- Intoxicating love - (Jesse Klaver x Rob Jetten)

17- we need to talk

"I just don't know what to do you know? He doesn't talk to me either."

He chugs another sip of beer. His phone on the counter lights up once.

"Like one moment he's super emotional and it seems like he genuinely cares about me, and the other he's just-"

Snipping fingers to find the right words. They lie on his tongue, but just aren't bothered enough to escape. Romke helps out.

"-horny?"

Robs face lights up.

"Yes! Exactly! Horny! Today for example. He made incredible breakfast, and we didn't even have sex! I mean, what kind of guy makes another guy breakfast in the morning, even if they haven't slept together? I felt so validated, and then we made out in my office."

He rolls the empty mug over the counter. The bartender gives a judgmental look, while filling it up with another round of cold beer. Again, Robs phone lights up.

"That doesn't sound too bad."

Romke throws in his comment, as he has the entire evening.

"Here's the twist though! When I asked him what he wanted from me, because well you know me: I have my principles. You know what he answered?"

A head shake, followed by a shoulder shrug.

"You're not gonna believe this. He said 'We're just messing around'. I mean, messing around? Unbelievable."

Rob falls back into the bar stool, his eyes mustering Romkes face, trying to decipher his reaction.

"I don't get it. So?"

This he didn't expect. Instead of validation he's met with confusion.

"What? How? Okay I'll explain it again."

Romke has to down another shot of tequila before listening to this torture. He's heard this story for the third time now, and still doesn't understand Robs anger.

"So we went through all this stuff together, right?"

"Right."

"We shared a bed together, I helped him when he was absolutely drunk, like a lot of times actually. That happened way too often."

"Hm"

"He told me he wasn't gay, only to call me drunk in the evening and correct that statement. Newsflash, he might not be as hetero as he claimed to be."

Another shot of tequila downed. He's heard that same exact sentence for the fourth time now. Distracted eyes land on Robs phone. It's been lighting up the entire evening.

"Anyways, we have history. We're basically on our way to work out our feelings, maybe even become more than just colleagues, you know? And then, in this moment of intimacy-"

He moves his hands to the words, face turned away from Romke into a random corner, as if he's about to play Shakespeare.

"In this moment of intimacy, where we want to pass the line from buddies to lovers-"

"Now you're being dramatic"

Rob gives him a glare, judging him for interrupting his performance. He clears his throat to start again.

"- he says we're just 'messing around'? He calls this 'messing around'? That's so derogatory! I'm putting my heart into this and for him it's just 'messing around'?"

Romke watches Robs eyes fall onto the beer mug. He pushes it further away, trying to signal Rob that he's had enough.

"What did you want to hear? What would've been better in that moment?"