* * * *
“You’re right,” Stephen said the moment he sat on the chair across the table from Isaac at the diner. “My and Dex’s idea to make Jared jealous is all wrong and ten thousand kinds of messed up.”
The diner brought back plenty of memories. It was the place Isaac was working at. It was also where Stephen, Jared, and Dexter had hatched up the idea for that stupid bet involving Isaac. That was a while back. Some things were no longer the same. Dexter and Isaac were in love and dating each other for real now. Meanwhile, Stephen and Jared were still single. Isaac gave Stephen what appeared to be a sympathetic smile.
“I’d hoped that I wouldn’t be.”
Stephen beamed gratefully at Isaac for not gloating. At least not in front of him. Then again, Isaac didn’t seem the type to do anything like that behind someone else’s back. Isaac could be snarky at times, but he wasn’t cruel. For what felt like the millionth time, Stephen thought Dexter really lucked out to find someone as sweet as Isaac.
“Thanks, man.”
Isaac nodded, but he didn’t utter a single word for a short moment. The silence lasted for several seconds before he eventually spoke up.
“Why did you want to meet me, though? Don’t you want to hash things out with Dex instead? He’s your best friend, and he knows you and Jared better than I do.”
Stephen sighed under his breath. “Because, even though Dex is my best friend, he can be really dense. He’s an incredible businessman, but when it comes to personal stuff, he gives the worst advice sometimes. You’re a lot more level-headed, and I think you view every situation and its possible outcomes more clearly than most people do.”
Isaac blushed. “Thank you. That’s a nice compliment.”
“You’re welcome. Now, can you tell me how I should proceed?”
“I’m not sure,” Isaac answered almost immediately. “Dex put you on speaker earlier this morning, but I didn’t pay much attention to the entire phone conversation between the two of you because I was honestly still half-asleep then.”
Stephen got rather impatient, but he squashed it away. Then he recounted the story of his disastrous date the previous evening to Isaac. When he was done, Isaac’s eyes were opened really wide. Isaac was obviously astounded by the ending of Stephen’s date. Stephen couldn’t disagree. Jared was an asshole for ruining his date, and Stephen was more than a little pissed off at his best friend. However, he still loved Jared very much. He needed a solid advice from Isaac on how he should handle the problem with Jared. He grew rather apprehensive when Isaac remained quiet for way too long.
“Is it that bad?”
“Not sure,” Isaac responded with while shrugging at the same time. “It’s definitely out of control, though.”
“I know, right? I don’t know why Jared did something so idiotic like that.”
“I think…” Isaac trailed off, and Stephen focused all of his attention on the younger man.
“What?”
Isaac was quiet for a second or two before speaking up. “Have you entertained the likelihood that Jared was jealous last night?”
Stephen nodded. “But I’m still not one hundred percent convinced about it. I can’t be sure if he just feels abandoned as my best friend or if he’s hurt and angry over the fact that I’m dating other people than him. This is turning into such a fucking mess.”
“Meet up with him. Hash things out.”
“What if…what if he doesn’t want to see me at all?”
Isaac smiled at Stephen. “Impossible. Jared doesn’t seem like the type to bear grudges for a long period of time. You know him better than I do. What do you think?”
Stephen bit back a sigh. Isaac was accurate in his assessment of the kind of person Jared was. In all honesty, Stephen knew damn well that among Dexter, Jared, and him, he was the one who could be hypersensitive over every little thing, and he would be the one to overreact.
“You’re right. I think I’ll give him a—”
Stephen was interrupted by the sound of his smartphone ringing. He glanced at the screen, and he was astonished when he read the name of the caller. It was Jared.
“Jared?” Isaac asked.
Stephen glanced up at Isaac. “Yeah.”
Isaac chuckled as he got up from his chair. “My shift is about to start. Talk to him. Everything will be okay.”
“All right then. Thanks, man.”
“You’re welcome. Later.”
Stephen pressed the button on the screen to accept the call while Isaac walked away from the table. Then he lifted the phone closer to his ear.
“Hey.”
“Steve.”
Stephen was still more than a little mad at Jared for acting all crazy the previous evening, but he loved that motherfucker, and he wasn’t going to continue to sulk. Much. However, he didn’t quite know how to proceed with this unexpected phone call. He ended up repeating himself like a moron.
“Hey.”
There was a brief pause. “I’m sorry. I acted like a jerk last night.”
Stephen’s anger melted a little. “I’m sorry, too.”
“Water under the bridge,” Jared said immediately. “Can we have dinner together?”
Stephen was so astounded upon hearing that he almost forgot he was supposed to be enraged at Jared. “Later?”
“Yeah. Best friends c-can date each other, right?”
Stephen was even more stunned now. “L-like a date date?”
Jared laughed over the phone, but there was a hint of nervousness to it. “Y-yeah. Sure. Something like that.”
Stephen was relieved and excited. That was easy. He must be right in his assumption then. At least one of them. Jared must really like him more than just as a friend. He would be going out on a date with Jared. It was exactly what he desired. His heart pounded really fast and hard as if it was going to burst out from his chest. All of his irritation toward Jared disappeared in an instant.
