The Undecided Lover

Chapter 5

Tae's POV

When the elevator opened I guided Tee to my unit.  My heart was beating so fast and my hands were actually trembling with excitement and nervousness that it took a while to unlock my door.  I hoped that he didn't notice it.

When I finally managed to unlock my door I motioned to Tee to come in.

"Welcome to my humble abode,"  I said,  motioning for him to sit on the couch while I went to fetch some beer and a container of mixed nuts.  Ever since I noticed during one of our company outings that he ordered a Newcastle Brown Ale, I tried it and it tasted so good that I decided that that would be the beer that I would be drinking from now on.

I handed him a bottle and I placed the container of mixed nuts between us on the couch.  He looked surprised when he saw the brand of beer that I handed to him but he did not make any comment.  He just took a swig from it and nodded approvingly.

I asked him if he wanted to watch an action thriller and he said, "Sure, " so I rented the movie "The Commuter" and after I made a few taps on my iPad the movie started appearing on the screen.  The movie had a very gripping suspenseful story and we were both so engrossed in it that we could not even take our eyes off the screen to dip our hands into the container of mixed nuts.  We just groped for it without looking.  At one point we happened to put our hand into the container simultaneously and my hand landed on his.  He quickly pulled his hand away.  Did he hate my touch so much?  The thought hurt so much that I actually felt a a pain in my chest.  I handed him the container and told him that he could have the rest of the mixed nuts.

After the movie he stood up to go.  Was he in such a hurry to leave me?  Did he really hate my company so much?  The pain in my chest grew more intense that I could not help clutching at it.  I hope that he did not notice.

"Are your parents waiting for you to come home?"  I asked without standing up from the couch.

"I don't live with my parents anymore,"  he said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot,"  I said.  I remember now that since last year his parents had moved to the US and he was left to live by himself.

"Would you like to stay the night?"  I asked with my heart in my throat.  Please say yes, please say yes, I prayed silently.  "We could play video games or binge watch movies that we like,"  I said, "but first don't forget that there's the food that mom gave me that we still have not eaten."

"Okay then,"  he said and sat down again.  I silently thanked the highest heavens while I went to the fridge and took out the food containers and transferred them to bowls and plates for reheating in the microwave.

I was not disappointed by mom's cooking.  The food was so delicious and I could tell that Tee also enjoyed it because he cleaned up his plate of all the tasty morsels.

After dinner he offered to wash the dishes but I declined and told him I would take care of them in the morning.  We want back to the couch and I handed him another bottle of beer.

I put on my favorite movie about two young men who were co-workers in an office.  They both had a secret attraction to each other but neither one of them wanted to admit it.  The succeeding events and the conflicts which were resolved in the end were very emotional that each time I watched it (yes, I have re-watched this movie a hundred times) it would always bring tears to my eyes.

He looked at me in surprise when he realized that the movie was a gay romance but did not make any comments.  He just drank his beer instead.

At the end of the movie I asked him if he liked it.  "It was a feel good movie," he said and discreetly wiped a tear from his left eye.

I handed him another beer and we both drank our beer in silence.  After a while, he turned to me and asked, "What do we do next, P'Tae?"

I could no longer hold back what I had been dreaming of doing for who knows how long.  I reached out for his neck and brought his lips to mine.