An Unexpected Love Volume 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2Keenan stood outside the Overrated Llama at twenty-seven minutes past eleven in the morning. He was thirty-three minutes early for his lunch date with Pablo. In all honesty, he didn’t know if he had a date with Pablo or not. Maybe not. At least not the romantic type. He never expected to have a crush on his childhood best friend, and he didn’t want to make things uncomfortable between them by confessing something like that to Pablo. After all, Pablo was all cool and calm toward him the previous evening. He had been the one with the clammy palms and sweaty armpits while sitting next to Pablo who remained as cool as a cucumber. Meanwhile, his heartbeat had been fast and erratic.

Pablo had been an adorable child. Keenan remembered that. However, he had almost lost his breath the previous evening at the bar when he had gotten his first glimpse of the man Pablo had become. The adult-Pablo was, at the risk of sounding like a teenage boy with an adorable infatuation on the popular and cute boy in school, drop dead gorgeous. He also remembered how he almost drooled mouthfuls of spit at the sight of Pablo’s naked, muscled chest behind the counter. Pablo’s ass in his skin-tight jeans was sexy and to die for. Keenan really yearned to grab those ample butt cheeks and squeeze them in his palms. Fortunately, he had managed to hold back. He didn’t think Pablo would appreciate being groped at.

“Come on, Kee. Man up! Pablo was…is your best friend,” Keenan muttered to himself as he continued to stare at the entrance to the bar. “You two will just be hanging out and having lunch together. No big deal. Right?”

Keenan expelled a sigh of frustration when his heart thumped even faster now. He squared his shoulders, shut his eyes, and breathed in deeply before opening his eyes once again and reaching for the handle. Then he pulled on it. He was rather astounded when he discovered that the door was locked. He was about to grab his smartphone out of his pocket to give Pablo a call when he heard the sound of the door being unlocked and opening a few seconds later. He glanced up and grinned when he was greeted by Pablo’s handsome face. Pablo smirked at Keenan and arched his left eyebrow.

“You’re early.”

Keenan scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Yeah. Sorry about that. If you’re still busy, I can wait for you.”

Pablo chuckled and shook his head. “It’s okay. One of the managers and some of the other employees are inside the bar now, getting everything ready before we open at twelve noon.”

“That’s really early for a bar.”

Pablo shrugged. “Opening hours for Saturday and Sunday are from twelve noon until two o’clock in the morning the next day. Weekdays are from three in the afternoon until midnight. My employees and I always come in at least an hour early to prepare and clean things up.”

“Cool. How did you know I was standing outside, though?”

Pablo chortled. “I didn’t. I happened to walk past the entrance on my way to one of the tables to tidy up. Then I heard the rattling sound coming from the door.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Yeah.”

Keenan hesitated for a few seconds before speaking up. “Can you leave now for lunch?”

“Sure. Let me grab my wallet and smartphone from my office, and I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Less than five minutes later, the two of them were inside Keenan’s car, heading toward his favorite diner. It was located about five blocks away. They could have walked to the diner, but it would be time-consuming, and Keenan understood Pablo had plenty of things to do at the bar.

“How are your parents?”

Keenan smiled at Pablo and shrugged. “Same old.”

“Yeah?”

Keenan nodded. “They still live in New York. Keri, too.”

Pablo grinned. “I miss your parents and your younger sister.”

“Keri got engaged to a guy named Paul a couple of months ago. He’s a lawyer. Keri is a kindergarten teacher in a private school.”

Pablo beamed at Keenan. “I should give her a call to congratulate her on her engagement.”

“Sure. I’ll give you her mobile number later.”

“Okay.”

Keenan glanced at Pablo for a couple of seconds before turning his attention back on the traffic. “What about your parents?”

“They’re retired now. They spend most of their time traveling. I don’t get to see them that often.”

“Oh? Are they back in San Francisco now?”

Pablo shook his head. “Germany.”

“I see.”

Pablo breathed in deeply before speaking up. “It gets lonely sometimes. I’m an only child, and I’m not close to my uncles, aunts, and cousins. Besides, most of them don’t even live in California.”

Keenan chuckled, but he remained quiet otherwise. Several memories resurfaced to the forefront of his mind. They weren’t crystal clear, but he recalled a big mansion and a large swimming pool. There was also a huge garden in the backyard.

“Do your parents still live in the same house?”

“Yeah,” Pablo replied. “I own a house not far from where they live, but it’s just as private and secluded.”

Keenan didn’t quite know how to respond to that. Whenever he went over to Pablo’s parents’ house as a child, he never paid much attention to the surrounding. He was busy having fun with Pablo. A part of him had probably always realized how wealthy Pablo’s parents were, but he was still a child back then. He never thought about how different he and Pablo were in terms of their socioeconomic status. All he cared about was the fact that Pablo was his best friend. He inhaled deeply and pushed all those depressing thoughts away from his mind before facing Pablo once again.

