Temptation [ Min Yoongi | ENG ]

S I X T Y T W O

It was still relatively early and the bar was still empty. I felt really good after that week and went straight to the counter to get Bram's attention.

"Hi!" He smiled when he saw me there.

"Hi! I want a pint of beer and go out with you on Tuesday, does that work for you?" I smiled back. His smile got even bigger when he heard my words.

"Sure! You can sit down, I'll take the jar to you, the movement is slow." He said and I followed his suggestion.

"Here." He said, pushing the jar towards me and sitting down facing me from across the table. "On Tuesday, you said? What do you have in mind?"

"Something simple, maybe we can eat something together, maybe go out and drink?"

"I prefer dinner. I already work here and in my spare time I like to avoid bars."

"Okay, do you like Mediterranean food? There's a restaurant nearby that makes a delicious hummus paste."

"Yes, I do! Can we arrange the details later?" He was just finishing talking when we heard Hank shouting his name from the counter.

"Oopsy" I said with a frown and he shrugged his shoulders for having such a public attention call.

I drank alone for a while until Dirk arrived alone. He accompanied me with the beer for a few minutes, until Timo arrived and joined us. Grietje arrived next, along with Julian. Soon the table was full.

A few hours later, many of them were already rocking their bodies in the hall. I got up to use the bathroom and smoke a cigarette outside. Unconsciously I took the opportunity to let my eyes roam the space. I didn't see Yoongi there and I wondered if he had also adopted my strategy of avoiding him and started to avoid me. I felt that somehow, our silent game had changed. I was no longer the person who suffered.

>>>><<<<

I was in front of the restaurant waiting for Bram and realized he was running late. I tried to distract myself from that realization by lighting a cigarette. I sucked on it while scrolling the Instagram feed. I saw a post from the previous night by Dirk and Yoongi in the studio, drinking champagne, but I quickly double-tapped the screen and moved on.

Bram wasn't even ten minutes late, but I was already a little exasperated. I really had problems with delays, but I chose to ignore it because he was also coming from work and I figured that maybe his routine was not as well adjusted as mine.

We walked in and I headed to the back of the restaurant, sitting at the table in the corner. Bram looked at me funny when he sat next to me, but he said nothing and I again preferred to ignore what was going on.

We studied the menu for a while until I ordered a trio of Arabian pastes, a quarter of roasted lamb with potatoes and a portion of tabbouleh. He looked at me a little surprised, but I explained that I would take the leftovers home, because the food there was too good for me to save myself and then find myself craving for it later. He ordered a Kafta sandwich and a portion of tabbouleh as well.

It took almost half the meal for us to start to feel at ease. I didn't quite understand why, given our first kiss had been quite natural.

"And have you gotten used to the new job yet?" He asked me eventually.

"More or less, I already understood my role well, now I'm taking a mini specialization course in the type of work that they do there."

"What do you really do?"

"I am a proofreader. I basically correct texts and make them perfect for their media. "

" Oh yeah... wow. And is this publishing house very different from the previous one?"

"Well, before I worked at RTL, I stayed there for almost five years, so it's quite different because before I worked with audiovisual media and now it's books, so yes... because it's another media."

"Got it..." he was looking at me trying to absorb that kind of information. "You're talking about a world I don't know." He admitted,

"It's just a niche... a type of job. Nothing much." I smiled at him. "What about you, what made you leave Belgium and what did you do before starting to work at PH?"

"Long story short, I'm a mechanic and my best friend ended a ten-year relationship and wanted to change his life. I didn't have much going on and that's why I accompanied him in this change."

"It's been a while?"

"No, just a few months."

"And why Hilversum?" He had captivated my curiosity.

"We wanted to come to the province of North Holland, to be close to Amsterdam, but we knew it was not feasible to actually live in Amsterdam, so we drew a name and we came here."

"But Hilversum is not so much cheaper than some regions in Amsterdam." I pointed out.

"I know, we realized later, but we were loyal to the idea of ​​coming here and came anyway."

"You are brave." I said, impressed, I think I would never be able to do anything like that.

"I don't know if we are brave, but we are here." He laughed.

We finished eating and he accompanied me pushing my bicycle to my address. The conversation now flowed more naturally and I felt more comfortable by his side.

I stopped walking when we arrived and he stopped too, looking at the small building. I smiled at him, not really sure what to do and he pushed my bike in my direction. We stayed like that, me on one side of the bike and he on the other for just a few moments, but it didn't stop me from leaning my body to his.

He quickly noticed what I wanted and responded to me immediately. Kissing him was, again, a nice experience. His soft lips on mine seemed to make me melt. He sighed against my face as he pulled away and I couldn't help but ask him to go upstairs. He declined my invitation, but he kissed me again, promising to text me as soon as he got home.

I was relieved when I closed the door behind me and took off my sneakers. Although my impulse was to invite him up, I didn't want him to accept my proposal.

I put away the food I brought with me from the restaurant and went to the bathroom, taking off all my clothes and turning on the shower and sitting on the floor.

I stayed there for at least twenty minutes and then I went to my coat in the lobby to get my phone. I contemplated smoking or laying down, but my tiredness won out and I buried myself in bed, with the comforter covering up to my head.

Bram Becker

Bram
I'm already at home.
Tonight was a great night.
Let's do it again?
22:13

Roos
You arrived fast!
I also really liked it.
Next time, you pick the place.
10:15 pm

Bram
We don't live very
far from each other.
Do you have next Saturday off?
22:16

Roos
This one now?
I don't have anything scheduled.
22:17

Bram
So schedule a
date with me.
I'll send you the details later.
Good night :*
22:17

Roos
Ok, ok!I

t's a date.
Goodnight.
22:20