Looking for Love (boyxboy)

sentiment

When Dev picked me up on Friday I was pleasantly surprised at his get up. I guessed my words had stuck with him as I noticed the light blue dress shirt he wore, along with a pair of smart trousers.

"Hi." I smiled. I took his hand as he led me to his car and drove us into town. After a short walk from the car park, we reached a small Italian restaurant. We sat at the reserved table, with my further shock when Dev went to pull the chair out for me.

"Thanks for coming. Sorry again about last week." He began. I cut him off before he could say anything else.

"Don't worry. You're forgiven." I smiled.

"Sorry, bit nervous."

"Just relax and be yourself." I offered.

After that, we fell into a calm conversation and silence didn't fall until we began to eat. This time Dev had let me order for myself and he also hadn't winked numerous times at our waiter.

"So what are you hoping to study at Uni?" I asked, taking a sip of my water.

"I'm not entirely sure yet if I'm honest. Maybe sports therapy? I think it'd be a really hands-on job, helping people and combining it with something I love." He answered honestly. "What about you? Going to study maths and become a teacher? It'd suit you." He laughed.

"Oh, definitely not maths. A lot of it goes over my head in lessons. Have to spend hours drilling equations and calculations into my head." I thought for a second. "Perhaps psychotherapy. We're only a year into the course but I definitely want to take it further, you know? Plus the knowledge that you'd be helping people every day to live their life as best they can. It'd be amazing."

"Sounds it. Psychotherapy... that's the talky one, right?" He asked, unsure. I laughed slightly.

"Yes. The talky one." I confirmed. "Psychiatrists handle it more with medication, psychotherapists handle it with therapy, so talking yes. I suppose things such as systematic desensitisation would count as psychotherapy." I added, mentioning something from the topic we both studied.

"So do you mind if I ask again, what you do outside of college?" He leant onto the table slightly.

"Football on Saturdays, the bookshop on Sundays. A lot of working at the bookshop is sitting behind the counter, reading, because it's such a small, quiet shop. I love it there though." I smiled. "Probably all the reading I get to do. It's not so much of a job as it is time to relax the way I always have, except this time I get paid for it. Aside from that, I do a lot of studying. All those psychology studies and maths equations and bloody biology practicals! I'll die before I remember everything!" I exclaimed. "What about yourself?"

"Aside from sports, I'm a huge fan of cooking. Always loved helping out in the kitchen since I was young. My dad hated it for a while, tried to get me into more 'manly' hobbies like woodworking, but even he can't deny I make a mean Jalfrezi."

After we finished dining, Dev insisted on paying the bill.

"It's still early," I commented offhandedly at the evening light as we got into his car. He looked at me from the corner of his smile before starting the engine. As we drove down the streets of our town, I noticed this wasn't the way back to my house.

We parked somewhere I hadn't been in years and I smiled as he opened the door for me.

"I hope you don't mind a small detour before I take you home. I won't lie, I didn't want this evening to end so soon." He confessed as we walked along a small path that ran alongside the river. The evening was quiet and the water beside was calm. The light in the sky was yet to die and birds were singing their final songs for the day.