Love at First Hate

by Muriel Garcia

  We’ve been with Mina in this bar for half an hour, and she’s elbowed me, shouting ‘what about that one?’ over the music at least fifteen times already. I just shake my head at her and take a sip of my beer whenever she does. Good thing we’re not doing shots or I’d be well on my way to getting drunk already.

  “You’re not fun!” She pouts, folding her arms over her large boobs. Mina is a beautiful, curvy woman with the sassiest attitude I’ve ever been met with. She’s beautiful inside and out. It’s still a mystery to me as to why she’s single.

  “I never said I was.” I smirk at her.

  “Come on, none of them look appealing to you?” she insists.

  “Nope, not one. They are decent looking, but that doesn’t mean I want to fuck them.”

  “Who’s talking about fucking? I mentioned a quick blowjob in the bathroom. That’d take off the edge for you and you could empty your balls.” She shrugs.

  “I’m good, thanks.” I chuckle seeing her frown at my rejection of her idea.

  “Oh look! Ther-”

  “I told you I wasn’t interested, drop it.” I shake my head at her.

  “If you’d have let me finish. I was just going to say that Matt is here.” She points at a very stylish man, hair slicked back and puffed up at the top, black suit, bit of a stubble and confident as ever as he walks inside the bar. That is Matt indeed. I’m not sure which style I like best on him. Everything and nothing suits him.

  “Wonder who he’s meeting.” She moves to my left to get a better glance.

  We both spy on Matt to see who he’s joining. I’m not gonna lie, I’m a bit hurt that he’s here to meet someone. I know we’re not together and that nothing has happened, but there’s that little pinch that you feel, the niggling jealousy in the back of your head and in your heart when you see the one you really like meet someone else.

  He looks around for a minute and grabs his phone. He types something on it and seems to be waiting for an answer. He’s clearly here to meet someone, but I wasn’t prepared to see whom he was actually meeting. And by the looks of it, neither was he.

  He’s standing by the window, in all his glory when John out of all people walks to him. Judging by the look on his face, he wasn’t expecting to see John. I wonder what that’s all about.

  “Do you know the other guy?” Mina leans into me and asks.

  “Yeah, sadly it’s John, his ex-boyfriend,” I spit the words out, they taste sour in my mouth.

  “Oh, the plot thickens! I wonder what they are talking about. It seems quite agitated.” Mina claps in excitement.

  “Don’t sound so excited about it,” I say annoyed. I shouldn’t take it out on her. She has nothing to do with this.

  “Sorry, I just like a bit of drama to unfold in real life. It’s like soap opera but better.”

  “You’re crazy!”

  “Nothing new there, babe.” She laughs. “So, do you think they’ll get back together?”

  “I hope not.” I sigh.

  “Aww, babe, I’m sorry. That was inconsiderate of me.” She rubs my back.

  “It’s alright. Nothing happened between us. I shouldn’t feel this way.”

  “You feel that way because you like him. Anybody can tell that you’re into him and him into you.”

  “I’m not so sure.”

  “Why not? With the way he looks at you? I’m getting all hot and bothered just thinking about the way he looked at you yesterday when he came to the shop. He looked like he wanted to eat you alive.” She smirks.

  “Then why would he meet with John here?” I point out what seems to be obvious to me.

  “Well, he doesn’t seem too happy to be in John’s presence, so maybe he didn’t know that he was meeting with John.”

  “It makes no sense.”

  “I know, saying it out loud didn’t make it any better.” She frowns. “If only we could hear what they are saying.”

  “I’m not sure I’d want to know.”

  “They look like they are goi-” I don’t wait for her to finish her sentence and rush to where Matt and John are standing.

  I’m sure Matt can take care of himself, but John was drawing his arm back, ready to hit Matt. I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but I’m not going to let his psycho ex hurt him. I grab John’s arm and drag him away, pushing him to the floor.

