The Gay Delusion

6: The Grandiose Delusion

Hola! Hope you're all doing really well :) Thanks for all your hilarious and lovely comments last chapter, it means so much when people take the time out of their day to drop me such meaningful and heartwarming comments. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I would love to know what you think! Lots of love, River. (Photo to the side was found while stalking photos of gorgeous guys with cake on tumblr hahaha after being inspired by this chapter, which was when I realized that a pale pale pale Marlon Teixeira is exactly how I imagine Lewis. So basically, imagine the guy to the side. Except pale.)

6: The Grandiose Delusion

The following morning I spent cleaning my apartment and sorting out my outfits for the following few days at work. I found ironing and folding all my clothes therapeutic and relaxing, especially after what had felt like a seriously intense few weeks, and I knew I was saving myself from future panic about what to wear later on in the week.

Having made a quick trip to the grocery store for my weekly food shop after finishing doing all my laundry, I was halfway through fixing myself some lunch when my phone rang, Lewis' name and assigned photo - a photo of him flashing a peace sign at the camera - coming up on the screen.

Quickly wiping my hands on a kitchen towel, I pressed the answer key and held the phone up to my ear, smile already on my face without my realising.

Before I could say a single word - 'I'm outside and I've got cake.' - Lewis' voice came out of the speakers.

Making my way out of the kitchen, I walked (okay, fine, it was more like skipped) over to the front door.

'Hang on; I'm coming, sugar man. I bloody hope cake isn't some sort of euphemism for herpes or Chlamydia, by the way,' I said as I opened the door, hanging up the phone as I lay eyes on Lewis in person, a white box in one hand and his Samsung phone in the other.

'Obviously it is,' Lewis said with a sarcastic roll of his eyes, pocketing his phone.

'You know, one day your eyes are going to disappear into your head permanently because of the amount of eye rolling you do,' I said, gesturing for him to come inside and prodding the side of his head with my pointer and middle fingers.

'The same could be said for you,' Lewis quipped, his lips twitching and wrinkling his nose.

'That's bullshit,' I responded, flapping my hand at him dismissively. 'When do my eyes ever roll?'

Putting the box - which I assumed contained the cake he spoke of on the phone - on the table, Lewis replied, 'Er, do you really want me to answer that?'

I narrowed my eyes at him, unable to bite down on the smile which gave me away. 'Maybe not, actually. But what have I done to deserve cake? Obviously I'm fabulous 24/7, but you seem to fail to recognise that a lot of the time,' I said, giving him a light nudge.

Lewis reached over me to pick up the white box again, opening it so I could look inside, the scent of his aftershave wafting across to me.

'It's my mum's birthday cake from yesterday. There was a ton left over and I thought that it was best not to let it go to waste - red velvet's your favourite, so I thought of you,' he explained a little sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

I glanced from the beautifully piped cream rosettes on the vibrantly coloured cake to Lewis, almost unable to speak.

'Thanks Lew,' I murmured, unable to hold his gaze and going back to staring at the cake, which was, quite frankly, equally as nice to look at. 'That's so sweet of you. But who the eff are you and what have you done with the sassy Lewis I know who's got a sense of humour that's drier than a nun's hoo-hoo?