. Soon, he became fully engrossed with the storyline once again.

He had no idea how much time passed by. The next time he was aware of his surrounding, he was horrified to realize he had been caressing Tobias’s hair and the man was now breathing gently while closing both eyes. He pulled his hand away, but he was taken aback when Tobias reached for it immediately and instructed him to return it to where it was.

“Tobias—”

Tobias opened his eyes and gazed at him. “Keep running your hand through my hair. It’s nice.”

David stiffened for several seconds before obliging. “Okay.”

As he rubbed at Tobias’s hair, he was relieved to note the man’s eyes were closed once again, so he could enjoy the view to his heart’s content. Tobias was good-looking. David had the worst crush on Tobias for years, but when he first heard of the man’s tendency to sleep around during sophomore year in college, he resolved to harden his heart. He refused to be another notch on Tobias’s bedpost. He wasn’t averse to one-night-stands, but Tobias’s reputation around campus was legendary. Tobias had attempted to have s*x with him, but he rebuffed all the advances until the man eventually gave up. Fortunately, he only had to do that for about a year. After all, when he was in his second year in college, Tobias was already in his senior year.

After college graduation, he thought he could move on and forget about Tobias, but it didn’t happen that way. There was something about Tobias he was unable to let go of even after all these years. He and Tobias didn’t used to be enemies back in high school, but they weren’t friends either. They were competitors from different schools. He had only become antagonistic toward Tobias during his sophomore year in college in his desperation to put a distance between them. He thought he could stop himself from falling for Tobias. Now, he couldn’t be sure if his tactic actually worked.

“Stop sighing. You’re distracting me from my peaceful slumber.”

David blushed and glanced down at Tobias, who still had both eyes shut tight. “You’re sleeping on my thigh. Get up.”

“Just a few more minutes.”

David wanted to protest, but he was taken aback when Tobias nuzzled his face right against his shirt-covered stomach.

“Please.”

David snorted. “Fine.”

After that, he picked up his e-book reader again and continued to read. He might as well finish a few more pages. He wouldn’t be able to move anytime soon. He ignored the fluttering in his guts. He might enjoy being in such an intimate position with Tobias, but he wasn’t going to fall in love with the man. Tobias wasn’t relationship-material. Falling in love with Tobias would be a disaster waiting to happen.