A Foolish Plan

by Casper Graham

  “Jared—”

  “Not in the mood, Dex.”

  Dexter stood and banged Jared’s desk, and the sound was loud inside the office. “Tough. Isaac and I know enough about what went down between you and Steve. Now, stop whatever you’re doing and look at me and Isaac.”

  Jared got up on his feet and glared at Dexter. If Dexter wanted a fight, Jared would give him one. He was stressed out, and he needed to vent. Most importantly, his fucking stupid heart had been hurting for a week now, and Stephen, that stubborn, idiotic, lovely fool, refused to pick up whenever he called. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind for whatever Dexter wanted to talk to him about, but he wouldn’t be averse to punching his best friend in the face.

  “Fuck off, Dex. Mind your own damn business, and stay out of mine.”

  Dexter sneered. “What if I don’t?”

  Jared was about to reach across the desk and grab onto Dexter’s collar when Isaac pushed Dexter farther away. He watched as Isaac whispered something into Dexter’s ear. He had no clue what Isaac had said to Dexter, but in the next instant, his best friend’s whole posture relaxed. Dexter threw Jared another angry look before plopping down onto the couch in one corner of the office. After that, Jared observed as Isaac approached him. He wanted to stay furious, but it was impossible. There was something intangible about Isaac that calmed him down.

  “Sit.”

  Jared was tempted to be childish, but he found himself complying with Isaac’s instruction immediately. He scowled at Isaac and folded his arms across his chest. He might be going down, but he was going to let his displeasure show through his expression and action.

  “What?”

  Isaac rolled his eyes, and the amusement was apparent in his eyes. “Act your age, man. I may not be your best friend, but I like to think we have some form of friendship going on between us. Most importantly, I’m on your side.”

  Jared scoffed, but he relented deep inside. “Whatever. Say your piece. I have things to do.”

  “Do not talk like that to my boyfriend,” Dexter snarled in Jared’s direction while getting up on his feet. “Your fucking anger has nothing to do with him. He’s just trying to help.”

  Jared was suitably admonished, especially when he noticed the slight hurt on Isaac’s face. “Sorry, man. I was an ass.”

  Isaac smiled at Jared while shaking his head. “It’s cool. Anyway, Stephen did overreact a little—”

  Jared snorted. “A lot.”

  Isaac chuckled. “Okay. You’re right. You can’t blame him, though. He was probably heartbroken, and he wasn’t thinking clearly that night you dropped him off at home.”

  Jared sighed and shut his eyes for a second or two. “I guess, but he didn’t answer the phone when I called.”

  “Then go over to his house,” Dexter, who was seated on the couch once again, said while glaring at Jared.

  “Or maybe his office?”

  Jared shook his head at Isaac. “He doesn’t have an office. His family invests in nearly everything that is lucrative in this world, and they’re all extremely successful, but nobody in that family ever has to work for his or her money. They live off the monthly profits of their investments. Millions of dollars of monthly profits. Lucky bastards and bitches. All of them.”

  Isaac snorted. “You’re one to talk.”

  “I still have to go to one of the offices on a daily basis,” Jared protested.

  Isaac rolled his eyes. “Oh, my! How painfully exhausted you must be.”

  Jared was irritated by Isaac’s sarcasm, but he couldn’t utter a single word in defense of himself. He knew he’d lost this argument. Isaac was right. Jared was a lot more fortunate than most people out there. He might be tired once in a while, but that was nothing compared to what other people in the workforce had to endure. He was also aware how sensitive Isaac was when it came to anything related to money.

  “Sorry, man.”

  Isaac waved off Jared’s apology. “It’s fine. Back to Stephen.”

  “Okay. What about him?”

  “Have you tried to visit him at home?”

  “No,” Jared replied after a brief moment of hesitation. “I know when I’m not wanted.”

  Isaac had this sympathetic expression on his face, and Jared both liked and hated it. Isaac was too damn fucking observant, and Jared internally cursed Dexter for dating Isaac. He also conveniently ignored his own major part in getting Dexter and Isaac together. After all, he was the one who had come up with that stupid bet in the first place. It was all Dexter’s fault.

  He used to be able to coast along in life by relying on his good looks, his well-honed body, his wealth, and all the other things life bestowed upon him. Now, he was analyzed almost on a daily basic by Isaac, and he couldn’t get away. Isaac’s senses were too sharp. All of them. Jared liked Isaac, but he wished the younger man would stop studying him like an interesting specimen inside the laboratory. It was terrifying and more than a little disconcerting.

  “What does Steve like?”

  Jared almost had a whiplash from the abrupt change in topic. “Uh, sexually?”

  Isaac rolled his eyes. “No! Fucking hell! I mean, his favorite things and hobbies. Things of that nature.”

  Jared knew the answer to that, but he was suddenly reminded of something. He laughed loudly, much to Isaac’s obvious astonishment. Even Dexter had this bewildered expression on his face.

  “Steve is a secret romantic at heart.”

  Dexter snickered. “Oh, yeah. That motherfucker likes to pretend he hates all those corny, romantic movies. He will tell you they’re too girly or something along that line, but he actually loves them. I know for a fact he enjoys watching all of those real proposal videos online.”

