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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Austin was sitting on the edge of the queen-sized bed adorned with stuffed animals and pillows. It wasn't his bed. It was Yves, and the younger man was walking around the large room like he had something to say. They were both in Yves' apartment that Austin rented for him. It was on the top floor of an apartment complex, and you could look down at the city like it was a monopoly town if you stood by one window. That was what Yves was currently doing/ He was holding on to the sides of the window with his legs crossed and lips fixed into a pout. He was wearing one of the many silk robes he had, and a pair of fluffy slippers.
"What's on your mind?" Austin asked, unable to take the silence anymore. Yves had been walking with that pout and a little scowl on his face for over an hour now. What was he thinking so hard about? Austin was completely at home in Yves' room, picking one of the many pillows on and holding on to it as he looked at Yves who had his back turned to him. He came here often, mostly when he was done with work like today. It was around seven in the evening now, and Yves had said he had to be somewhere, but he kept pacing around the room, moving to stand at the window from time to time to look out into the city. He was wasting time, and Austin had picked up that there was something on his mind.
"I'm not even sure," Yves sighed, stepping away from the window before walking over to the bed. He took a seat beside Austin, smiling at the man before holding on to his hand and resting his head on his shoulder. "I'm going to miss you," he said in a soft voice, and Austin could feel his throat get clogged up. It had changed from 'I can't wait to leave' to 'I miss you.' Yves had been saying that for a while now, and it made Austin's heart jump. Yves was leaving soon — he had days left, and Austin could now countdown to his flight day with his fingers.
"Austin," Yves started, squeezing Austin's hand in his grip, "I have something to tell you," he added, making Austin raise a curious brow as he looked over at the man who had pulled his head away from his shoulder.
Yves had given himself enough time to think, and he was sure he had come to a decision now. After talking to Darnell a bit more about drag in the city, he decided that he would like to go into that scene. The problem was that his flight to France was already fixed and he had also sorted out living arrangements and the like. Plus, Yves didn't want to admit it, but deep down over the course of the last month he had been leaning on staying back because of Austin. He had developed a soft spot for the man. He had always liked him, but certain things had hindered a full-blown attraction, but suddenly Austin had cut down on smoking and had moved on to be more endearing about the way he showed his attraction to Yves. Yves would be lying if he said he hadn't been won over.
Austin was a good person. He was blunt and his humor was crude, but so was Yves'. They got along for the most part if one ignored the little things that had made Yves wary. Now those things were gone or at worst minimal, and there was really no reason to pretend the attraction wasn't there. Austin pampered Yves, Yves now knew Austin's love for him wasn't based on how he saw him as a status symbol, and to be fair Austin was a good person even though he was rough around the edges. Yves liked him too. Was there a reason not to try being in a relationship with the man?
