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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There was so much tension in the car. Darnell sat in the passenger seat hugging his book bag while Jared drove them through traffic until they reached the free roads at the other side of town. The flea market was an open sale that took place in the town square every month at around five in the evening to ten at night. Jared had picked Darnell up an hour after his classes, and they would probably get there at half an hour to seven.
"So, what do you want to buy?" Jared asked, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. They'd both been quiet since Darnell hopped into the car. Maybe Darnell just wasn't in the mode from talking, or maybe the arrangement of orchid flowers Jared had gotten for him had knocked the wind out of him. Jared looked at Darnell from the side of his eye, watching as Darnell touched the petals as he kept driving. He hadn't known how to hand it to him, so he just left it on the passenger's seat and hoped Darnell would assume it was his. He was getting worried that he did something wrong since Darnell was so quiet.
"I'm not sure, anything I find interesting really," Darnell mumbled, still touching the orchids. "Oh, and thanks for this. It's pretty," Darnell finally found the voice to say, looking over at Jared who was red-faced.
"I didn't think you liked it," Jared said, a bit surprised by the compliment.
"I do. I was just a bit shocked," Darnell said with a small smile, making Jared mirror it before looking away from him. That was good. He had another present for him, and he wasn't planning to give it to him if he didn't like the flowers.
"Happy birthday."
"You said that already," Darnell laughed, making Jared shrug his shoulders as he took a turn.
"I know, I just felt like saying it again," Jared muttered. It was partially a lie. He was just nervous and wanted to let some of his anxiety out by talking. Darnell just nodded, still feeling the petals of the flowers. No one had bought him flowers before, and the fact that Jared bought them for him made his heart swell a bit.
The tables, canopies, and tents that were set up as shops were soon in viewing distance. Jared had to drive around the flea market before finding an area that had been dedicated to parking. When Jared switched off the car, they both got down, Darnell left his flowers in his car, and Jared checked his pocket for his other gift. He locked the car, and the two off them walked side by side as they approached the heart of the flea market.
Jared swallowed spit, blinking a bit when he felt Darnell link their hands. They both stayed quiet, neither of them wanting to talk about the small gesture. They walked hand in hand, stopping at stands and taking a look at the things for sale. In the next half hour, Darnell had already gotten a bunch of scarfs, a hat, and what Jared wasn't sure was a poster or a game board.
"Wait, I need silk," Darnell said all of a sudden, stopping in his tracks, and making Jared pause too.
"Silk?" the older man asked with a confused frown.
