The Other Man

Ch11 - Earth

Earth immediately caught onto it. Something was brewing between New & Tay. He experienced a churning feeling in his stomach when he heard New praising Tay's looks.

He should be the one receiving those praises. He should be the one whom New makes an object of his affection. New loved him.

In college, when New told him he can't accept his temporary relation and when he saw him going away, his fear ignited. Despite not being able to commit to New, he could never let anyone come closer to him. All the proposals that came for New, were rejected at the hands of Earth before they could even reach him. Moreover, he always let people believe he was still his boyfriend by always being around him all the time.

But at some point, the man had to move on from New. When they joined the same company, he decided to keep distance from him.

Yet, here he is. It was naïve of him to believe that by keeping distance, he would get over New. He was so wrong. Every time he sees him going away, he catches the feelings he tried to suppress. Falling his face down, feeling like he is losing something most valuable to him. Whose value he understands only when he is on the verge of losing him. Losing him to Tay.

***

During lunch time, the same day, New typed on his phone.

New: Are you done with your work?

Soon Tay replied.

Tay: Yep. You?

New: Yeah done. That's why I texted naa.

Tay: Okay. See you in 5 minutes.

New: Yep.

Just when New was about to leave his desk, Earth came and stood near him, "New."

"Oh hi, Earth! You, here?"

"Yeah. I was free today, I thought we can grab lunch together?"

"Ahh.. yeah sure," New hesitated a little but quickly composed, "Tay and I were just going there. You can join." He said wearing a genuine smile.

Hearing Tay's name, Earth's insecurity surfaced, but he eventually nodded. Of course, he knew Tay would be going with New.

They were already seated on the table when Tay arrived in the lunch room. The chemistry in Tay's body instantly changed looking at them. 

Not that on other days during lunch, his chemistry is undistorted. But on those days the chemicals in his body are a mix of pleasure & happy hormones. Some level of testosterone but extremely high level of oxytocin.

Right now, the major culprit was - cortisol. He is under stress. In a period of one and half years, the number of times Earth has had lunch with New can be counted on the fingers. Why now? Why today? Why again?

He goes, greets Earth, nods at New and takes the seat. New is the least uncomfortable on the table. However, they let the purpose of lunch be fulfilled over some office gossip and the nature of their respective work. 

Apart from an incident when Earth's hand touched New's hand for a long time, the whole lunch went smoothly only that Tay's food was stuck in this throat being bothered by that hand. And New? He did not retrieve his hand. But why would he? He has always loved the guy.

***

Tay became glum. It was just a lunch. Okay, also a hand. How can all of his fears surface at that? Is he just hitting his puberty? Why is he acting like a teenager? He had decided not to hope. He had known New will one day leave him. Then why is he nurturing all these fears, when it is in fact so certain. When it is in fact so certain that he is just a fuck buddy.

Amidst the flood of his thoughts, a voice barged in. "Boooh.."

Tay was snapped out of the melancholy.

"What happened? Where are you lost?" New asked.

"Ah... nothing."

"I have been standing here since last... at least 60 seconds and you are saying – nothing?"

Tay didn't respond anything. New touched his forehead with the back of his palm. Tay looked around but did not flinch. All were busy packing their bags. "Your temperature is fine. What's wrong?"

Tay faked a smile because he knows New won't buzz until he is given a satisfactory answer, "New, I am absolutely fine. It's just work-related... stuff."

"Fine. Let's go we have a reservation." New didn't believe him but he let it pass.

"Yeah."

They left the office and headed to Flat Table & Wine for dinner.

***

Tay smiled widely looking at New who was seated opposite to him making funny drinking face each time he sipped his wine.

Leave it to New to cheer Tay up. He may not know what was bothering Tay, but he sure does know how to make him laugh. Although it's for the first time that he has caught him in a sour mood, all his attempts just came right.

When they left the office, New gave Tay a complete princess treatment.

"Ah uh huh... Allow me to open the door for you," New interrupted Tay and opened the door to the passenger seat of his car, "Let me be your fanboy today."

Tay laughed and looked at him surprisingly, "Shut up. New."

New took his hand to his heart and threw his head back, "Hoyy. Even your shut-up sounds like a compliment," he took Tay's laptop bag and placed it on the backseat.

Tay shook his head with a smile already plastered on his face and took the front seat. New even buckled his seat belt for him, deliberately touching his lips to Tay's in the process. "Oops. Sorry," he said. Of course, he wasn't.

During the ride, he made sure to keep his hands in contact with Tay and managed to drive with single hand. When his hand went too high on Tay's thigh, Tay asked his fanboy to behave. To which New would retrieve his hand and put it inside his shirt, "Can I touch you here instead?"

"I never knew you could be this dramatic New" Tay said as he shook his head.

"I can be a lot of things, Te Tawan."

True. Each time Tay thought he has him figured out, New surprised him. Each time a new layer. Right now, he looks like an eternal mystery to Tay.

Alongside the Chateau Haut Brion 1990 Wine, they were soon served with the rest of their order. "Have you read the tagline of this place?" New asked while taking a bite of chicken tartare.

The place they were dining in had a tagline written in bold letters on its mirror wall 'WINE ME. DINE ME. SIXTY-NINE ME.'

Tay didn't have to look at the tagline, "Yeah... We are wining, we are dining,... ," and when Tay was about to eat his forkful of Porcini mushroom, New held his hand, leaned closer, looked intently at Tay and asked, "when are we sixty-nine-ing?" He slowly licked the mushroom on Tay's fork with his luscious pink muscle staring directly into his eyes. Tay instantly felt a heat wave in his spine. New took the licked fork to Tay's mouth and fed him the mushroom. Tay looked down at his dish and shook his head biting into the mushroom. How this guy can drive him insanely crazy?

New stopped the car outside their office building to drop Tay near his car in the parking. Before leaving Tay pulled New for a long kiss inside his car. He felt better than how he felt the whole day. At least today is a day-spent-well with the man he deeply loves. He will deal with tomorrow, tomorrow.

During their kiss, New's phone beeped, drawing both their attention to his screen flashing Earth's name in large and bold letters.

Earth: Don't bring your breakfast tomorrow. Let's grab it together. See you at 7:30 am.

***

A/N:

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