  “Nate, what are you doing here?” Matt asks, sounding like a cheating partner who’s been caught.

  “Having a drink with Mina, you?” I look at him quickly. I need to keep an eye on John. I don’t trust the fucker. I never did.

  “I was supposed to meet with someone, said someone was John, and I had no idea.” I can hear the annoyance in his voice.

  “How is that possible?” I’m confused now. Mina was right after all.

  “It’s a long story.”

  “I can imagine. Need a ride home?” I look at him when I see that John is still struggling to come around. I didn’t even punch him, just pushed him to the ground. He clearly has no fight in him and looks like he’s playing the victim.

  “Depends on what kind of ride.” He smirks at me.

  “Trust you to make sexual jokes in situations like these.”

  “Always.” He chuckles.

  “Oh. My. God! That was so hot!” Mina squeals next to us.

  “Hey, darling,” Matt greets her.

  “Hey yourself, mister fancy pants.” She grins widely.

  “Am I bothering you two?” I ask feeling like a third wheel. She’s got only eyes for him. She’s staring at him, and it’s making me uncomfortable.

  “Nah, you’re alright,” Mina jokes.

  “Oh, good to know.” I shake my head.

  “How about that ride?” Matt winks at me.

  “What kind of ride?” Mina asks eagerly.

  “I’m driving him home. Do you need a lift?” I ask Mina.

  “If you don’t mind.”

  “I wouldn’t have offered if I did. Let’s go.” I take one last look at John who’s glaring at us. I smirk at him and leave with Matt and Mina.

  Mina, Matt, and I walk out of the bar and to my car. Mina lets herself in the back as Matt sits next to me.

  You can feel the tension between Matt and I. It’s insane. And I can feel the excitement emanating from Mina from the back seat. She’s almost bouncing in her seat.

  “You alright back there?” I break the silence.

  “More than,” she squeals.

  “Don’t burst from too much excitement, darling,” Matt says, turning to look at her.

  “I’ll try not to.” She takes a deep breath and tries to relax.

  “What’s got you so excited anyway?” Matt asks, and he’s just opened the gates.

  “You two!” she screeches.

  “What about us two?” Matt sounds confused.

  “You two are just perfect for each other. Physically, you match perfectly. You seem to be the polar opposite, but you’re really not. You are both attracted to each other and want each other. You two would make the perfect couple, and to be sitting in the back seat with you two at the front, man, you can feel the sexual tension. It’s fucking hot. I could come right on the spot.” I take a look in the rear-view mirror, and she’s fanning herself.

  “Why, thank you, gorgeous. I’m glad you think so,” Matt says, always the charmer.

  “Only speaking the truth.” She sighs happily.

  I park in front of Mina’s place, glad that she won’t be able to spill whatever goes through her mind, at least not until tomorrow when I get into work.

  “Thanks for the ride. See you tomorrow, Nate. Matt, always a pleasure seeing you,” Mina says getting out of the car.

  “The pleasure is all mine,” Matt replies smiling at her.

  “See you tomorrow, babe.” I smile at her and wait for her to get inside her house before driving away.

  What Mina said about the mutual attraction keeps playing on my mind. She always manages to mess with my head one way or a
nother.

  “What’s on your mind?” Matt asks, bringing me back to reality.

  “Something Mina said,” I say truthfully.

  “Which part? That we look good together, or maybe that there’s insane sexual tension between us, or that we’re attracted to each other?” He chuckles.

  “All of the above. She always manages to embarrass me one way or another, and she doesn’t even know or does it on purpose.” I sigh.

  “Hey, it’s alright. Don’t be embarrassed. I agree with her on all accounts.”

  “You do?” I ask surprised.

  “Yes, of course, I do.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “You just did.” He snickers from beside me.

  “Smartass.”

  “Oh yeah, my ass is really smart.”

  I chuckle. “What’s that long story about meeting someone tonight and not expecting John?”

