Being gay is a curse when the homophobia you grew up with was so bad that you're homophobic yourself. Especially when you're into unavailable guys like your roommate, whose girlfriend is everything you're not (though appearances can be deceiving). S...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Fuck Jackson and his Coca Cola and fuck Nazy and her advice and fuck everyone else that went along with this stupid plan. After Nazy had told me to leave, I glared at her for a while, clenching my jaw and my fists—and my ass cheeks too, while we're at it—before sitting down at the bar and ordering a water, because I was that guy.
After downing the glass, I asked for another.
The barman sighed, but grabbed my glass to wash and refill anyway. Then he picked up a little bowl with nuts from the empty side of the bar and placed it next to my glass too. After letting out a sigh, I nodded at him in thanks and grabbed a handful of nuts, tossing them in my mouth. I didn't deserve his kindness, but I wouldn't complain.
As I was crunching on the peanuts and walnuts, somebody sat down beside me and ordered a drink. I looked over to see a blond guy on the edge of the barstool next to mine and he gave me a smile.
"Hi," he said.
I didn't reply and watched him reach over to the bowl of nuts and take a handful. He was wearing a white t-shirt that stretched tightly across the lean muscles in his arms and he had big, green eyes with thick, dark eyelashes. Overall, a conventionally nice face to look at. He was probably a nice guy, too.
"There you go," the barman said, taking the five dollar bill from him and returning the change. "Where's Kylie?"
"Wouldn't you like to know, Billy?" the blond guy replied.
Billy the barman shrugged with a chuckle and furiously started wiping the bar, which wasn't dirty at all, with a wet wipe. I'd never seen anyone blush so furiously at an inanimate object. "What can I say? She's great."
"She's sick, actually. Almost threw up on the carpet today."
"Oh, yikes. Tell her I hope she gets well soon."
Before the blond could reply, a group of people came to the other side of the bar and Billy walked over to take their order. I finished my second glass of water and made a move to get off the barstool and walk away, but the blond stopped me.
"Hey."
"What?" I said.
"You alright?"
Jeez, did I still have the resting I-want-to-die face on? Why did anyone even care? I nudged the bowl closer to him and replied, "I'm fine. Goodnight."
"Wait."
"Why?"
He only patted the barstool I'd been sitting on a few seconds ago and told me, "Please. Sit. My name's Carl."
I simply stood there for a moment, pressing my nails into my palms as I contemplated his request, before I relented and sat back down with a sigh. Might as well get some more of those nuts, I guess. The edible kind. Not the— Shut up.
