My Phobia Man

22. AREV

"Are you sure this is what you want?" I asked with suspicion, but Talay nodded cutely.

"Exactly this," he replied as he handed me the ice coffee he got from the nearby coffee shop.

Currently, we were sitting in my car in an empty parking area. When Talay said he didn't want to waste the free day he got from his boss, I got nervous, thinking he wanted to hang out outside. However, it turned out to be sitting in the car and drinking coffee.

Indeed, he was too precious, and this fact made me feel lacking in every aspect. With that, my mood got spoiled and a sigh escaped in between my lips.

"What's wrong? Is the coffee bad?"

"No, it is just..."

"Just...?" Talay pressed softly with a frown.

"I am such a terrible boyfriend... you just discharged, but you went to buy us coffee meanwhile I was uselessly sitting here. I can't even take you to a cafe!"

Shaking his head, Talay held my arm, "I am happy to be here, with you. I don't want anything else."

I wanted to object, but putting his index finger on my lips, he shushed me very efficiently.

"The ice cubes in the coffees are melting, so let's enjoy the moment."

I kissed his finger and nodded. Smiling triumphantly, he retracted his finger and we started to drink our coffees while watching the passerby.

It seemed like an elderly enjoyment, but I had fun doing it, maybe because Talay was sitting beside me. With him, nothing was boring.

Because he wasn't a silent type, hehe...

***

"Veera!" Talay threw himself on me as soon as I opened the door. Luckily, I had good reflexes; otherwise, he would fall flat on the ground.

"What happened?" I asked as I carried my koala to the sofa. It was amazing that although we were dating only for two weeks, the personal space between us disappeared significantly. If you could see me, you wouldn't guess that I had a social phobia.

"A miracle!" Talay announced with shiny eyes, trying to increase the impact of the suspense.

I frowned and patiently asked "and that is...?"

"WE WILL MEET AREV!" Talay clapped his hands blithely, making my frown go deeper.

"Who told you this?" I asked with squinted eyes, getting ready to break the neck of whoever that liar was.

Talay shifted his position and flipped his hair, "today a customer came in with AREV's novel and of course, I said how much I liked him. After chatting for a few minutes, he told me that he was actually AREV's manager! He said he can arrange a meeting!"

Brimming with anger and trying so hard to keep it under control, I grabbed Talay's hands. Caressing his small fingers with my big thump, I said "I am so sorry, but he is a liar, darling."

Indeed, I added 'darling' at the end to distract his mind.

"Ha?" he looked at me blankly, "what do you mean?"

I took a deep breath for the confrontation, "the man you met is a liar, he is not AREV's manager."

"How do you know?" he asked without any accusation, but curiosity.

It was now-or-never. I could lie to him like I read online about the fraud or I could tell him the truth. I admit I didn't want anyone to know that I was AREV, but if I lied to Talay, it would create huge problems later. I also trusted him with my heart, so why not with my identity, right?

While I was thinking about possibilities, Talay shook my hands and repeated his question.

"Because AREV is me." Boom, I confessed it!

"That's not funny," Talay saved his hand off my grip and slapped me lightly on the arm.

"I am not teasing you," I said with a serious face and opened my email to show him the messages between me and my manager.

Talay looked through the messages and his frown got more and more deeper, making me break out in cold sweats due to anxiety. He wouldn't leave me because of that, right?

When Talay checked enough, he handed my phone back with a complicated expression. He cleared his throat and asked "so you are AREV? For real? OMG, Arev... Veera! It was in front of my eyes all this time!"

I nodded with a possibly timid expression like a guilty man.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, hurt lacing through his words, "I thought we were close."

I grabbed his hands again, "I didn't hide it from you, I just didn't want anyone to know my real identity. You know my condition..."

"Oh shit! I am sorry," Talay apologised, unexpected, and squeezed my hands, "but now you told me, why?"

"I trust you," I declared with sincerity, "if one deserved to know, it is you, my number one fan. How could I let my boyfriend be deceived by leeches?"

"Oh my!" he exclaimed suddenly and retracted his hands to cover his face, "I said so many embarrassing things in front of you!"

I chuckled at his antics. Prying his hands off his face, I said "those were not embarrassing... rather heart-warming."

He blushed beautifully and stole a quick peck from my lips, "I can't believe I am dating my favourite writer! And he is sexier than I thought!"

"What?!"

"What?" he shrugged, then he got serious again, "though I am okay with it, you still need to be punished for not telling me about it."

Admitting defeat, I asked "there is something in your mind, right?"

"Yes!"

Oh damn...