Imperfect

Chapter 2-2

Tobias had woken up with a horrible hangover earlier that morning. He had been on his way out for breakfast when he passed by the park and noticed David reading under the tree. He hadn’t planned to approach David at all, but his body seemed to have a will of its own. Before he knew it, he was lying head down on David’s thigh. It was comfortable, but the sensation became so much better when David started to caress his hair. He had been astounded by the unexpected action, but he loved it. Unfortunately, the peaceful moments between them couldn’t last forever. David kept tapping him on his shoulder.

“One more minute.”

David harrumphed. “Dude, I’m starving. It’s almost noon, man.”

Tobias opened his eyes and glared at David. “You’re lying.”

David rolled his eyes. “No, I’m not. We both fell asleep. I just checked the time on my e-reader. It’s two minutes to twelve.”

Tobias groaned in embarrassment when a loud growling sound came from the direction of his stomach. “Sorry.”

David snickered. “It’s cool. You must be hungry, too. Do you want to grab lunch together?”

Tobias was shocked and pleased at the offer. “With you?”

David chuckled. “Yeah. Why do you sound so surprised?”

“You hate me.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I…you know what? Forget it. Get up. I’ll just eat by myself.”

Tobias stood in a hurry and offered his hand to David. “No! I would love to have lunch with you. My treat.”

David glanced up at him in silence for several seconds longer before reaching out for his hand. Tobias tugged David up and refused to relinquish his hold on the man’s hand afterward.

“Tobias, my hand, please.”

Tobias pretended not to hear it. Instead, he bent down and retrieved David’s e-reader with his other hand before dragging the man away from the park.

“Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“Lunch.”

The two of them made their way to a nearby diner in silence. Tobias could feel David’s curious gaze on him, but he ignored it. His heart was beating too fast at the moment. He could feel David’s warm palm against his own as they held hands all the way to the diner. He had been dreaming of taking David out on dates for years, but the man refused him over and over again. After college graduation, he thought he lost David for good.

Not that he was ever close to David in the first place. He spent his senior years arguing with David every time they met each other on campus. He had no idea what he did wrong, but David seemed to hate his guts. At first, he tried to work things out. Then he grew mad, as well. Things escalated from bad to worse after that. They would quarrel and throw snide remarks at each other during all their encounters.

It was strange how things turned out. He sat across from David at the diner. They ordered their food and drinks, and they didn’t know what to say to each other. It was as if they were out on their first date. They were both so awkward right then and there. Tobias yearned to utter something witty to break the tension, but his mind was a complete blank. In the end, he simply stared at David, admiring the pretty man he had been crushing on all those years ago. Judging by how he felt now, he still had the same feeling of infatuation.

“This is my favorite diner.”

Tobias nodded. “Mine, too. I live in the apartment building one block away from here.”

David’s eyes lit up. “Is that the new building? Cliffview Heights or something?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool. What floor are you on?”

“The apartment is on the rooftop.”

David gaped. “Wow. How can you afford to pay for that?”

Tobias blushed as he scratched the back of his head. “I’m the CEO of a chain of department stores since my dad retired three years ago.”

“Which one?”

“The Majestic Ruiz,” Tobias said.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“I never knew that.”

Tobias shrugged. “We weren’t friends.”

David nodded. “True. I’m not even sure what we are now.”

Tobias inhaled before letting out his breath slowly. “I don’t know either. I’m still confused about your reason for hating me back then.”

“Your reputation.”

“What?”

“You slept with everyone.”

Tobias narrowed his eyes in irritation. “No, I didn’t. That was an exaggeration.”

“But you had s*x with quite a number of people to earn your man-w***e status.”

“What are you? A f*****g prude?”

“Better than a man slut,” David retorted in an angry tone of voice.

Tobias gritted his teeth and tried to calm down. “Is that why you refused to go out on a date with me?”

David didn’t respond to his question for a moment. Instead, David simply looked at him in silence. He was about to repeat himself when David nodded at him.

“Yeah.”

It was like a slap in the face, but he probably deserved it. “I see. I thought you just disliked me for no reason at all.”

“Not at all. I…I liked you. You were one of the smartest people in school. I also heard about your grades in college. You must be really intelligent if our mutual acquaintances in college knew about how well you did in your classes.”

Tobias shrugged. “I had to perform well. I’m an only child. I have to continue with my family business. There’s no room for failure. I can’t let my parents down.”

“I see.”

The two of them were quiet after that. When their orders were placed on the table, they proceeded to eat without exchanging a single word. They were about halfway done when Tobias decided to break the silence.

“Do you still like me?”

David didn’t answer for a moment. Tobias’s heart beat harder and faster as he waited for David’s response.

Finally, David nodded. “I do, but I’m terrified.”

“Of what?”

David replaced his utensils and gazed at Tobias with a serious expression. “Some people are able to have open relationships, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but that’s not the kind of relationship I’m into. I expect my romantic partner to be faithful to me. Are you ready to settle down?”

Tobias reached for David’s hand and gripped it tight. “I sleep around so much because none of them can keep my interest long enough. You’re different, though. I’ve been obsessed with you for years now. I can’t get you out of my head. I don’t know what it is about you, but I just can’t shake you off, and I don’t want to do that either.”

David was stunned for a moment. “Okay. Where do we go from here?”

“One chance. Let me take you out on a proper date.”

David bit his lower lip and appeared to hesitate. “And?”

“I don’t know. We will negotiate again after that.”

“Tobias—”

“Please.”

Tobias observed as David glanced down at their hands. He waited for David to put him out of his misery.

“All right. One date.”

He beamed at David. “Great. We should exchange phone numbers after this. I’ll also walk you back to your apartment.”

“Covering all your bases, eh?”

Tobias chuckled. “I’ve wanted you for a really long time. I’m determined to know everything about you, starting with your number and address. I won’t let you escape me this time.”

David snorted. “Stalker much?”

“A little, but I’m not psychotic. I promise. I just really like you. You have no idea how much.”

David laughed. “Fine. I believe you.”

Tobias released his hold on David’s hand. Then they continued with the meal. They chatted a little about their past, but they kept to the safer topics, such as their shared competitive experiences. Lunch wasn’t a wholly awkward affair, but it was a little strange. After all, they weren’t exactly friends to begin with. Tobias hoped he could get to know David much better the next time around, and they would be able to bury their past differences as soon as possible. He would have to come up with the perfect date idea to impress David. He didn’t have a clue yet, but he was going to take David out on the best date ever. He just had to do a little bit of research. That should be easy enough. No problem at all.