●□■●■□ Weeks Later,
In W.O.L.O Pub
The 'We Only Live Once pub—actually, a lot happens in this place. As the name suggests, people act as if there's no tomorrow. They relieve stress and confusion, which, honestly, feels like a constant theme in my life.
I grab the third bottle of chrome, ready to gulp it down, but Carl snatches it from my hand and hands it to Ryan to put away.
"You think this is gonna help?" he asks over the buzzing music. "Getting drunk won't get you the answers you want," he adds.
"Man, just go ask him what his deal is," Ryan chimes in. "Drinking and avoiding him won't do you any good. You won't get your answers this way."
"Ask him?" I laugh bitterly. "You guys have no idea who we're talking about, do you? You want me to go stand in front of that man and ask, 'Dude, what's your deal? Are you in love with me, or what's the deal with all this flirtation and special treatment?' When I ask him and it turns out he's not thinking anything like that, my life will be completely ruined." I don't know what to think anymore. I've never met someone so tricky in my life. Adam is a tricky man, and I hate him for that!
"I've told you like a hundred times, Julian, if that man is doing what you say he's doing, then trust me, he's into you," Ryan says. "Maybe he doesn't want to admit it, and he wants you to figure it out yourself."
"No, that's not true. He's not gay. And besides, if he really were into me, he would've just told me. He asked me to be his close friend—said I shouldn't put him in the list of my friends, that I should make him a 'special friend.' So maybe to him, he thinks he's just treating me like a friend, but he doesn't realize it's affecting me in other ways."
"Open your eyes, kiddo," Carl says, looking like he can't stand my argument anymore.
And no, I'm not going to fall for that. I'm not going to fall for the idea that, "Maybe Adam is really gay and he's into me."
He's literally driving me crazy. The other day, he just came into my department room, shamelessly took me away with him, saying how much he wanted to spend time with me. Everyone was there—looking, listening.
The next day, he was there again, and he said, "Going out for lunch, wanna come?" Again, everyone was there—looking, listening.
Then there was the meeting. I was suggesting something, but Kyle—the guy who loves Paige and hates me because he thinks I hinder his chances with her, which I don't—said my suggestion sucked. Adam's reaction drove chills down everyone's spines. He even ended the meeting and said he never wanted to see Kyle around again. He was going to fire him, but I spoke up for him so he didn't.
His words kept repeating in my head: "You talk to him like that again, and you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
Something else: ever since he asked me to be his friend, he takes me to every meeting of his, and whenever someone says something, he turns to me and asks, "M.L., what do you think about that?"
He values my opinion on everything. When I say no , then he disagrees with the idea , and when I say yes , then he agrees to it.
Another weird thing is the compliments. Like the time he invited me to his house, where he lives alone. We were talking about something completely unrelated when he said, "Sometimes I wonder how you would look if you were a girl. I mean, you look like this, and you're a man. So, what if…"
I don't know if I'm overthinking it, but I honestly can't take it anymore.
"You haven't answered my question," Carl says. "How do you feel about all that? Do you like it? Have you thought about it? Have you asked yourself what if he's actually into you? What if he confesses one day?"
"I don't know how I feel about all that, and I don't want to think about what I'd do if he actually confesses," I say, not sure how to respond.
"Then stop looking for answers you're not ready for. Just play along with his games until he gets tired of them himself…" Carl adds, but Ryan interrupts him.
"Wait, what did you say he calls you?" Ryan asks.
"M.L.," I reply. I've thought of many possible meanings, but none of them make sense so far. Male lead? No. Maternity leave? Worse.
"I think I have an idea of what it stands for," Ryan says, his face lighting up.
"What?" I ask, genuinely curious.
"My Love," he says, grinning.
"Shut up," I say. It actually makes sense. I've thought of many meanings, but I never considered that one.
"Ngrrrr, ngrrrr." My phone vibrates, and I look at it, only to realize it's him. Ryan leans closer and taps the green button, accepting the call.
"Where are you?" Adam asks immediately.
"On a mission… Need anything?" I ask, my heart pounding like never before. I don't know what's happening to me.
"Yeah," he answers simply.
"And what is that?" I ask, feeling a lump in my throat.
"You," he says, making my whole body go weak.
"Ha… funny," I force out a nervous laugh.
"Funny? Is it really funny, Julian? You realize you've been avoiding me lately, don't you? So is it funny that you are ignoring me, avoiding me?" He calls me by my first name, and he doesn't sound pleased.
Suddenly, I feel bad. It feels like I've been doing something wrong, especially to him.
"I'll stop by today, maybe at seven." It's 6:27 p.m. now, and I know I'll be there by seven if I leave now.
"You've been saying that for almost a week now. If I did something, feel free to tell me or ask. You left for work today at 11 a.m. without even a 'hi.' What kind of friendship is this?"
"Well, haven't I said I'll stop by today? Stop being a crybaby."
"You've turned me into one yourself. Anyway, it's fine. I'll be waiting. Don't kill my mood by not coming."
I hang up, even though he was the one who called. We're outside the club, and I'm not planning to go back inside.
"If it's not today, then never, Juls. Go ask him," Ryan says, but Carl disagrees.
"No, play along. He'll get tired soon, trust me. I can feel it."
"Ugh! You guys are not helping at all." And just like that, I head back to the company, leaving them still arguing.