Chapter 9

"Sorry, man. Our first date conversation is so depressing." Joshua laughed. "Oh, right. Well, let s talk about something else then." "I ll second that." Joshua snickered. "What should we get into next? Politics or business?" "Neither," James replied while chortling. "How about your friends?" "What about them?" "Do they know you re currently out on a date with me?" Joshua nodded. "I have lunch with Justin, Vince, David, Javier, Calvin, and Keenan every day. We also meet up for drinks after work or hang out on the weekends sometimes." "I see. Did they say anything to you?" Joshua smirked. "Are you worried about their opinions of you?" James blushed a little. "Kind of." "Don t be. They re cool." "I know Justin. I have a feeling he will be all right with us. I don t know about the rest of your friends, though." Joshua raised his left eyebrow at James. "You don t remember David at all?" James scratched his forehead and shook his head. "No. Have I met him before?" Joshua seemed stunned for a moment before he shook his head in an obvious amusement. "David Lee? No recollection? You ve met him once. Do you remember that meeting with Justin, me, and this other Asian man at The Overrated Llama?" James was confused for a couple of seconds before he felt the heat of embarrassment rushing up his neck and cheeks. "Oh, damn. Yeah. I remember him now. The Overrated Llama is Pablo s bar, right?" "Yeah. Pablo Cotilla, who happens to be Keenan s boyfriend." "I haven t met Keenan, though," James said, but he was a little uncertain about it. "Have I?" "Nope, but I m sure you will meet him soon. He s one of my closest friends. I mentioned him earlier this morning when we met at the bakery." "Of course." "I can t believe you ve forgotten about David. Justin and David are two of the prettiest men I ve ever known in my entire life. They re both rather hard to forget, especially David." "He s okay." Joshua grinned. "You re one of those rare people who don t seem impressed by David s pretty face. Most people I know, even the straightest men, would stare at David at least twice the first time they met, and I m pretty sure they can t forget him. At least not for a while." "I was already attracted to you then." Joshua blushed. "Charmer. You re just saying that to make me feel good." James reached for Joshua s left hand and gripped it gently. "It s the truth. I m not denying David is good-looking, but I m infatuated with a particular blue-eyed man with the sexiest red hair." Joshua smiled. "Glad to hear that. Besides, you need to know David is taken." "Oh?" "He s dating Tobias Ruiz, sole heir to The Majestic Ruiz." "Okay." "Toby is very possessive and jealous. He s also very protective of David." "What does that have to do with us?" "Just putting it out there." James chuckled. "Josh, look at me." Joshua glanced up. "Yeah?" James beamed at Joshua. "I like you. A lot. You re gorgeous, and you re the man I want. Not David, Justin, or anyone else. You! I m going to prove it to you." "You don t have to—" "I know, but I will. I ll show you how much I like you. Don t just take my word for it. Words are cheap. They mean nothing without the actions to back them up." Joshua gaped a little before expelling a gentle huff. "Thanks. I don t know what s wrong with me. I m not usually this insecure." James smiled. "It s fine. We all have those moments once in a while." "Thanks, James." James nodded. "You re welcome. We re almost done with our food. Would you like to order dessert?" Joshua shook his head. "I m full. I think I ll pass on that. What about you?" "Same here." "Okay." The two of them proceeded to finish the remainder of their food before settling the bill. James gave the server his credit card before Joshua did. "It s my turn to pay. Remember?" Joshua grinned. "Right. Thank you for dinner." "Fair is fair. You bought us breakfast earlier today." Joshua shrugged. "Cool." Once the bill had been taken care of, the two of them made their way out from the restaurant. Initially, James put his palm on Joshua s lower back as they walked slowly toward his car. He debated reaching for Joshua s hand for a moment longer before doing just that. He crowed victoriously in silence when Joshua tightened their joined hands together. It was even better when Joshua gave him a gentle peck on his right cheek. He returned the gesture immediately. This was such a perfect date, and it was the best one he had in a long time.