“So, anyone special in your life?”

Pablo snorted. “Nah. Got rid of my cheating ex-boyfriend almost two years ago. I’ve been single ever since.”

Keenan arched his left eyebrow at Pablo. “That sucks.”

Pablo shrugged. “It’s fine. We were too different anyway.”

“You were once in love with him, though.”

“I guess. Jack was…he was a good man.”

“But?”

Pablo was quiet for quite a few seconds. “He cared more for his ego than he did for me.”

“How so?”

Pablo stared out the window in silence for a while before answering the question. “He grew up poor. He resented me for having rich parents.”

Keenan didn’t know what to say to that. His parents might not be severely lacking in money, but he was certain Pablo’s parents were a lot wealthier. He wasn’t as prideful as Pablo’s ex-boyfriend, at least he didn’t think he was, but a part of him never felt comfortable hanging around rich people, especially after that experience with an ex-boyfriend. It was something he would rather not dwell on if he could help it. He decided to shift the topic of conversation to some other things to prevent the mood from becoming more awkward between him and Pablo.

“It doesn’t excuse Jack from cheating on you.”

Pablo shot Keenan a small smile. “No, but it probably made sense to him. He couldn’t do anything about my parents’ wealth and the inheritance I received from them, so he f****d some strangers to regain some control in our relationship. At the same time, it was his way of proving his masculinity and soothing his fragile ego. Whatever. I’m over him.”

Keenan had no idea what Pablo was talking about, but he decided to let it go. It was Pablo’s past and private affair, and Keenan had no business being nosy about it. Neither he nor Pablo uttered a single word for the remainder of the journey to the diner. The atmosphere between them wasn’t tense at all, but it wasn’t comfortable either. Keenan was almost relieved when he and Pablo eventually got out from the car. He needed to take a breather, and he felt as if he couldn’t do that inside the car.

The diner wasn’t super crowded, so the two of them were able to find an empty table as soon as they entered. The server was efficient, and Keenan almost wished that the server was much slower because he now had to stare at Pablo in silence. He racked his brain for something witty and clever, but he came up blank. In the end, he simply averted his eyes and looked around the inside of the diner. A part of him wondered what went wrong between him and Pablo. The two of them were best friends. They had never run out of things to say to each other back when they were children. Now, they could only sit across the table from each other while keeping their mouths shut because the atmosphere between them was strained. He rubbed his palms on his pair of jeans while smiling at Pablo.

“Have you been here before?”

In Keenan’s opinion, that was one of the lamest questions to ever come out of his mouth, but he was trying to reduce the uneasiness between them. That question was light and safe enough.

“First time. I’m a creature of habit. I’ll find a few things I like, and I’ll stick with them forever and ever.”

Keenan snickered. “I remember that. When we were children, you would always play with the same toys over and over again even though you had plenty of others to choose from. You would often eat some of the same things in a week. Your breakfast, for example.”

Pablo burst out laughing. “Toast and—”

“—one scrambled egg. Three thin slices of tomato, two tablespoons of ketchup, and one spoonful of mayonnaise. Do I get them right?”

Pablo chortled much louder now. “Yeah. f**k! I can’t believe you still remember all those details.”

“Of course. How can I not? That was your favorite breakfast item at least four times a week.”

“It still is.”

“Loyal as ever, eh?”

“Yeah. Unfortunately, none of my ex-boyfriends reciprocated the gesture.”

Keenan raised his left eyebrow at Pablo. “How many unfaithful ex-boyfriends do you have?”

“Three.”

Keenan whistled softly. “Damn! I’m sorry, man.”

“What for? Not your fault. It’s just my luck.”

Keenan reached for Pablo’s hands and squeezed them gently. “f**k them all. They don’t deserve you.”

Pablo beamed at Keenan in return. “Thanks. Anyway, enough about me. How many ex-boyfriends do you have?”

“Two, and I dated three women in between.”

Pablo’s eyes widened a little. “I didn’t know that. That never came up in any of the conversations last night either, and since most of the men at my bar are gays, I guess I made the mistake of assuming that you’re one, as well. So, does that mean you’re bisexual then?”

“I don’t put a label on my sexuality.”

“Huh?”

Keenan smirked. “Well, let’s just say I’m way too good-looking and sexy to stick to a particular gender or s****l orientation. I’ll f**k them all. I don’t care if they’re straights, bisexuals, gays, lesbians, or trans. As long as I find them attractive, and they’re also willing, I’ll f**k them all.”

Pablo snickered. “You’re a slut.”

Keenan leaned in closer over the table while waggling his eyebrows at Pablo. “And I’m damn proud of it.”

Pablo rolled his eyes. “You have no shame and an enormous ego to boot. Perfect.”