  Isaac’s amusement was apparent on his face. “That’s easy then.”

  Jared arched his left eyebrow at Isaac. “Huh? I don’t get it. What’s easy?”

  “Perform a huge gesture for him and ask for his forgiveness. While you’re at it, beg him to be your boyfriend. For real this time around.”

  Jared folded his arms over his chest and stared at Isaac. “And how am I supposed to do that? Steve won’t even fucking talk to me.”

  “Hire professional dancers, actors and actresses, clowns, and many more. Buy Steve ten thousand stalks of flowers if you have to. You can afford all those. Declare your intention toward him in public.”

  Dexter chortled. “Steve will be so mad.”

  “But he will love it,” Jared added, feeling rather excited by the idea now. “Deep inside at least.”

  “Absolutely.”

  Jared beamed at Isaac. Then his good mood deflated some when he remembered Stephen was still unwilling to answer his calls.

  “How am I supposed to do anything like that when he refuses to have anything to do with me?”

  Isaac smirked. “Oh, leave that to me. How soon can you get everything ready?”

  “I can acquire everything by tomorrow morning. As you’ve mentioned, I have the money, and I can move things along at a rapid pace.”

  “Excellent! I’ll be in charge of Steve then. I’ll make sure he gets to Central Park at eleven o’clock tomorrow morning.”

  Jared was ecstatic and hopeful now. “Really?”

  Isaac nodded. “Oh, yeah. Just make sure you get there with every single person and all of the things that you need to impress him.”

  Jared was touched by Isaac’s enthusiasm, but he was also curious about something else. “Why are you willing to do this for me?”

  Isaac smiled in response. “Because I owe you one.”

  “Huh?”

  “Without you, Dex and I may never have ended up as a couple.”

  Jared was embarrassed to hear that. “It started out as a stupid bet.”

  Isaac shrugged. “But Dex and I eventually got together because of it. I’m definitely thankful.”

  “So am I,” Dexter interjected. “You better listen to my man, buddy. Isaac can be a stubborn ass when he
gets his mind latched onto something. He won’t take no for an answer. Trust me.”

  Jared chuckled before turning toward Isaac. “All right. Thanks, man.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  A few minutes later, Isaac and Dexter left the office. Jared hugged them both before they made their way out. He even tightened his embrace around Dexter’s body, and his best friend did the same thing to him. The two of them didn’t have to verbally apologize to each other for almost coming to blows earlier. They were best friends first and foremost. They had gotten into physical fights in the past, both with each other and against other people. In spite of everything, they were still best friends with each other, and that would never change.

  When Jared was all alone in his office, he began making phone calls to get the ball rolling. All of the necessary arrangements had to be set in place for the ultimate show the next morning. He was going to do something that Steve would never forget. Ever. Then Steve would forgive him. Possibly.

  Chapter 8

  Stephen had no idea why Isaac and Dexter wanted to meet up at Central Park, but he couldn’t care less. He had wallowed enough in his misery and indulged himself in multiple bouts of self-pity over the past week. It was time to get out of the house. It was nearly eleven o’clock on Saturday morning, and there were many people out and about. Not that he paid them any mind. He wasn’t exactly in a friendly, socializing mood at the moment. He heaved out a sigh of relief when he spotted Isaac and Dexter walking toward him hand in hand. He would have resented their happy faces if he weren’t envious of them for being so insanely, obviously in love with each other.

  “Steve!”

  Stephen waved his hand at Isaac, who was now rushing toward him. Dexter was heading toward him at a much slower pace behind Isaac. It felt wonderful to see two familiar faces even though he missed Jared very much. He was still heartbroken over Jared, but he would get over it. Someday. Sooner or later.

  “Hey, man. What’s up?” Stephen greeted the moment Isaac was standing mere few inches away from him.

  “Not much. Just thought that it would be great for the three of us to hang out at Central Park.”

  Stephen was tempted to inquire about Jared, but he refrained from doing so. That was something he was unwilling to deal with at the moment.

  “Cool. We can do that.”

  “Let’s go then,” Dexter said before reaching for Stephen’s hand and pulling him to stand between him and Isaac.

  Stephen didn’t protest at being manhandled. He missed interacting with another human being. Or two. Most importantly, he was spending time with Isaac and Dexter. For the next few minutes, he chatted with both Dexter and Isaac while they strolled around Central Park. He noticed there were more and more people all over the park, but he figured maybe everyone was taking advantage of the incredible weather, and they’d all decided to visit the park at the same time. They had just taken a left turn when he noticed the cameras.

  “Oh, shit!” Stephen exclaimed softly before tugging on Isaac’s and Dexter’s hands. “I think somebody is shooting a movie or something. We need to—”

  He was unceremoniously interrupted by a stranger who abruptly dragged him away from Dexter and Isaac. He was confused and at a loss for words. Then the loud music came on from out of nowhere, and there were people literally dancing in front him. He didn’t know the exact number, but there seemed to be a lot of them. He gaped in astonishment as he remained rooted on the spot. Everything was too surreal. After that, there were clowns. Some of them were juggling balls while others were circling him on unicycles. He also noticed the people who were performing acrobatic movements all around him.

