Living It

by Casper Graham

  He glanced at Jonah in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right? Have you ever seen your reflection in the mirror?”

  Jonah snorted. “Of course. What does that have to do with—”

  “Dude,” Davion interrupted while gesturing at Jonah with his free hand. “You’re fucking hot. Like burning.”

  “Not enough to keep a man apparently,” Jonah scoffed, and Davion was taken aback by the bitterness in the other man’s tone of voice. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Forget about it.”

  Davion reached out and grabbed Jonah’s hand. “It’s okay. I don’t mind listening if you feel like talking about it.”

  Jonah appeared to hesitate for a few seconds before speaking up. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Jonah nodded. “I started Yummy Pleasure when I was twenty-four, but I was working full-time as an auditor for two years before that in one of the big accounting firms.”

  “Food is a passion for you?”

  “It is,” Jonah confirmed, smiling a little before continuing. “I didn’t have enough money to start my own business at that age. Hell, most people don’t.”

  Davion chortled. “Duh! Unless you were born with a damn diamond spoon inside your mouth.”

  Jonah guffawed in amusement. “Exactly. Anyway, I hated my job as an auditor, so I resigned after two years. I had to borrow money from my parents. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to rent a tiny hole in the wall. I also maxed out my savings during the first few months. At that time, I only had one chef, Terrence, as my sole employee. He’s still working for me part-time, but he owns his own catering business now.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  “Yeah. My love life suffered, though. To my defense, I had no idea. I had just begun dating Matthew right around the same time I opened my small restaurant. Matthew is a lawyer, and he’s four years older than me. Initially, he seemed excited for me, but after a few months, I noticed he almost never stopped by the restaurant unless we had a date planned for that evening. He told me he was busy with several cases. I trusted him.”

  Davion gazed at Jonah with sympathy. “I’m sorry.”

  Jonah inhaled and exhaled before snickering out loud. “Me, too. I was a damn fool. About a year into our relationship, I found out my business was making its first steady profit three months in a row. I decided to visit him at his apartment after the restaurant was closed for the evening because I wanted to celebrate.”

  “Jonah…”

  Jonah wiped his eyes and clenched his fists. “Matthew was having his own party. He was fucking a damn twink in his bed while sucking another man’s dick and getting plowed from behind. I was stunned, but it was nothing compared to how I felt when Matthew and those other men separated from one another in shock. None of them wore condoms.”

  “Holy shit,” Davion hissed out under his breath. “I…I don’t know what else to say.”

  Jonah leaned against the back of the bench and snorted. “I was also speechless. I left his apartment a few minutes later. I never saw him after that night.”

  “You guys weren’t living together?”

  Jonah shook his head. “I wanted to, but Matthew was against the idea, claiming it was too soon. It was just an excuse. He needed a place to bring his tricks home. I got myself checked out for STDs a few days later. I did it twice, each of the tests six months apart from each other. The results came back all right.”

  “Little blessings.”

  “Indeed.”

  Davion observed Jonah finishing his ice cream, so he did the same. Neither of them uttered a single word for a brief moment.

  “Davion.”

  Davion glanced up at Jonah. “Yeah?”

  “Thanks for listening.”

  Davion smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  A moment of quietness settled between them before Jonah broke the silence. “What about you? What’s your story?”

  “Nothing as dramatic as yours. My ex-boyfriends were insecure assholes, but it took me a long time to see that.”

  “How so?”

  Davion inhaled slow and long before replying. “I had five exes.”

  Jonah whistled. “Damn! Go you!”

  Davion chortled before giving Jonah the middle finger salute. “The first two were okay. They liked the way I looked back then.”

  “A pretty-faced hunk?” Jonah teased and winked at him.

  He snorted. “Hardly. I was more of a twink. My body was very slim. I didn’t begin hitting the gym and lifting weights until I graduated from college. Anyway, they hated the attention I got, but at least they didn’t take their frustrations out on me. We parted ways, more or less amicably.”

  “And the next three?”

  “Horrible.” Davion shut his eyes for a few seconds to calm himself down before opening them again. “I received endless phone calls and text messages from them whenever we were apart. Then they would scream at me if I didn’t answer them. They didn’t care I was busy at work. I couldn’t even hang out with my friends without them tagging along. They accused me of seducing men or hooking up with strangers. Men at bars hit on me, but I never encouraged them. What was I supposed to do when those men started talking to me? I couldn’t ignore them. That would be rude. Besides, I kept a respectable distance. It wasn’t as if we were standing or sitting close to each other.”

  “Your ex-boyfriends didn’t believe you?”

  “Understatement. One of the common accusations they threw my way is that I’m ‘a cheap slut who will spread his legs open for any man willing to give him the time of day.’ Or a variation thereof. I broke up with them because I was tired of being mentally and verbally abused, day in and day out.”

  “That’s rough.”

  “Tell me about it. It’s one of the reasons why being labeled as a pretty face can sometimes be a sore point for me. Then again, I do that to other men sometimes.”

  “What? Call them pretty?”

  Davion blushed and nodded. “Guilty as charged. I’m trying to stop myself from doing it, but it’s not easy. A man’s face always is the first thing I notice.”

  “At least you’re not an insecure asshole.”

  He grinned at Jonah. “Oh, I have my moments of self-doubt and uncertainty. Trust me.”

  “We all do.”

  “I guess.”

  The two of them beamed at each other, but neither uttered a single word after that. The silence wasn’t tense and awkward, though. It was comforting. At least that was how it felt to Davion. He might have failed on the original date with Marcus, but the current one with Jonah more than made up for what almost turned out to be a lousy evening. It became even better when they exited from the ice cream parlor after paying the bill.