“Okay.”
“Awesome. I’ll pick you up tonight. Dress to impress.”
Stephen was even more eager and anxious about the date now. That sounded serious.
“Sure.”
“Great. See you soon.”
Stephen couldn’t stop grinning to himself now. “Cool. Later.”
“Bye, Steve.”
Stephen hung up a mere second afterward, and his heart was beating erratically against his chest. He was tempted to jump around the diner. However, that would be mortifying. He was an adult, and he should behave like one. He slipped his smartphone back into his pocket as he vacated the table and bade farewell to Isaac, who was already working hard at the diner, before heading toward the door. His date with Jared was hours away, but he had to prepare for it. It was something he had been waiting for. He wouldn’t squander the opportunity away. Hopefully, he and Jared would be able to click with each other as potential boyfriends. That would be the sweetest dream coming true for him.
Chapter 5
Jared didn’t understand why he was feeling like a teenage boy who was out on a first date with his crush. He and Stephen had been best friends for years. The two of them had shared plenty of sexual experiences with each other, either in a group setting or just between the two of them. After all, they were best friends with some extra benefits. He shouldn’t be so damn nervous. Besides, this wasn’t even a real date. He was only trying to get to know Stephen even better than before. Most importantly, he needed to have a better idea of the kind of man or woman Stephen wanted to settle down with someday. He would then be able to find that man or woman on behalf of his best friend. That didn’t explain the fluttering butterflies in his gut as Stephen sat next to him inside the car while he was navigating the vehicle through the busy evening traffic.
“Good weather. Right?”
Jared winced internally the moment the words came out from his mouth. He sounded so damn stupid. That was the most idiotic topic of conversation he had ever come up with in his whole life. Fortunately, Stephen seemed al
l right with it.
“Yeah, and we’re together inside the car. Alone. Just the two of us.”
Jared couldn’t really understand why Stephen seemed to be in such a great mood. His best friend hadn’t stopped smiling for a while now. That was a great thing, though. It would make his job easier. Most importantly, Stephen must have already forgiven him for acting the way he did the previous evening. Jared beamed at Stephen for a second before refocusing his attention onto the traffic outside and gripping tightly onto the steering wheel.
“Absolutely. I agree with you one hundred percent, and we can enjoy this moment.”
Then there was a very brief period of silence inside the car. Jared didn’t know what to say. Fortunately, Stephen did.
“So, where are we going?”
Jared gulped a little when he glanced in Stephen’s direction. Stephen looked so fucking gorgeous when he smiled. Jared didn’t understand why he had never noticed that before. Or maybe he had, but the effect was never as powerful as it was right at that very moment.
“Uh, well, there’s this…this new restaurant my family is trying out.”
“Yeah?”
Jared nodded. “Do you remember that old office building downtown that my family purchased on a whim about a year ago?”
Stephen chuckled. “Of course. I remember thinking it was so damn hideous. What about it?”
Jared beamed at Stephen. “Well, we had hired a contractor to take care of it for us. The soundness of the structure was the first thing to be checked out, and it turned out all right. Then we got the contractor to renovate all ten floors of the building, and also the two basement levels underneath it.”
Stephen’s eyes widened. “Are you going to tell me you now have ten floors of different restaurants inside one building? That will be an overkill.”
Jared shook his head in amusement. “Nope. The basement levels are for parking. Naturally.”
“Duh!”
Jared ignored the sarcasm in Stephen’s voice. “The first floor is the lobby, the waiting area, and also the location for all of the administrative offices. We’ve set up the next three floors to be the storage area. The kitchen is on the fifth floor.”
“Right, and what about the other floors?”
Jared couldn’t help the pride that slipped out into his voice when he answered the question. “I came up with the idea to transform levels six through ten into eating areas that have different themes.”
“Themes?”
“Uh-huh. They depend on the customers’ requests. As long as the customers are willing to pay for them, we can provide them with the decorations they desire. Each floor has forty separate dining rooms, except for the tenth floor, and the privacy of our customers is guaranteed. There’s a limit of two hours per room, though.”
“Okay. What’s on the tenth floor then?”
“It’s one massive room that can be turned into a ballroom or whatever the customers require,” Jared replied with a huge smile on his face. “So far, this venture has been very successful. The reservations for the private dining areas on the sixth through the ninth floors are full for the next nine months.”
Stephen whistled softly. “Damn! I can already imagine the amount of money rolling into your family’s bank account.”
Jared shrugged. “I’m sure you know how depraved some of the people in our circles can be.”
Stephen snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know. Let me guess. Most of the guests ask for a sex-themed room.”
Jared snickered. “Yeah. I think it’s the thrill of having sex in public, but at the same time, they’re hidden inside a private dining area.”
Stephen chortled. “How did you even manage to get a permit for something like that?”
