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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"I'm going to get another calculator," Darnell said, getting off his seat before walking around the table and giving Jared a kiss on the cheek. The two held hands for a bit until Darnell let go and left the living room for the hallway that led to the staircase. Jared smiled, only looking away when Darnell was out of sight. It was Sunday, and Jared was helping Darnell out with his Math. The older man nibbled on his bottom lip, picking up a pen from the dining table before twirling it as he tried to keep his thoughts in check. You could say he was having a hard time teaching Darnell hours on end with just shoulder squeezes, light kisses and brief touches here and there. On a normal day, he wouldn't have believed that he would be desperate to be over and done with, but here he was—filled with want and anxiety.
He tapped his thighs as he bit down on his lips and waited for Darnell. The younger man was taking a while, and Jared wondered if he should call him back and just deal with the accounting calculator they had been using. His eyes scanned the dining table, and his gaze focused on the small book sitting next to Darnell's calculator under a piece of paper. Judging from the cursive writing that was peeking from under the sheet of paper, Jared guessed it was one of those many romance novels Darnell liked to read. His curiosity was piqued, and he reached out for it, bringing it up to his eyes.
He stared at the cover, his face flushing at the two almost naked people embracing each other. Jared couldn't figure out why Darnell liked stories like these. It wasn't that he had anything against romance — he was a big romantic himself. It was just that he couldn't relate to the people in them. They were all pretty, even when the characters themselves didn't believe that they were. Love stories like that were too perfect — too removed from his lived reality. As Jared let the base of his finger brush the paperback cover he started to wonder if once upon a time Darnell wanted to end up with someone as handsome as one of the men on the covers. A part of Jared told him that it was a silly assumption, but another part felt that it was realistic. Darnell was very good looking, and it made sense that a good-looking person felt like they deserved someone equally as attractive.
"What are you looking at?" Darnell's voice scared Jared a bit and made him look up and instinctively drop the book. Darnell was now standing beside Jared's sit with a calculator in hand and a confused look on his face.
"S-sorry," Jared mumbled, running a hand through his hair before looking away from Darnell. Jared didn't know why he felt embarrassed. He wasn't sure why his heart was beating fast and or why his face felt warm. What was he expecting Darnell to do? He didn't know.
"Were you reading this?" Darnell asked as Jared saw a hand come into his few before placing itself on the romance novel. Jared swallowed his spit, nodding as he heard a hum from Darnell.
"If you want to read it, I can give it to you when I'm done," Darnell said, picking up the book. Jared looked over at him, watching as the man flipped through the pages, probably wondering if Jared had messed with his bookmark. "I didn't know you read romance books too," he continued to say, pulling out the chair beside Jared before taking a seat.