  “You’re gonna laugh…”

  I’m not sure I’m going to laugh. I really don’t like the fact that he was supposed to meet with another man and maybe fuck him tonight. Possibly bring him to his place and having to listen to them fucking all night.

  “Go on then…” I wasn’t prepared for what he was about to tell me.

  I wonder how Nate will react when I tell him how I came about to meet up with John in a bar. Not that I was expecting to see John there. I wasn’t. He fucking tricked me.

  “It all started like a week or so after I ended things with John. I was having lunch with the girls, and Jessica suggested it would be a good idea to sign me up to a dating app called Hunt4Gays. I willingly handed her my phone, and she started to type away. I still don’t know why I did it. Maybe I was just intrigued or needed some fun to keep my mind away from wandering off back to John.”

  “Or you’re just a horn dog and wanted some easy sex.” I can see his hand grip the steering wheel tighter.

  “Well, that I am, but I’m past the point of fucking just for sex, and if I want sex, I don’t need a dating app to find someone.”

  “So full of yourself,” Nate scoffs.

  “Like you didn’t know.” I snort.

  “I did, you’re just confirming it.” Nate chuckles.

  “Anyway, I let them do their thing with my account and to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much. I didn’t think I’d be setting up a date with anyone. Now that I think of it, I shouldn’t have.” I blow out a breath.

  “You really didn’t have any idea it was John?” he asks dumbfounded.

  “No, he clearly tricked me and must have made a fake profile on the app. He’s the one who initiated the conversation. I’m not sure how he found me as I don’t have a picture of my face on there. After a day or two of being on the app, he sent me a message, and we’ve been casually chatting on and off since then. He suggested we go for a drink tonight, and I said why not. I didn’t have much to lose as we were meeting in a public place, and you know what happened after that.”

  “That’s messed up. How did he know how to find you?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe the tattoos gave me away, I’m not sure. I haven’t looked anyone up on that app, so I don’t really know how it works to find someone on there.”

  “Did you meet anyone else from there?”

  “No, just him, and I’m not sure I’m going to keep the app. I don’t want a repeat of what happened tonight. Thank you for saving my ass by the way.” I chuckle.

  “No need to thank me. It’s my pleasure. It’s a nice ass, wouldn’t want someone to damage it.”

  “Now, now, someone is getting braver.” I smile at his wittiness. I like that he’s relaxing more and more around me and feels like he can joke around without being judged.

  “I try. What username did the girls pick for you?”

  “Matt The God, rather appropriate.” We both laugh.

  “So humble.” Nate shakes his head.

  “I am!”

  “What? Humble or a god?” He looks at me as he stops at a red light.

  “Both.” I smirk.

  “God, you’re something.” He chuckles.

  “See, you just said it yourself!”

  “I’ll have to watch whatever I say around you.” He glances at me before starting to drive again.

  “Nah, you don’t have to watch what you say around me. Remember, no judgment.”

  “I just mean that you’re always teasing and turning what I’m saying.”

  “Never in a bad way. You should know that by now.” I chuckle.

  “How did we get from hating each other to being this close?” he asks, sounding amused.

  “I’m not sure, but I know we could be a lot closer. If you catch my drift.”

  “Oh, I do catch your drift.” I can see a slight blush cover his cheeks, even with the low light.

  “Glad you do.” I pat his thigh, and he tenses up a bit.

  “Such a flirt.” He swallows hard.

  “Always, you’ll learn to know that about me.” I squeeze his thigh as he parks in his driveway and lean into him. He turns to face me, and I can’t help it, I find myself brushing my lips over his. “Don’t join a dating app. These guys on there are going to wreck you and put you off of men. As I keep saying, when you’re ready, come to me.” I wink at him, and he looks at me stunned that I pecked his lips. I’m not sure if he was expecting it, nor ready for it, but I had to. God, they are so fucking soft. I reluctantly get out of his car when I don’t see him move or say anything. It’s like we both need to process what just happened even though it was just a peck.