  He started to panic a little. These people must have mistaken him for someone else. They were probably shooting a movie or a television series, and they must have thought he was one of the characters. He attempted to get away, but the clowns, dancers, and acrobats surrounded him. He was trapped. He began to sweat a little, especially when he couldn’t find Isaac and Dexter anywhere. His friends must have gotten lost in the massive crowd that was now gathered around this incredible and spectacular insanity. He also felt really bad because he was certain he must have ruined their movie or television series, and they would have to repeat whatever they did later on.

  Then he gasped when the music came to an end, and all of the performers formed a straight line right in front of him. A few of them were holding large, black cardboard high up in the air, and Stephen had no idea what was about to happen. It was too quiet now. In addition to the original video cameras, he now noticed that every person in the audience was recording the entire thing. They must be taking video clips or pictures of him and these amazing performers. They would be so disappointed if they knew he wasn’t supposed to be a part of the show. He was even more embarrassed now. However, his mortification was replaced by astonishment and curiosity when the first cardboard in front of him was flipped over, and he saw his name on it. His name was displayed on the black cardboard in bright pink ink.

  Stephen Howard,

  Stephen had no idea what was going on, but he was too astounded to move at all. Then one by one, some of the performers turned their cardboards around and displayed the written words on them, giving him a bit of time to read through them before running toward the back of the line.

  You were fucking hypersensitive,

  You were fucking stubborn,

  And you fucking overreacted

  When I tried to clarify things to you.

  Now that I have your attention,

  I have something important

  That I need to say to you…

  His heart beat faster and harder when he realized who was standing in front of him at the moment. It was Jared, who was holding a piece of black cardboard himself. Stephen had no clue when Jared had managed to slip himself in between all of those performers, but it didn’t matter. He waited for Jared as he tried not to tremble in anticipation.

  “Hey, Steve.”

  “H-hey.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jared said, sounding really husky now. “I’m sorry that I was too blind to see how much I truly care for you. I’m sorry that I asked you out on those first few dates with the wrong intention. I’m sorry it took me so long to get my head out of my ass.”

  Stephen laughed at that. “Fuck yeah. At least we can agree on something.”

  Jared grinned in response. “There’s something I need you to know.”

  Stephen’s lips ran dry, and he felt as if the butterflies were fluttering everywhere deep within his gut when the nervousness threatened to overwhelm him. “What’s that?”

  “I love you,” Jared replied in a raspy voice. “I know I’m a little slow on the uptake, but you know damn well my self-awareness is quite limited. I tend to focus more on the external things, so it took me a while to realize my true feelings for you.”

  “Jared, I—”

  Then Stephen was stunned into silence when Jared revealed the words on the other side of the cardboard he had been holding on to.

  I love you so fucking much.

  Will you please forgive me,

  and go out on a date with me?

  For real this time around.

  Stephen was speechless for a second or two. “Jared, that’s—”

  “Please say yes,” Jared interrupted. “I’m really, truly sorry, and I love you very much. Give me the chance to make things right. Go on another date with me. You won’t regret it. I promise. I’ll be the best boyfriend ever.”

  There was a mixture of fear and hopefulness on Jared’s face, and Stephen felt his resistance melting away in an instant. He smiled at Jared and nodded.

  “Yes.”

  Jared broke into a wide, brilliant smile now. “Yeah?”

  Stephen chuckled. “Yes, jerk!”

  Jared whooped loudly before throwing the cardboard away somewhere behind him and rushing toward Stephen, who found himself being embraced by his best friend and lifted off the ground. Stephen was simul
taneously pleased and a little embarrassed when every single person in the audience started howling and clapping for him and Jared. He hugged Jared tightly and pressed his face against the side of his best friend’s head while the tears of joy slid quietly down his cheeks. He knew he would be mortified and also secretly exhilarated when he re-watched this entire thing on video later, but at the moment, he refused to think about the future. Jared was twirling him around over and over again, and he was going to enjoy every single second of it. He didn’t even care when he noticed Dexter and Isaac’s eerily similar teasing smirks somewhere among the massive crowd of people. He ignored their thumbs-up gesture. This was his and Jared’s moment, and he was determined to bask in it.

  Chapter 9

  Jared would never regret dating Stephen. In his opinion, it was one of the best decisions of his life. The two of them had gone out several times over the past two weeks now as real boyfriends, and he enjoyed every single second. However, he was sexually frustrated at the moment. Meanwhile, Dexter and Isaac were all cozied up next to each other right in front of him as they sat inside the coffee shop. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how sexually sated Dexter and Isaac were. Jared might not be the most observant person in the entire universe, but he could notice that much at the very least. Meanwhile, he had to stroke his dick twice or thrice a day all by his lonesome, especially over the last two weeks. He envied Isaac and Dexter. They seemed so content.

  “Fucking hell! Can you two pity me for once in your fucking joyful, blissed-out life?”

  Dexter smirked at Jared. “You sound kind of…miserable.”

  Jared groaned. “You can say that again.”

  “Not enough sex?” Isaac teased, and Jared sighed under his breath.