The following days had Artel on a metaphoric high. He felt there was no wrong in the world and everything seemed brighter, much to the suffering of his close friend and secretary, Joseph Flintt.
Joseph was one of Artel's childhood friends. The Sasark family often chose children from close families to pair with their own children for companionship, sometimes for protection and other times betrothal. For most, this companionship evolves into something akin to a close advisor, an assistant or a proxy.
For Artel, Joseph was his personal assistant and head of his security. Despite being a forced union, he had come to trust and love his brother in everything but blood. Joseph has admitted the same, except for at this very moment.
"SHUT UP!" The brown haired man glared at his best friend in exasperation. "I get it! You finally kissed and it was great! But please focus! Or I can leave this for you to do alone."
They were currently reviewing the joint project with Hudson and Co. on a shopping centre, more specifically the creation of a shopping district. The three main shopping districts in the Capital were price and brand specific and were their current competitors.
The largest department store was Good Fro, that deals heavily with pre-made clothing, cheap and easy to build furniture as well as lifestyle and beauty necessities. The brand is marketed towards affordable and 'quick' fashion with surrounding stores selling second hand clothing, antiques or homemade goods. The gorcery stores and market places are also close-by, catering to a niche circle of hobbyist, struggling to middle class families and local farmers.
The next was Vestro Shopping Centre that offer over 50 specialty stores of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, recreation and more. There are only two in the Capital and they have a wide demographic but are located outside of public transport regions for reasons Artel does not know. He could only speculate that the area was the only large mass clearing available for the venture.
The last was Holden Street, a more upscale shopping strip for high end fashion and jewellery, branching out to international brands, custom and luxury goods and tailor-made suits and business attire.
What SSK and Hudson and Co. wished to achieve is a social hub with their shopping centre in the middle. The centre would hold almost four times as many specialty stores as the current Vestro Shopping Centre and each a staple household name, as well as international brands and niche up-and-coming stores.
Artel wanted to create a mixing pot of social and cultural diversity, hopefully encouraging more middle class workers to venture into high end stores and high-brow shoppers to pause at more thiftier options. The centre would have a playground area near the food court and a large recreational park area close by.
Joseph liked the idea and was behind Artel every step of the way. However, he did not account for his best friend falling in love and turning himself into useless mush. Granted, Joseph felt this was a good change from the 'business only' Artel but he wished there was a healthy medium where his friend could still be mush but also productive.
"I'm sorry Josey. You know how long I've been pining away—,"
"Two months. That's not long. Most people pine almost two years." He deadpanned.
"Two years?! What a waste of time! Josey, who did you pine for two years?"
The intrusive memory of a certain green-eyed stranger caused Joseph to blush, catching Artel's attention.
"No, no, no. How come I don't know you were pining for someone?! I tell you everything!" Artel whined, flopping on to the couch, his head in Joseph's lap. Joseph muttered under his breath, 'Reluctantly', that Artel ignored. "So who is it?"
"I don't know." Joseph confessed softly, his face scrunched in embarrassment.
"Huh?"
"I don't know, okay! I only slept with him once…"
"A one night stand from two-ish years ago?— was that at the high school gathering thing-o? Maybe it was someone's brother?"
"Or someone's husband!" Joseph sighed, the back of his head flopped back in distress.
"Josey, if they were married, it's not your fault. You didn't know!"
"…"
"Right Josey, you didn't know… Joseph!"
"Okay! I knew." The brown haired man confessed, his eyes concentrated on the ceiling. "I knew. He mentioned it briefly, then I saw him slide his ring into his pocket, okay. I let it happen and have no regrets except that I didn't get a name."
Actually, Joseph could have found this mysterious one night stand if he wanted to. It was only a matter of searching the internet or social media. But he did not have the nerve to confront what he'll find.
Artel knew his best friend well and knew he wanted Artel to find this mysterious man on his behalf and decide whether it was worth his time home-wrecking, because if it were up to Joseph, he'd go in dick first then make a mess, figuratively and literally.
"… What's he look like?"
