An Unexpected Love Volume 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 3“Pablo!”

Pablo jumped in surprise and glanced up. He had been really engrossed with the administrative and financial stuff for the bar inside his office. He enjoyed being his own boss. He didn’t have anyone to answer to. He could come and go as he pleased. However, being a bar owner meant he had a whole other set of responsibilities to worry about. He might have hired two managers and a few other employees to deal with the day-to-day operations of the business, and he didn’t have to handle everything on his own, but that didn’t mean he could simply leave everything alone without checking up on things once in a while. After all, he liked to be kept in the loop regarding everything that went on at the bar. That was the reason why he had been stuck inside his office for quite a while now, and judging by the time on the small, antique clock on his desk, more than three hours had passed since he entered his office sometime around five o’clock.

“Toby!” Pablo greeted in return while rushing out from behind his desk. “What are you doing here?”

Tobias Ruiz chuckled and pulled Pablo into a brief embrace. “I’m here to visit my best buddy, of course.”

Pablo snorted. “Right. Is that the real reason? Or are you just bored?”

Tobias shot Pablo a mock-injured expression. “Ouch! I’m hurt. I’m here with the noble intention of meeting up with you and making sure you’re healthy and alive, yet you doubt my kindness and sincerity by—”

“Cut the crap, man,” Pablo interrupted while rolling his eyes. “You’re the worst workaholic in the entire universe. If you could marry your job, you would have done that a long time ago.”

Tobias burst out laughing. “You know me too well.”

“Duh! We’ve been friends for years. So, what’s up?”

Tobias grinned before expelling his breath slowly and resting his chin on Pablo’s shoulder. “I’m exhausted and stressed out.”

Pablo patted the back of Tobias’s head. “Oh, you poor thing. Then again, you asked for it.”

Tobias scoffed. “No, I didn’t, and cut out the sarcasm, man. Being the CEO of a chain of department stores is really tiring.”

Pablo smiled and shook his head at the same time. “Your parents have already retired from the business. You’re an only child. You’re now the sole owner of The Majestic Ruiz. You have thousands of people working for you. I know you’re worth billions of dollars. You don’t ever have to work for the rest of your life. In fact, with the amount of money you have in your bank account and the remaining inheritance you’ll be receiving from your parents, the next ten or even twenty generations of your descendants will live in the lap of luxury without ever having to get a job. I don’t know why you even bother going to the office every day.”

“Not every day,” Tobias mumbled next to Pablo’s ear before huffing loudly. “Only six days a week.”

“Uh-huh, and how many hours on average do you spend at the office?”

Tobias stepped back and plopped himself down on the couch in Pablo’s office. “Eighteen hours. More or less.”

Pablo occupied the spot on the couch right next to Tobias. “f**k, man. Are you trying to give yourself a heart attack before your thirty-first birthday?”

Tobias shut his eyes and lay his head on the back of the couch. “I can’t slack off. I have thousands of people relying on me. If The Majestic Ruiz goes under, many people will be out of jobs. I can’t do that to them.”

“I know, but you need to find a balance. When is the last time you allowed yourself to have some fun?”

Tobias smirked. “Last night.”

Pablo stared at Tobias. “I mean, dating and making a real connection with somebody. Not just getting a quickie, wham-bam-thank-you-sir.”

Tobias shot Pablo a smug expression. “Oh, it wasn’t a quickie. I had s*x with the guy for almost three hours. He came three times.”

Pablo grimaced. “Yuck! Spare me the details.”

Tobias chuckled. “Prude.”

“Slut.”

“At least I enjoyed myself.”

“Whatever. Seriously, Toby, you need to relax a little. Go out on dates. Get to know somebody.”

“I can do that last one easily while I’m f*****g—”

“That doesn’t count.”

“It does,” Tobias insisted while leaning in closer to Pablo. “s*x is a form of intimacy.”

“It’s different.”

“Not really. Besides, why are you so invested in my romantic entanglements anyway?”

“You have no romance to speak of, man,” Pablo retorted while doing his best not to roll his eyes.

Tobias sat up straight all of a sudden before shooting Pablo a piercing gaze. “Are you…are you dating somebody?”

Pablo felt the blood rushing up his neck and cheeks almost immediately, warming him up uncomfortably. “No, I’m not.”

Tobias scooted even closer to Pablo before giving him an intense stare. “Hmm, you’re not lying, but you’re not telling the whole truth either.”

Pablo snorted. “How can you know that? You can’t read minds.”

Tobias grinned widely. “True, but you’re the worst liar in the entire universe. Besides, we’ve been best friends for years now. I can read you like a book. The side of your left eye will twitch a little when you’re nervous. Or when you have something to hide.”

Pablo glanced away in a hurry. “You’re talking crap.”

“And you’ve just given yourself away,” Tobias retorted while beaming at Pablo. “Come on, man. Out with it. You know I’ll get the truth out of you in a matter of minutes. Save yourself the trouble and just tell me.”

Pablo hesitated a little before sighing. “I’m not dating anyone.”

“But you have someone in mind.”

Pablo gulped and nodded, albeit reluctantly. “Kind of.”

Tobias huffed. “Either you do or you don’t.”