Keenan rested against the back of the chair to display his body. He was wearing a fitted, light-gray T-shirt, and a pair of black jeans that hugged his lower half just right. He knew he looked great. Most importantly, he was aware of the number of admiring gazes he had been receiving from the other customers inside the diner.

“If you have it, flaunt it.”

Pablo snorted. “Whatever. What’s your story?”

“My story?”

“Yeah. Why did your relationships fail? I’ve told you mine. It’s only fair you share something with me.”

“I’m too intense.”

Pablo gaped for a second or two before he guffawed at Keenan, obviously amused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“When I’m single, I have no qualm about flirting with whoever I fancy. I’ll f**k them all. When I’m in a relationship, I expect my lover to remain devoted to me because I’ll be just as loyal to him or her.”

“So, are you the controlling type?”

Keenan’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “A little bit. I mean, I’m not psychotic. I’m not a creep either. I’m not going to stalk my boyfriend or girlfriend every single second of the day, but I’ll appreciate it if he or she sends me a text message or gives me a call. I don’t insist on him or her checking in every five minutes, but I think one text message or one phone call every hour or two isn’t too much to ask for.”

Pablo stared at Keenan with a tiny smirk on his face, seemingly amused. “You haven’t changed either.”

Keenan arched his left eyebrow at Pablo, feeling thoroughly confused now. “Huh?”

“Remember back when we were children?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“You would stick close to me every chance you got. You would get jealous if I played with any other kids. Then you would throw your little tantrums and pout at me until I hugged you and gave you my undivided attention.”

Keenan laughed. “Good times.”

Pablo snorted. “I hope you won’t do that now.”

Keenan shook his head while grinning. “Nah. I’m too old for that.”

Pablo gazed into Keenan’s eyes in silence for a few seconds. “We will see. Only time will tell.”

“I really don’t do that anymore.”

Pablo chuckled. “Fine.”

Keenan smiled at Pablo, and the two of them were quiet for a while. Soon, their order was brought to the table, and the two of them chatted about some other things. Keenan learned about Pablo’s high school and college years while he shared the same things with the other man.

“How did you end up opening a bar?” Keenan asked. “I mean, you just told me you majored in both Biology and Chemistry in college.”

Pablo was quiet for a brief moment before responding. “Back then, I actually thought about doing something related to my degrees for the rest of my life, but after working for someone else for a while, I discovered that I didn’t really enjoy the activities. I happened to walk past this empty building after work several months ago. It was quite old, and it required plenty of renovation, but I fell in love with it. On impulse, I bought the building and decided to fix it up. I’d been considering the possibility of starting my own business someday, so I got the necessary licenses, and voila! The Overrated Llama was born.”

“Cool.”

“What about you? Do you plan to work for someone else for the rest of your life?”

“I’ll have to. I don’t know. Not all of us have rich parents with a s**t ton of spare money to burn to inherit from.”

Keenan regretted his thoughtless response as soon as the words got out from his mouth. He gaped at Pablo who appeared as if he had just been slapped on both cheeks. Pablo glanced away, and Keenan felt like the worst asshole in the whole wide world.

“Okay,” Pablo said softly after what felt like an eternity had passed between the two of them.

Keenan gulped and reached across the table to grab onto both of Pablo’s hands. “f**k! I’m so sorry. I…I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. s**t. I’m sorry. I was an asshole.”

Pablo continued to gaze into Keenan’s eyes quietly before nodding. “Apology accepted.”

Keenan slowly released Pablo’s hands. “Sorry again, man.”

Pablo smiled at Keenan, but it was obviously forced. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Of course. Let’s talk about some other things.”

Pablo’s expression brightened up, but Keenan couldn’t help the nagging sensation deep inside him that his best friend wasn’t as all right as he appeared to be. Unfortunately, Keenan was at a loss for words himself. He bit back a sigh and shrugged at Pablo. There was no point in dragging this issue on and on. At least not right now.

“Okay.”

For the remainder of the meal, the two of them conversed about their respective groups of friends. Keenan was surprised to realize his and Pablo’s situations were reversed now. In the past, Pablo was the more social and outgoing one between the two of them. However, Keenan had more close friends now while Pablo only had one close friend named Tobias Ruiz.

As the meal progressed, Pablo grew much more cheerful, but Keenan could still feel the underlying tension between them. It might not be obvious, but it was definitely present. He wished he had been more cautious with his words, but it was too late now. The damage had been done. He didn’t want to lose Pablo, though. After all, Pablo was his first best friend, and now that they were sort of hanging out again, he found that he really missed the man very much.

He would have to do something for Pablo to prove how sorry he truly was. Unfortunately, he had no idea what that would be. He would have to think about it later and somehow make amends. Pablo meant a lot to him. Now that Pablo was back in his life, he wouldn’t lose his best friend for the second time around. He was determined to fight for their friendship and get everything back on track.