"Dark hair, green eyes, super handsome…"
"So me?" Joseph was quick to smack his friend's face, forcing him to jerk into laughter from his lap.
"You're only mildly handsome in comparison."
"Mildly?! How insulting. Kensin thinks I'm the most handsome in the world."
"Considering your Kensin is a virgin that's never seen the world, his opinion doesn't matter."
"Stop Josey, or I'll be forced to challenge you to a duel on behalf of my beloved's honour!" Artel shook his fist in Joseph's face, causing the latter to swat him away.
"We can duel after this proposal is done."
Joseph brought him back into business mode. Artel was efficient with his work, correcting a few notes and tabbing them to be refined by the team. He signed a few ventures that could be moved forward and re-read some contracts that didn't make sense to him.
Josephfurrowed his brows then wrinkled his nose in frustration when three hours of work was done in less than half an hour. He sent Artel a menacing glare that had the other in a guilty defence.
"If you could do it so quickly, why are you wasting my time!"
"I wasn't trying to waste your time, besides you never stay longer anymore." Artel whined.
"I wonder how Kensin will feel once he realises you're a child under that gaudy facade." Joseph rolled his eyes, readying himself to leave only to be held down by two arms tugging on his waist.
"Wait! Stay! I want to talk about Kensin!"
"No! I want to go back to my apartment to wank." He fought back, cursing himself for slacking on strength training.
"Wank here! I won't look!"
"Fuck off, idiot."
"I'll even look for your mystery Mr. I know you want me too!"
Joseph was quick to settle back into his seat, coughing nonchalantly.
"You were saying…"
"I was kidding. I didn't have anything to say about Kensin. Sheesh, you're so whipped. Anyways, I already narrowed the search down to two—,"
"When did you search?" Joseph questioned.
"While we were working, I was searching in between little breaks."
"So you had the gall to stall all this work, be done in half an hour AND have time for a side project?! Why am I here?" Joseph sighed exhaustedly, resigning to his fate. His boss was a competent asshole and he already knew was a competent asshole and still stayed.
"… it seems that you won't be home-wrecking, since the home is already wrecked."
"Huh?!"
"Yeah, see… 'Our divorce was a mutual…' blah blah blah. He was Marcel's husband. They met in college and have three children—, you want to be a stepdad?" Artel bursted into laughter, his friend cringed slightly.
Joseph did not do well with children. Even his sister's twin daughters are kept at arm's length and spoilt with materialistic love from a distance. He did not expect his prospective lover to be a young father.
'You're getting ahead of yourself. You don't even know this guy, or if he feels the same way…'
Artel could feel Joseph losing hope and knocked on his forehead softly, the later covering the spot with indignation.
"Don't overthink. Just do. I added him from your social media."
"You did what?!" He snatched Artel's phone and sure enough, he sent a friend request to a 'Michael Hudson', from his personal account.
"Hudson? Did Marcel marry into the Hudson family?" Joseph scrolled through Michael's social media feed, unaware of his hungry eagerness. Michael's recent photos looked exactly the same as he did that night— Tall and confident. His smile was wide and carefree, his hair tousled nicely as he posed in a fitted polo shirt and boat shorts.
Most of his photos were solo shots with a beautiful view. Some had, Joseph was assuming were, his children and others were with a repeated group of men, maybe a friend group or work collegues. The rare ocassion that he had a photo with his wife… ex-wife, were large group photos where they were seperated.
'Maybe it was an arranged marriage…' Joseph thought.
For a family of the Hudson's caliber, it would seem fitting for them to arrange a marriage for their son. His prospective lover seemed to be a highly sought after bachelor now. Joseph only hoped that this beautiful man remembered who he was and if their spark were mutual…
Artel's phone rang and the phone ID showed 'Angel' and a picture of a sweet-looking blonde man sitting on his lap. His best friend snatched his phone back with verocity and answered almost just as quickly.
"Hey baby!" Artel cooed into the reciever.
Joseph could hear his answer and knew why Artel liked him. His voice was a mellow and soothing tenor. It fluctuated between shy apprehension and excitable, and Artel happily indulged in it. He left his friend to talk to his lover, knowing that he had been looking forward to this moment almost all day then wandered around his apartment absent-mindedly.
