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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Jared could hear his heartbeat in his ears. It made him feel dizzy and delirious. He opened his mouth, trying to say something but he got overwhelmed and looked away. Darnell was really sitting right across from him. Darnell had really said he loved him and wanted him to be his boyfriend. Jared couldn't believe it. His mind just couldn't handle it.
"I—" he started, bringing his closed fist to his mouth before chomping down. So many words were swimming in his head, but he wasn't sure how to arrange them in a way that they would make sense. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath before opening them again and looking at Darnell. "Are you serious?"
The younger man's features changed to one of annoyance when his full lips were drawn into a line, and a frown played on his forehead. He looked insulted. "I pour my heart out to you, and you're asking me if I'm serious?" Darnell's voice was shaky, and despite the edge to his voice, he sounded like he might cry at any moment.
"Darnell—"
"Why won't you believe me?" Darnell cracked, his voice coming out as a sob. He mumbled something inaudible, before resting back on his seat and catching the tears with the base of his palm.
"Darnell, I didn't mean it like that," Jared said, not even understand his own words. How did he mean it? Why was he so adamant on refusing what Darnell was telling him? "Please don't cry," he muttered, reaching out to touch Darnell's thigh, but it didn't help. Jared looked around, wondering what on earth he had done.
"Darnell? Listen to me. Please?" Jared asked, watching as the younger man held his sobs back, turning his gaze to Jared. Darnell wondered if Jared was trying to find a nice way to say no.
"Do you know what kind of people looks for someone to have sex with them for an elongated period of time?" Jared asked. Darnell stared at him. People that were too busy to mingle? Darnell still didn't understand what Jared was trying to do. "Sometimes it's people like me. People who never have people who love them or people who want to be romantically or sexually involved with them," Jared muttered, taking his hand away from Darnell's thigh.
"I—" Jared paused, looking up at the driver's mirror. He concluded that maybe he could say it better if he wasn't looking at anyone. "I have really bad social anxiety, and my self-esteem is practically nonexistent. I'm sorry I made you cry. I was beating myself up and ended up hurting you in the process," he muttered, watching Darnell. The younger man seemed to be in a better mood. He stayed quiet though, playing with his fingers as he and Jared just sat in the car.
"Well?" Darnell muttered, catching Jared's attention. "Will you go out with me?" he asked again, a little frustrated with himself for freaking out before Jared could give him a reply.
"Y-yes." Jared's voice came out in a butchered croak. He was willing himself to just accept the situation. It seemed too good to be true, but he was going to go along with it. If Darnell said he loved him, who was he to argue the validity of that? "I l-love yo-ou." He couldn't get himself to stop stuttering but Darnell didn't mind. He was now smiling ear to ear. The younger man leaned in, making sure not to move the gear with his weight as he caught Jared's face with his hands and pressed a kiss to his lips. They kissed with closed lips for a while, until Darnell pressed his tongue between Jared's lips, making the man moan before giving into the open mouth kiss. It felt great — electrifying.