Pablo shrugged. “You’re right, but he doesn’t know.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Pablo folded his arms over his chest before resting against the back of the couch. “His name is Keenan Underwood.”

Tobias’s eyebrows went up slightly higher. “Your childhood best friend? Is he back in San Francisco?”

“Yes and yes.”

Tobias whistled under his breath. “Hot damn! Okay. What’s holding you back? Oh, let me guess. He’s one of those ultra-masculine straight men.”

“Nah, he’s gay. Or bisexual,” Pablo corrected in a hurry before scratching the side of his head. “Well, honestly, I’m not sure what his sexuality is. He doesn’t want to put a label on it.”

“Okay. That doesn’t matter. Why don’t you ask him out? See what he says.”

Pablo was quiet for a brief moment. “I don’t think he’s interested in me like that.”

“Why not? You’re f*****g gorgeous. I used to have the worst crush on you. You know that.”

Pablo arched his left eyebrow. “I was also infatuated with you at one point in my life, but we worked better as friends.”

“That’s not the point, man. Why haven’t you invited this Keenan dude out on a date? You like him. Right?”

“Yeah, but he’s my best friend. Besides, he doesn’t act as if he’s into me that way. I don’t want to risk it and make things awkward for both of us. I can’t lose him again. I really like and miss him. A lot.”

“No pain, no gain.”

Pablo shrugged. “I know, but I think it’s best if I simply let things be.”

“Your life, your choice.”

“Yeah. I know. Besides, I think he has something against rich people.”

Tobias snickered. “Really? Doesn’t he know how f*****g rich your family is? Your parents are two of the most successful surgeons in the world, and they have a s**t ton of investments everywhere. Plus, you’re an only child. You’ll inherit billions of dollars from your parents someday.”

“We were childhood best friends. As children, we never really thought about money. We hung out, we had fun, and that was it. After he and his family left for New York, we did our best to keep in touch, but real life got in the way. Now, we finally get together again when we’re both adults. I really had no clue he’s so sensitive about money issues until he kind of snapped at me earlier today during lunch.”

Tobias didn’t utter a single word for a few seconds. Instead, he tugged Pablo close to him before snuggling close.

“You need to talk to him, man. Even if you don’t end up dating him, it’s not worth losing a friend over something trivial like money. It’s such a damn stupid thing to fight over.”

Pablo nodded while rubbing both palms over his face. “I know. I’ll find a chance to hash things out with him and get to the root of the issue. I just need the right time to do that.”

“Okay,” Tobias said. “Anyway, I presume the bar is doing okay. It’s always full every time I stop by for a visit.”

“So far so good.” Then Pablo glanced up at Tobias. “Enough about me. What kind of men do you like? Or women. The customers at my bar consist of plenty of gay men and some straight women. I’m sure I can keep an eye out for you, especially if that person happens to be a regular customer.”

Tobias scoffed. “You know the type I like.”

Pablo smirked. “Some people are choosier when they’re searching for their long-term partners, and you’re one of those people. We’ve been best friends for years, but I still don’t know what you like in a long-term partner. Then again, you’ve never been the kind to get into a relationship with anyone. All your previous long-term partners felt more like friends with benefits to me.”

Tobias didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he slung one arm over Pablo’s shoulders and hugged him tightly.

“I’m not that selective, but I do prefer a man who’s shorter than me, and I definitely don’t like someone too muscular. A muscular guy is fine for a one-night stand, but I don’t really want someone like that for the rest of my life.”

“So, a lean, athletic build then?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. What about a woman?”

“Petite with short hair.”

Pablo stared at Tobias in silence for several seconds. “It feels as if you have someone specific in mind.”

Tobias’s cheeks reddened while raising his right index finger toward his lower chin. “f**k off, man. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Pablo snickered. “Liar. I can read you like a book. You’re not the only one who’s observant. You always scratch your chin or neck when you’re trying to avoid a particular subject.”

“Whatever.”

Pablo burst out laughing. “Fine. I’ll let it go for now.”

Tobias bumped his shoulder gently against Pablo and grinned widely. “Asshole.”

Pablo returned the gesture. “I just know you well. That’s why I always joke around and tell everyone we’ve known each since we were in diapers. That’s not true, but it truly feels like it. Other than Keenan, you’re the one who knows me best.”

Tobias chuckled and got up on his feet. “Enough chit chat for now. I’m tired of staying inside your office. Let’s go outside and have some fun.”

Pablo snorted. “Having one-night stands is your thing, man. I’m not that crazy about s*x anyway.”

Tobias bent halfway down and gazed into Pablo’s eyes. “Are you saving yourself for Keenan from this day onward?”

Pablo’s heart felt as if it was going to stutter to an abrupt halt. “I…I…I’m not doing anything like that.”

Tobias reached for Pablo’s arm and pulled him up to his feet. “Okay. Let’s get out of here then. I need a drink.”

Pablo almost stumbled and lost his balance before managing to steady himself by grabbing onto Tobias’s waist. “Fine. First drink is on me.”

Tobias snickered. “Perfect. Come on.”

As the two of them rushed out from the office, Pablo ignored the fluttering sensation in his guts as he thought about Keenan. He only had a crush on Keenan. It was no big deal. He could deal with it. Sooner or later, he would get over it. It was just a matter of time.