Joseph thought about Michael. The newly divorced father of three. The Michael he slept with knowing that he had a wife and not really caring for her feelings.
A small part of him, a selfish part of him, hoped to be the reason they divorced. Surely not the only reason, but maybe the reason that broke the camel's back and forced him to take the final step. He hoped that he was thinking about that night as often as Joseph did in his lonesome, that it haunted him in the same, sexually frustrating way.
And it was not that Joseph couldn't have other men. He could, he has. Other flings only became substitutes and it disgusted him enough to stop. Not that he slept with disgusting men but he felt disgusted pretending they were someone else, which propelled him into a rutted celibacy.
Joseph hope Michael would accept his friend request soon. He wanted this fantasy companionship to work, if not a serious relationship then at least a friends with benefits situation and an end to his blue-balls.
'You only think with your dick.'
He remembered Artel telling him once. It was true. He didn't know any other way.
"Josey!" Artel hollered at him and Joseph made his way downstairs. "I'm going to Kensin's." Then Artel left.
"I guess I'm not the only one thinking with his dick." He rolled his eyes, following after him as he locked the door to his friend's apartment.
The drive home was uneventful and quiet. It wasn't until he pulled into his driveway that his phone pinged and he got a notification that a 'Michael Hudson' accepted his friend request, followed by a direct message that said, 'Hey.'
Joseph paused, engine cut off and he sat in his car for a little while longer. One, hoping not to look desperate by answering as soon as he messaged and two, not knowing how to repond. Hey? Hi? What's up? Joseph sent Artel a quick text.
Joseph: 'Help. He said hey.'
Artel: 'Lol. Blocked.'
He snorted at Artel's response.
Joseph: 'Help me, fool.'
His message didn't deliver and Joseph realised that the idiot had actually blocked him. Him! After he just spent three hours listening to him moan about Kensin, he had the nerve…
Artel: 'JK, just send a hey back. Maybe thank him for accepting the add.'
Joseph did that, adding a smiley face and hoping it seemed playful. He watched the typing bubble with taunt anticipation.
Michael: 'It's okay, I remember you, x'
Michael: 'Would you like to meet up sometime soon?'
Joseph felt his heart stutter. The butterflies in his stomach bursted and swarmed beneath his skin and made him feel sick and elated.
This is the man that had occupied most of his mind for almost two years. It had only just been a few hours since he confessed this to his best friend and it's already moving way too fast.
This reminded Joseph of literally two hours ago when the pair were putting off three hours of work just for Artel to speed-walk through it as soon as he was on it. But that was just like Artel, an eager doer and never a patient waiter, like him.
Joseph found himself unable to respond even after ten minutes had passed and Michael seemed to be having a conversation with himself, like Joseph was just there to witness it.
Michael: 'Was that too forward? I was hoping it wasn't but I understand if you just want to text for now.'
Michael: 'If don't repond, I'm not ignoring you. I went to sleep. Goodnight, x.'
With that, the little green light that indicated he was online went out and Joseph stared blankly at it for a few minutes more, willing him to send more messages, to confess to him all his intentions.
What does he mean 'for now'? Why was he so confident that they would meet sooner or later? He reassured he wasn't ignoring Joseph. He said a polite goodnight even though no real conversation was happening. He sent two 'x' kisses already.
Joseph, for all his experience with men and women alike, was not ready for the juvenile embarrassment that came with 'talking to one's crush'. He sure as hell wasn't going to tell Artel about this and give him a reason to tease him.
His heart thumped, as he typed a reply.
Joseph: 'Sorry, I wasn't looking at my phone. I'd love to meet, though I'm mostly free Saturdays and Sundays. Let me know when. Goodnight x'
Joseph flung his phone onto the passenger seat, reminding himself he was still sitting in his car, the sun had already gone down. He grabbed the phone and put it in his pocket, willing himself not to obsessively check it as he made his way into the house and to his bathroom for a cold shower.