Something New

Chapter 17

Beam kept his promise to his friends and went to work the next day and acted like he was completely fine and fulfilled all his responsibilities perfectly. To anyone who didn't know better, nothing would've felt different from normal. But Pha and Kit knew better, and they knew that their friend was suppressing all his emotions and trying to fool everyone including himself that he was okay. They also knew that it was not going to last. But all they could do was wait and be there for him when he eventually came to terms with his feelings.

They had tried to get him to open up to them, but he only ever brushed off their concern and said that he was A-okay.

In his effort to forget a certain someone and all of the feelings he managed to stir in Beam's heart, he just slipped into the routine that he was used to. He went back to his highly structured existence and whenever his mind would start to wander into scary territories, he would squash those thoughts mercilessly and pour himself into work with even more vigor. The nights were the hardest because, he missed Forth's cuddles and warmth, even just his presence around him. But he was too proud to call him and tell him that he missed him.

It had been a week since that day and Beam was tired. Physically exhausted, but the effort it took to make himself believe that everything was okay, was wearing him down mentally. He had just stuck a frozen dinner in the microwave and was staring mindlessly at the plate going around in circles, when he was startled out of his daze by his phone ringing. For a brief moment his heart leapt thinking that it could be Forth, so he answered it without even looking at the screen.

He heard "Hello?!" and he immediately knew that was not the voice he was hoping for and he felt his heart drop and break a little. When he didn't say anything, the voice continued. "Hey Beam, are you there? This is Joss!" Beam sighed and said, "Oh hi P'Joss!" he couldn't keep the sadness from seeping into his voice. Joss seemed to have sensed it and he said apologetically, "I got your number from Tharn. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time." Beam recovered and responded, "Oh no. That's okay. What's up?"

Joss cheered up a little and said, "So, about that house hunt. I was wondering if you were free tomorrow, to go look at a property with me." He sounded so hopeful and Beam remembered how difficult it was to go look at houses and do all the research alone and without any guidance and he also felt bad for him because he had just moved back to the country after almost a decade spent overseas. So, he took a deep breath and agreed to meet him the next day. Joss seemed over the moon and he said, "Thanks so much Beam. I'll text you the details. See you tomorrow and good night." Beam hung up after returning the greeting and fell asleep trying to shut down his brain.

The next morning, they met up at a café, where they both just grabbed some coffee to go and took Joss' car to the place that he was interested in. There, they were greeted by the realtor and given a tour of the whole property and it was huge, almost a mansion. Beam couldn't help but admire the gorgeous house and more importantly the beautiful garden that came with it. The place even had a pool and a built-in hot tub.

Once Joss told him the offering price, Beam was surprised because, it seemed like a reasonable price to pay for all of that. The realtor then excused herself to take a call, and Beam took that opportunity to tell Joss, "I know you like it, I do too, who wouldn't, it's gorgeous, but you have to curb your enthusiasm when the realtor comes back. Don't seem too eager. And when realtor asks you what you think, always say that you'll get back to them the next day. Never try to let on that you're too into it, or they'll try to trick you." Beam finished, leaning in conspiratorially.

Joss, with an amused look on his face bowed his head a little and said, "Thanks for the words of wisdom. I will follow all of them." Beam just blushed, slightly embarrassed at his behavior. Right then, the realtor walked back in and asked them, "Well, Mr. Wayar, what do you think?" Joss just nodded politely and said, "Good, good. It all looks good. Then she surprised both of them by asking, "and what about your partner?" while looking at Beam with a sweet smile.

Beam hurried to correct her, saying, "Oh no..." only to be cut off by Joss who said, "Well, my partner still has some concerns. So, we'll make our final decision and get back to you tomorrow." Then he turned and smiled at Beam. His eyes seemed to be saying 'just go with it', so Beam turned to the realtor and just smiled and nodded. She responded with an enthusiastic, "Sure. Please feel free to call me anytime with any questions or concerns." Joss then smiled at her and nodded before placing a hand on the small of Beam's back and saying, "Sweetheart, should we get going then?" Beam was startled by the touch but soon composed himself and decided to just roll with the bit. So, they both walked out of there looking like a sweet couple in love.

Joss insisted on treating Beam to a lunch, for helping him out and Beam couldn't refuse. So, they ended up at a restaurant where they had met up initially. After a semi-awkward start, Beam actually had fun talking to him and realized that he was a nice guy. Joss made him laugh with his funny anecdotes from his time abroad. They talked a lot about their work experiences and disasters and they both found each other relatable. Which is how they ended up laughing so much that Beam had tears in his eyes, it felt good, after being numb for a long time.

Beam shared that he was having some trouble at the hospital with increased workload and people underestimating him because of his age and Joss replied, "Oh yes, I know how that goes. I have almost always been the youngest among my peers and it has not always been easy." He the smiled and added, "Well that just means that we have to prove them wrong by showing them how capable we are, right?"

Beam smiled and raised his beer and said, "I'll drink to that." He continued, "So, how is the new job? Do you get any time off?" Joss chuckled and said, "Oh no. I spend most of my time, even weekends at the hospital, especially now that we received funding for our research study." Beam said, "I can relate. Also, congrats on the funding. I know how difficult it can be to get it." Joss started, "When you say you can relate..." Before he could finish, Beam jumped in and said, "My chief recently let me know that Dr. Lee was going to be visiting our hospital soon to find a surgeon to work with him. I've idolized his work in cardiothoracic surgery, so it's kind of a dream of mine to work with him."

Joss gave him a big smile and said, "Man, that's awesome. Give me five" and held his hand up. Beam laughed and gave him a high five. After that, Joss caught his hand and held it gently while looking at Beam's face appreciatively and Beam noticed his gaze stray to his lips. Beam blushed and grew uncomfortable squirmed, and Joss let his hand go but he looked into Beam's eyes and said, "Beam, I have to shoot my shot. Would you give me a chance to get to know you better?" When Beam looked like he was going to refuse, he quickly added, "Before you answer, I'll let you know that I don't play around. I'm a one person at a time kind of guy and right now, I am looking for a partner who will stay with me for a long time."

Beam didn't know what to say, so he remained silent. Joss sheepishly said, "I know that's heavy." He smiled and asked, "So, what's going on, are you single?" Beam blurted, "Umm, right now?" when Joss just nodded, he said, "Yes, actually." While thinking that the idiot Forth didn't so much as bother to even text him after that disaster and he was pissed. Joss' face broke into a huge smile at that and said, "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. So, please go out on a date with me." He looked so hopeful and they did have a nice time, so he just nodded. Joss excitedly said, "Awesome, I'll text you and we can figure out the best time for the both of us." They left the restaurant, one exuberant and one confused.

A/N - Don't hate me 🥺