“It’s a gray area, to be honest. We only provide the customers with the delicious food, the amazing drinks, and whatever decorations they need. We do not condone anything that goes on inside the private dining areas.”
Stephen arched his left eyebrow at Jared. “But you turn a blind eye to them all.”
“They’re adults,” Jared protested. “As long as we don’t catch them doing anything inappropriate, we’re innocent.”
Stephen burst out laughing. “True. Besides, the police can’t do much about the customers that frequent your restaurants. Those customers have money and power. They have members of Congress, police commissioners, and other influential people on their speed dials. Fair or not, moral or otherwise, most people can’t resist money. A few thousand dollars of donation into their reelection campaigns, and everything is good. Too easy.”
Jared didn’t bother to respond to that. Stephen wasn’t wrong. Jared drove the car quietly for a few seconds longer before switching back to their original topic of conversation.
“Anyway, we will be having dinner on the tenth floor.”
“Okay.”
Stephen didn’t utter any other words, and Jared had to study his best friend’s expression to make sure everything was okay. He noted Stephen’s reddening cheeks. Stephen appeared to be rather shy, and Jared thought that was such an adorable expression, especially on a muscular man who was built as huge as his best friend. Inexplicably, his own heartbeat was hammering out of control against his chest. He didn’t comprehend the logic behind his strange physical reaction to the sight, so he just ignored it. He was simply attempting to really get to know Stephen on a much deeper level. He needed to gain knowledge of things he wouldn’t pay attention to as Stephen’s best friend. That would help him to find the perfect man or woman for Stephen. For some unfathomable reason, he hated that thought, but he ignored it. He would tolerate that possibility. He could live with it. For Stephen’s sake.
* * * *
Stephen didn’t quite know what to expect of this date with Jared. After stopping the car in front of the building, Jared got out of the car and hurriedly rushed over to the other side to open the door for Stephen before instructing one of the valets to park the vehicle down in the basement for them. Stephen wasn’t surprised that he and Jared ended up encountering several familiar faces at the lobby. The social circle they were a part of was extremely exclusive and tiny. Stephen knew the cheapest meal at any of the restaurants Jared’s family owned was anything but, and he had no doubt it would be the same for his and Jared’s upcoming date. Fortunately, the two of them didn’t have to wait at the lobby along with everyone else. They were ushered into a private elevator that would take them all the way up to the tenth floor immediately. In spite of the massive amount of space inside the elevator, Stephen was pleased when Jared stood really close to him until their sides were pressed against each other.
“We have the entire tenth floor until closing time,” Jared whispered into Stephen’s ear.
Stephen shivered a little. He could detect the rising goosebumps everywhere on him upon hearing Jared’s sexy and husky voice. He couldn’t even pretend to be bored as he usually was. He yearned to be close to Jared, and he slowly reached for Jared’s hand. He was thrilled and exhilarated when Jared beat him to it by holding his hand first and intertwining their fingers together. He didn’t think he and Jared would ever look like Dexter and Isaac. Dexter was an enormous mountain of a man with incredible muscles from head to toe while Isaac was much shorter with a lithe and lean body to boot. Dexter was classically handsome while Isaac was almost far too pretty to be real. Those two were very cute together because their builds complemented each other.
Stephen was fully aware he and Jared were two gigantic men. They were both over six feet tall, and they weighed more than two hundred pounds each. They wouldn’t be in the same endearing, sweet, and lovable league as Dexter and Isaac. Stephen studied his and Jared’s reflections in the mirror inside the elevator. The two of them together were still charming and enchanting in their own way. He continued to observe Jared’s face as the elevator ascended. Jared was really good-looking. Stephen knew Jared could be really mischievous at times, but that was what he liked best about the other man. He was a
bout to lean his head against Jared’s when the elevator doors slid open. Then he choked on air at the ensuing sight.
There were electric candles strategically placed all over the entire floor. Stephen was also impressed by the scattering of red rose petals on the ground. They were everywhere, and he could smell the enticing floral scent as Jared led him toward their table. It was an ordinary square table, and it was covered by what appeared to be a silk table cloth. There was a candelabrum in the center with five red candles on it. The fire from the candles added to the warm and romantic sensations that were already present in the air due to the glowing electric candles. Stephen never thought he would be one of those people who swooned over a bouquet of flowers, but he couldn’t stop himself from breaking into a wide and rather shy grin when Jared picked up a bouquet of champagne-colored roses before giving it to him.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Jared said while pulling the chair out for Stephen and gesturing at it. “Have a seat.”
Stephen wasn’t a frail and dainty man. Far from it in fact. However, he couldn’t deny it felt really wonderful to be treated in such a precious and gentle manner by Jared. After that, the date became even better with every passing second. The food was amazing, and Jared was truly focused on him as they conversed about their day and the atmosphere of the date itself. They also talked a little about the restaurant itself. Stephen had such an incredible time, he didn’t even realize they were nearing to the end of their date until the server discreetly approached the table with his and Jared’s respective desserts before leaving in a hurry.
“I have a great time so far. Thank you.”
A Foolish Plan Page 4