above all (m×m) ✔

28) dusty old book stores

"So, what was so urgent I had to leave Prisca alone in the lunch rush?" Eli asked, propping his phone against something so that he could use both hands to lit a cigarette.

"Yeah, it's a bit inconvenient timing." Miles joined in, sitting next to Benjamin in some office room. They worked in a well-known graphic design agency. Miles grinned, still having no idea what the call was all about. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, just curious."

"I hate video calls." Ash grumbled when a picture of his moody face popped up on the screen.

"Is there anything you don't hate?" Steven joked with a playful grin, which didn't quite reach his eyes. Dam-Bi let out a bellowing laughter at that, her deep voice in stark contrast with her looks.

"I could name a few things." Ash shrugged. Seeing his smile when his gaze moved to Miles' picture on the screen, Brandon would have given anything just to spare his friends from what he had to say.

To say Ash wasn't much of a smiler, would have been a gross understatement, so it made Brandon's chest ache to think that he would be the one to wipe that smile off his face. But like Shirley and Steven had told Brandon over and over again, it wasn't his fault. At least, a very big part of it wasn't, and he hadn't asked for any of it. It was all Trey's doings.

"I need to tell you something." Brandon fought to keep his tone even, but even he could hear how nervous he sounded. His friends' faces turned serious in a heartbeat, as they picked up the seriousness of whatever Brandon was going to tell them.

Brandon would never forget the day he met Trey, and not just because it ended up being one of the worst mistakes in his life. He could recall the chilly autumn day like it was yesterday, and how the chill caught him by surprise after a long, relatively warm summer. He was on his way home from his early shift at the bakery, and he had all day just for himself. But then the bus had been late and he had stood shivering at the bus stop, until he finally gave in and went to look for a warm place to stay in.

An antiquarian bookstore, called above all, in all lowercase, beckoned Brandon with its promise of warmth and cheap books. The bell above the door chimed to announce his arrival, but the owner only peeked from the backroom to tell him to ring the bell by the counter if he needed anything. Then it was just Brandon in the warm, dusty smelling space with stacks of books towering all around him.

"Proust?" It was the first thing Trey ever said to him, and seeing a handsome guy looking over his shoulder with an impressed grin on his face was special enough for Brandon to reward the moment with a smile of his own. When Trey noticed the other book Brandon had tucked between his arm and side, his eyebrows rose and he let out a whistle. "And Faulkner? You have a good taste."

Brandon had only picked up the books in a half-hearted attempt to read more literature classics, but he kept that knowledge all to himself. Not many people, let alone charming and good-looking men, had looked at him like he was something worth seeing.

"What would you recommend to me, then?" Brandon asked, a coy smile pulling the corners of his mouth upwards. He was starved of adoration and compliments, and he couldn't help but take the bait.

"Hm, let me see." Trey disappeared behind another stack of books.

Brandon couldn't help but shift so that he could study the man, when his focus was on the titles and authors. He wasn't tall or muscular, in fact everything about him was somewhat average. Except his thick blond hair, which billowed onto his shoulders, and the way he carried himself.

He was nothing like Eli, to whom Brandon still had feelings for. Eli had this whole bad boy vibe going on, with his tattoos, combat boots and leather jackets. But he had never looked at Brandon that way anyway, not when they were surrounded with much better looking and funnier guys, who actually had something to offer. Sex, kisses, money, something to smile about. Eli was Brandon's type, but maybe this new man could be as well.