Jared Abitol is ugly, past his prime, and desperate for love.
Years of being hyper-aware of his own looks have made Jared develop social anxiety. When you look like Jared, love isn't easy to find. Jared might not have the looks or confidence, but h...
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When Jared had asked Darnell to have dinner with him and his friend, Darnell had no idea what to expect. He didn't know how to dress, or what to take with him. He only noticed that he had jumped on the opportunity to spend time with Jared so quickly, that his mind hadn't had time to process the offer and ask important questions like what the dress code was and if he was expected to pay for his own portion of the food. He wished he hadn't been too embarrassed to ask, and maybe if he did, he wouldn't be sitting across from the clean-cut person Jared's friend brought with him in his semi-casual clothes. He felt a little out of place. Almost everyone in the restaurant was in a suit or evening gown while he was wearing a dress shirt and plain trousers.
Darnell's eyes kept flickering to the man with dark wavy hair, and dark—almost pitch-black—eyes. He also noticed how clear the man's skin was, and how his lips looked plumped and red. Darnell didn't think that was real. His impossibly perfect nose didn't look real either. He was obviously older than Darnell, but not close in age to Jared or his friend in any way. After sneaking glances in the man's direction for a while, the man caught him looking. Darnell had given the man a nervous smile, but he had gotten nothing more than a curt nod and the faintest of a smile from him in return.
"Sorry, I had to sort out the reservation," Jared's friend said, coming up to the table after he had left a while ago to talk to some of the staff. The man looked over at Darnell as he slipped into his seat beside the man he had brought with him. He smiled at Darnell, confusing the younger man a bit. "Hello! I'm Austin, don't you remember me?" The man asked with an amused chuckle before adjusting the collar of his dress shirt. It took a while for Darnell to pinpoint who he was, but when he did, he grinned, nodding as his face flushed from nervousness. He had never seen Austin throughout the time he served as a middleman between Jared and him, so he couldn't blame himself for not remembering a person he had never seen.
Darnell looked over at the man Austin brought with him with new interest. At first, Darnell had tagged him as just a date, but his gut feeling told him that they were in the exact same position when it came to the men they were seated beside. It made Darnell jumpy to befriend the man.
"This is Yves," Austin said, smiling at his partner before patting the shoulder of the man's dress suit. It seemed like a simple gesture, but there was a level of affection in the action.
"I'm Darnell," Darnell said, too hesitant to introduce himself. Yves' eyes widened a bit, but he looked flattered.
"Yves, that's Jared, the colleague I keep talking about," Austin said, making Yves wave at Jared. The man had a smile on his face like he knew something, and Jared wasn't sure how to feel about that.
Austin started going on about something like he usually did, laughing loudly as he spoke to Jared and occasionally resting his hand on Yves' shoulder. The two older men were sucked into their own world, talking as the two younger ones stole glances at each other. For Darnell, it was done because of keen interest and a sense of admiration, and while of Yves' part, he couldn't stop looking at Darnell or returning smiles. There was something sweet and naive about Darnell's demeanor, and it became obvious to Yves that Darnell was, in fact, unaware of Jared's feelings.
