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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After Wednesday Jared was over the moon. He was a little giddy and quick to excitement, but overall his good mood radiated off him so much that his colleagues started to ask questions.
"Hey, are you seeing someone, Mr. Abitol?" one of the other lectures said as he walked past her. Jared stopped, shrugging before smiling in her direction. She was a woman who was probably in her eighties. She raised a brow, cocking her head to the side and making her hoop earrings dangle. "Are you seeing anyone?" she asked, and Jared's face grew warm. So many people have been asking him that same question — even his students. Jared wondered if it was written all over his face. But people did tend to ask these sorts of questions when people seemed unnaturally happy, and Jared was happy — extremely.
"You know, for the first time, I'm actually seeing someone," he chuckled, smiling again, watching the older lecturer's eyes go wide as his heart swelled. Yes, he was in a relationship, and he would tell everyone far and wide if he could. It just felt nice to be able to mention that he had a partner.
"I'm happy for you," she said, giving Jared a wave as his smile grew wider and he walked past her, leaving her alone in the hallway. It was Friday afternoon, and he would be off in a few hours. He was meeting up with Darnell today, and they were going to karaoke together. No Nyx. No friends. Just them.
Jared made it to his office before heading over to his desk and putting his computer on. He didn't think anyone was coming for office hours today, so he took the opportunity to work on the notes he had to have ready by tomorrow. He didn't want to cut the time he was spending with Darnell this night in half because he had work to do.
He worked in silence for a while, but that didn't last long since the door to his office creaked open. He looked up, expecting a student, but instead, Austin walked in. The man was in his work suit, but his jacket wasn't on him and he had probably abandoned it in his own office. Jared rose a brow at him, wondering why Austin didn't look as energetic as he usually was.
"You look—"
"Like hell?" Austin said, completing Jared's sentence. The man sighed, shaking his head as he made his way to the seat propped at Jared's desk. "Yeah, I look and feel like hell," Austin said with a shrug before sitting down on the chair. He took out the pack of cancer sticks and his lighter before lighting a cigarette. He took a deep drag, closing his eyes before opening them again to stare at Jared.
"I'm sorry for being sour. I can't seem to make myself hopeful," he said, making Jared wonder what the man was going on about. "I don't think Yves wants anything to do with me after our contract," he added, making things click in place in Jared's head. He has been so happy about getting together with Darnell that he had forgotten his friend wasn't having much luck with his own pursuit.
"Well?" Austin asked, making Jared blink before apologizing when he realized he had been staring.
"Do you have any advice for me?" Austin asked, ignoring Jared's apologies. He didn't have time for formalities. He needed help. If he couldn't get Yves to stay back with him, the man would be gone in a month's time. As the termination of their contract grew closer, Austin's hope in changing Yves' mind faded. Every day that passed was another day Yves had refused him. He didn't know what he was doing wrong. He got along with Yves, he bought Yves expensive presents, they seemed to like each other's company to some extent, so what was it? Austin kept staring at Jared. It couldn't be his looks or the age gap between them. Jared and Darnell were in a similar position, and Austin knew Yves didn't care about things like that. He was a simple man. He liked money, so Austin gave him money — lots of it — but the probability of that alone changing his mind was slim.
