Asshole

11: Love Languages

Houston, TX

Air conditioning.

Constant chatter.

Wheeled bags rolling.

Heeled shoes clacking.

Long ago, as in four hours prior, Karl Jacobs had taken his seat on a flight destined for Houston, Texas. What felt like a hundred years passed and Karl finally stepped foot into the George Bush Intercontinental Airport and inhaled deeply through his floral print mask. He knew it was possible that he may be recognized, but he didn't bother to cover the décor of his left arm. He donned a simple beige button-up adorned with a diamond pattern in a darker beige. He paired this with dark pants and floral shoes that were similar to his mask but not identical. Clasped in his hand is a fern green bag that was small enough for him to have stored it in the overhead compartment above his seat. He hadn't managed to score an evening flight back to Florida, so he had to pack a few essentials: spare clothes plus swim shorts (what if the motel had a pool?), hygiene products like his toothbrush, and his laptop and chargers.

Alex was unable to meet him at the airport, which Karl completely understood, meaning that he was left to traverse the building solo. He certainly didn't mind getting to completely bypass baggage claim and secure himself a taxi that much sooner than he typically would have. The first thing that he noticed upon looking into the sky was that the Houston sun wasn't as hot nor as blinding as he anticipated. Rather, the air was humid and it looked like a storm was brewing. Perhaps the swim shorts were a wasted use of space - he could have fit a book from his Pokémon card collection in its place if he had thought to check the weather beforehand.

Once the door of the yellow cab was closed and his seatbelt was fastened, he recited the address from his phone to the driver. Then he called the number with a duck emoji beside it.

"Hey! I'm on my way. Be ready for a hug. Unless you don't like hugs, then be prepared for me to respect your boundaries."

Alex's laugh was quiet. He sounded shy - maybe nervous to meet him? "I fucking love hugs. Please, hug me literally whenever you want, I will hug you back."

"Wow. It's almost as if we're meant to be, huh? Wild."

His next laugh was more comfortable, louder. "Yeah, so wild."

Karl gazed through the window. He watched as the buildings in the distance passed by. Or, watched them disappear as he passed by. "Hey, is physical touch your love language?"

"Maybe? My ex-boyfriend is a really touchy-feely kind of guy, and it used to be like this nice, comforting thing, but for a while it's just been more uncomfortable than anything." He probably shrugged. "Sorry, that was a sudden mood drop. But, yeah, hugs, cuddles, I'm good with those. I don't know enough about the other love languages to say for sure if that one's mine, though."

Karl stiffened at the thought of Alex's ex. Not the idea of him having one, but the fact that he'd made him physically uncomfortable, or uncomfortable at all, for that matter. He got the vibe that Alex would rather not speak about it, so he refrained from broaching the subject. "There's a quiz, how about we take it together when I get there?"

His tone grew noticeably more excited. "Yeah, sure. Do you know yours?"

"So, the quiz tells you your receiving language, which is like what you want people to do for you. I got physical contact and words of affirmation, so I really like hugs and being told that I'm loved. My giving language is probably physical contact and gift giving, but I try to take into consideration what other people want, and then do that." He adjusted the mask on his face when it started to slip below his nose. "Like, for example, Sapnap and I took the test a while back, like before I knew we were soulmates, and he got quality time and acts of service."