  I walk home and wave at him before going in. He’s still sitting in his car, looking stunned. I hope I’m not the one who scared him off of men. That’d be just my luck. If anything is going to happen between us, I want him to be the one instigating things. Not because I’m scared of rejection, but because I don’t want him to feel like I’m forcing myself onto him. He’s been through enough without having a horny guy on his ass trying to get in his pants sooner than he’s ready for.

  I lock the door behind me and throw my keys in the bowl on the small table by the door and take off my shoes. So much for getting all dressed up. I am, however, really happy that Nate was there, saved my ass, and that we had another interesting conversation. I’m enjoying spending time with Nate more and more. Besides the fact that he’s easy on the eyes, it’s a great feeling to know that he’s getting more comfortable around me each day.

  I smile to myself, brushing my fingers over my lips. They are still tingling from that stolen kiss. I can’t even begin to imagine how it’ll be if and when Nate and I share a real kiss. I can’t wait for that day.

  I take off my tie and fold it in three before placing it on the kitchen island. I walk to the fridge and open it, grabbing a small cardboard container and close the fridge. I pick up a fork and head upstairs.

  Tonight requires some solo Netflix and chill. I’ve become an expert at that lately. I strip to my boxers and open the small box, containing a piece of peanut butter cheesecake I picked up earlier today. I can’t wait to dive into this little treat.

  I put my phone on charge and see a few missed calls from ‘Satan’ aka John. I reckon we all have an ex called Satan in our phones. If you don’t, you should reconsider it. It’s rather funny to see a call from Satan come up. I ignore his messages and take a forkful of the cheesecake and sigh happily. This is what heaven feels like.

  My thumb hovers over the Hunt4Gays app for a few seconds before pressing it. I don’t really know why I’m checking it. I’ll probably have a shit load of messages from John using his fake identity to lure me in.

  I see the picture John has been using with new written next to it, meaning I have at least one new message. I tap on his picture and block him, not wanting to bother reading what he has to say. I really can’t be bothered to lose any more time talking to him. He’s not worth it.

  I tap off the app and close it. I’m thinking of deleting it altogether. With the way things are going wi
th Nate, I don’t feel it’s right to stay on the app anymore. I could tell it bothered him a little that I was meeting someone I was talking to online when we’ve been getting closer. And if I’m honest, I feel like shit for actually going on a date after all the flirting that’s been going on between Nate and me.

  Just as I’m about to delete it, I get a notification from someone new, and I tap on the little banner out of habit. The message is pretty standard.

  Tattooedsoldier81: Hey there :)

  I check the profile out of curiosity, and I’m shocked by what I see. There is no face, only a tattooed chest. Those tattoos. I might have seen them only once, but they are embedded in my brain. Nate joined the app and found me on here. This should be interesting. I don’t know how I feel about knowing it’s him or if he knows I know, but I can’t help myself from replying with a massive grin on my face.

  MattTheGod: Hey handsome :)

  Tattooedsoldier81: How’s your evening?

  MattTheGod: Not too bad and yours?

  Tattooedsoldier81: Better now that I’m talking to you ;)

  MattTheGod: Aren’t you a charmer ;)

  Tattooedsoldier81: I try, I try.

  MattTheGod: You don’t have to try hard.

  Tattooedsoldier81: Thanks ;)

  MattTheGod: Have you been on here long?

  Tattooedsoldier81: No, I joined today and you?

  MattTheGod: A couple of months.

  Tattooedsoldier81: Any luck so far?

  MattTheGod: Not really, way too many creeps on here.

  Tattooedsoldier81: What is a handsome guy like you doing on a sketchy app like this?

  MattTheGod: I could ask you the same thing ;)

  Tattooedsoldier81: I suck at meeting new people, and it gets rather lonely in this big city.

  MattTheGod: I feel you on that one. Been single a couple of months, it does get lonely.