A rounding holiday part 1.

Tobias

Tobias looked mischievously over the pans at Brian, who was eating tastefully from the mountain of food on his plate. Tobias had prepared his favorite sausages. Four of them were half-hidden under a mountain of gratinated mashed potatoes drizzled with a thick, flavorful gravy. He had already finished a deep plate of thickened tomato soup with cream and croutons. Smiling broadly, Brian looked back as he broke off a piece of baguette and spread it with herb butter. Rain pattered on the window. A flash of lightning. It thundered in the distance.

"It's going to storm tonight," Tobias said, after swallowing a slice of cucumber.
His plate was more modest than Brian's. A pile of cooked rice, spicy chicken filet and cucumber slices on a bed of string beans. Brian nodded his head. His mouth was too full to say anything. With difficulty, he swallowed the half-chewed food in one go.

'How was your day?'
A stupid question, because he already knew the answer. Tobias only had good days. Even if they weren't good, they were still good. Sometimes Brian was irritated by his boyfriend's cheerfulness. Nobody has only good days, right? But it was nice that Tobias was never negative. Just like that one time his car broke down and he had to walk home through the pouring rain. He stood at the door with a big smile. Or when he had an argument with his boss and almost got fired. Tobias started looking for other work as if nothing had happened.

"It was a good day," Tobias replied as expected, after swallowing a piece of chicken.
His eyes followed the movements, as Brian scooped up another heap of mashed potatoes and began to eat it greedily. He seemed pleased that his cooking skills were appreciated. Soon after moving in, he noticed that Brian was a big eater who tried to restrain himself.

They regularly had conversations about Brian's weight and how much he wanted to lose some. His parents even blamed Tobias for his weight gain and he had to hear several times how unhealthy being overweight was. Ultimately, Tobias chose not to be present when Brian's parents came to visit. But he continued to cook delicious food for his boyfriend. As usual, Brian remained seated while Tobias partially cleared the table. He leaned back comfortably, giving his full stomach room to do its work, as Tobias reappeared with dessert. He placed a large bowl on the table with what looked like chocolate pudding.

"I have a surprise for you," he said mischievously as he returned to his chair and Brian filled his plate with pudding.

Brian looked at him curiously when it turned out that the dessert was not the intended surprise. There was that piercing, mischievous look again.

"I have booked a holiday."

Brian stood in his bedroom, hesitating. He looked at the clothes in his wardrobe and tried to distinguish between what still fit him and what no longer fit. There were still some brightly colored shirts, but they were from years ago so they could be thrown away. There was an open suitcase on his bed.

"What a fool!" he thought.
"He just booked a holiday without consulting me first."
Brian knew all too well that Tobias was the one with a job. He was the one who made money. Then he could spend it however he wanted, right? Brian sat down on the edge of his bed. How sweet of Tobias that he wanted to go on holiday with him. Brian often wondered what Tobias saw in him. He was not handsome, not rich, nor very socially skilled. They will leave tomorrow morning. By car. Tobias had heard about a beautiful and nice hotel with large rooms and a swimming pool. Brian didn't want the pool. He didn't like swimming. Then everyone would see his fat body. Brian stood up and put a pair of pants in his suitcase. Tobias could have gotten two weeks off from work, but Brian's studies continued as usual. He thought that was a bit strange, to go on holiday when it wasn't holiday time at all. Tobias insisted he came along. He even got a little angry when Brian asked if they could go on another date. A school holiday suited him better. But Brian hated seeing Tobias angry. He was good for him, so he had decided not to take classes for two weeks. Fortunately, Tobias was okay with taking his study books and notebook with him. Oh, notebook! Brian walked over to the dining room table where he always put his notebook, closed it and carefully placed it on his pants in the suitcase. Tobias had not told them where they were going. That was a surprise. All Brian knew was that it would be about a day's drive. Tobias had already packed his suitcase. Today was his last day of work before the holiday. He worked a late shift. And then he would stop by the gym. He wanted to say goodbye to his friends. Friends who had never understood what he was looking for in such an unhealthy fat guy. Brian had only seen his friends once, very early in their relationship. As he had expected, they were flashy boys from the street. They had looked at him with a dirty look, as if he were a worthless dog turd. He never saw them again afterwards. Tobias himself made sure that Brian and his friends remained separated. He hadn't liked how Brian was being treated either, but apparently he didn't want to drop them. Brian was at peace with it. He didn't want to decide for Tobias who he could hang out with. He was glad that Tobias didn't choose his friends over him.