The Writer's Assistant (ManxMan)

Chapter 26: The Straightest Man Alive

A/N: April 11, 2023

Spring is here 🌸 I hope you're all doing well?

Have you guys ever been to a concert? If not, whose concert would you like to go to?

This chapter is short, but a second update will be published in a few minutes ;)

Please don't forget to leave a vote before reading, thank you!!! Sending a box of virtual donuts to everyone who does 🥹🍩

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Oliver agreed to socialize. He got his hair done and picked out some clothes, which I ended up changing. I couldn't let him walk into his first party wearing a Pikachu Kigurumi. He was annoyed, and during the entire ride, when I tried to ask him questions, he'd pretend to be asleep until I realized that he had actually fallen asleep. I snuck a glance at him and couldn't help but smile.

We finally arrived. I parked the car and woke him, and his head snapped up. He looked around him as if he had entered a completely different realm. I pulled something out of my bag.

"Here, before we go, eat this," I said, handing him a chocolate bar.

His only question was, "Why?"

"I know you get angry when you're hungry. You get hangry."

His brows raised.

"And the finger food won't be served until another hour. They'll serve champagne and drinks, but it isn't good to drink on an empty stomach, so before you get hangry, eat this." A pause. "For the sake of every living being inside that building."

He examined it. "Did you poison it?"

"Oliver!"

He kissed me on the lips. "I meant to say, thank you. I can indeed become an abominable monster when I'm... Hangry."

"And please try to behave. Try to smile when people come up to you, and don't throw daggers with your eyes when they ask questions."

"Can I shoot lasers?"

My eyes narrowed.

"What about knives?" he asked. "Shurikens are cool too."

"You aren't a ninja?"

"Don't crush my dreams."

I knew Oliver was stalling time. He wasn't as excited about this party as Camilia was, but he had promised he'd go.

"Everything will be fine," I reassured him, taking his hand in mine and giving him a gentle squeeze. He looked at me, and his ocean eyes looked clearer and more relaxed.

"You'll be close?" he asked, with a hint of hopefulness in his tone.

"I promise."

He pursed his lips, running a hand through his perfect hair.

"What?" I asked at his uneasiness.

"The last time you made that promise, you were with your ex."

"That was a mistake," I admitted. He turned his body to face me, leaning closer. My heart thrummed inside my chest, thinking he'd kiss me.

"I'll see you inside."

My heart dropped when he pulled away, flinching when the door closed behind him. I let out a small smile. I deserved that one.

When we entered the room, people came to greet Oliver and wanted photos with him. People working in the industry were getting familiar with him and wanted to exchange contacts, which was often a good sign. For someone who didn't like people, Oliver was doing a good job at socializing. He was the same, but everything around him was changing.

This event was great for media coverage. People who took photos with him would tag him on their socials, and it'll get the buzz rolling.

My eyes roamed the room until they landed on Oliver. He was eating the chocolate bar I'd given him while talking with some of the top celebrities, who seemed to enjoy what he was saying. They even laughed. I would have said Oliver blended perfectly in the crowd, but he didn't. His appearance and charm radiated stronger than anyone else's, and when he folded his arms on his chest, I knew I wasn't the only one staring at the strained motion of his shirt.

As I studied his profile, an odd feeling bubbled in my chest, something warm, fuzzy, and strange that felt familiar yet new. Few people could rock the pink suit he wore during his interview, but nothing was classier than a black suit. He looked elegant and sleek, and expensive. His strong, lean body fit perfectly in the luxurious fabric. Every time people walked past him, they'd whisper and glance over their shoulders. Women would giggle and openly gape at him, hoping they'd get to make eye contact and beckon him over. Oliver was oblivious.

He must have noticed me staring. His gaze shifted and met mine. My back straightened, and his smile was enough to make me blush. Before I could join him, someone tapped my shoulder, breaking our gaze.

"Daniel White, is that you?"

I turned around, and the fluttering feeling inside my chest was replaced with something unpleasant.

"So, how did you jump from assisting a modeling actor to a writer? That's a big niche jump," asked Gary, the snobby assistant for a famous singer. Gary and I had crossed paths a few times but it never ended well. He seemed to think that Patricia's accomplishments, the singer he worked for, were his own.

"Hey, Gary. Yes, perhaps."

"Isn't it a bit boring?"

I made the social cue of smiling, taking the opportunity to promote Oliver's work.

"Oliver is releasing a new book soon, so we're actually quite busy," I replied humbly. "Have you even read any of his books?"

It was a genuine question to make small talk, but he must have taken it as a challenge.

"Of course I have," he grumbled a beat too late, almost irritatedly. "Everyone has."

"What was your favorite part?"

"My favorite was uh..." he took a swig of wine. "Everything."

Right.

Sally, another assistant, joined us and said, "I cried throughout the whole book."

"Ugh, me too," Lily said. Gary shifted his gaze, taking another large gulp of his drink.

"Oliver is such a brilliant writer. Is that really him?" Lily asked, glancing at him from across the room. "He looks kind of really..." she didn't finish her sentence and bit her lower lip, staring at him with a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Why does Daniel always get to work with the handsome men? Aaron and now Oliver?" Sally pouted, ogling him too. "I didn't know the man who wrote 'Love me Not' looked so hot."

"I bet he's gay," Gary snorted bluntly. "No one who looks that nice and heterosexual."

"Then I bet you're the straightest man alive," I replied.

Lily gasped, and Sally stifled her laughter while Gary almost spat at his drink. He shot me a dark glare. Before coming here, I scolded Oliver about behaving himself and being disciplined, but I wasn't doing a great job at it myself. But Gary's comment irked me.

"I'm kidding," I added dryly. "You should really check out his books when you have the time."

I glanced at Oliver, who was now standing at the snack table, munching on a donut. I wanted to join him before anyone else did.

"If you'll excuse me," I murmured, leaving the others. But a familiar voice called my name.

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A/N: OKAY BUT CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT PROTECTIVE DANIEL?! 👏

He protec, he attac, but most importantly, he doesn't let anyone hurt Oliver (sorry couldn't find anything to rhyme with attack xDD BUT YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT I MEAN)