  Jonah reached out for his hand and held it tight as they made their way toward his car in the parking lot. He couldn’t help the sense of hopefulness that surged from within him as they walked hand-in-hand. The happily ever after depicted in fairy tales might not be just a pipe dream after all.

  Chapter 3

  Jonah wished he could claim he was suave and cool the next morning at ten o’clock as he helped the servers get the restaurant ready before the doors opened at eleven. However, he had no doubt he failed, judging by the weird looks he received from most of his employees. He caught the sight of his grinning face in one of the reflective surfaces in the restaurant and winced in utter embarrassment. He had no idea how long he had been smiling to himself like that, but he deserved the strange glances.

  He was about to head into the kitchen to make sure everything was all right when he heard the gentle knocking on the glass door. He turned toward the entrance in surprise, which was further amplified when he noticed the two people standing outside waving at him. It was his parents. He rushed toward the door to unlock it and allowed his parents to enter. Their visit was unexpected, but he welcomed it nonetheless.

  However, he had to grimace in mortification when his mom embraced and kissed his forehead and chee
ks with so much enthusiasm, as if the two of them hadn’t met each other in a thousand years. As much as he loved his mom, he was getting too old for his mother’s brand of loving, especially when it was done in public, but he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Hence, he simply tolerated her actions while suppressing a sigh. He was thankful his dad was more sedate in his greeting.

  “Hello, son.”

  “Hey—”

  “Never mind the old man,” his mom interrupted while dragging him deeper into his restaurant. “I have something important to ask you.”

  “Okay, but Dad—”

  “Eh, he will be just fine.” His mom then turned toward his dad. “Yo, old man, go to your golfing game or whatever it is that you play at the country club with your buddies. I’m going to stay right here with my son.”

  His dad harrumphed in mock annoyance. “He’s my son, too.”

  “But I’m better at weaseling out information from the children than you. Now, shoo!”

  “Fine. I know when I’m not wanted.” His dad winked at him, but he still had no idea what his parents were talking about. “I’ll pick the old woman up around two o’clock, son. You think you can survive with her in the restaurant for a few hours?”

  He chuckled at his dad. “We will be fine, Dad. Enjoy your game.”

  “All right then. Love you, son.”

  “Love you, too, Dad.”

  His dad barely stepped out before his mom resumed pulling him into the restaurant and toward one of the tables. She pointed at one of the chairs. “Sit.”

  It wasn’t a request, so he obeyed immediately. “Mom, what—”

  “Hush,” his mom cut him off while sitting on the chair across from him. “That old man is just as nosy and curious as me, but he’s not as skillful when it comes to obtaining pertinent information from our kids. My skills are honed from years of having to deal with you and your siblings—”

  “Mom.” That shut her up. “I have a business to run. Can you get straight to the point?”

  His mom sighed out loud. “Just as impatient as the old man. I’m starting to regret telling your dad to step down from his position as the CEO and let Jackson and Jacqueline take over the running of the business. Anyway, I’m digressing. Where were you last night?”

  “Last…oh! Why do you need to know?”

  His mom narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t try to think up of excuses, Jojo. You always spill sooner or later.”

  He cringed upon hearing his childhood nickname. “Mom, how many times must I tell you not to address me by that stupid childhood moniker? It’s downright embarrassing.”

  “It’s a great name. Nothing shameful about…hmm, nice attempt, but I won’t be deterred from my mission. You haven’t answered my question yet.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I left the restaurant a little earlier.”

  She placed her forearms on the table and leaned in closer. “Why?”

  He did his best not to squirm and gazed at her straight in the eye. “To get some ice cream with a friend.”

  He wasn’t lying. At least not completely. Davion was his friend. Granted, he hoped the two of them could be so much more than friends, but it was too early to tell.

  “Just a friend?”

  “Yeah. Davion is a new—”

  “Ah-ha! Progress! So, his name is Davion. Is he cute?”

  He stared at his mom in disbelief. “Yes, he is. Very much so.”

  She smirked at him. “I can detect the love interest already. You like him?”

  He did his best not to sputter as he came up with a response. “I do. He’s pretty.”

  His mom snorted. “You really have a type, haven’t you?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You like pretty men.”

  “Well…yeah. Doesn’t everyone?”

  She leaned against the back of the chair. “Not me. I didn’t fall in love with the old man until we had our first kiss. The thing he did with his tongue—”

  “Holy shit—”

  “Language.”

  “Mom, for goodness sake. Please spare me the details. Yuck!”

  “Oh, don’t be a prude. You’re certainly old enough now.”

  He grimaced in disgust. “There are things about my parents I really don’t need to know. Trust me.”

  She sighed. “Fine. Anyway, when are you bringing Devin home for our weekly dinner?”

  “It’s Davion, Mom, and, no, I won’t subject him to a weekly dinner with the family. At least not yet. That will be such a cruel and unusual punishment for Davion.”

  His mom glared at him. “We will be the perfect hosts and hostesses to your lovely new boyfriend.”

  “We just had our first date last night,” he blurted out, wishing he could take the words back when she shot him a victorious grin.

  “Ah, so it was your first date.”

  “Yes, Mom.” He should have known better than to try and keep things secret. She had the keenest sense of smell for secrets, especially when they involved her husband or children. “How did you know about my date last night?”

  “Your dearest older brother and sister.”

  “Damn Jackson and Jacqueline and their fucking big mouths,” he muttered under his breath, but his mother obviously heard him loud and clear.

  “Language, Jojo. Anyway, they stopped by the restaurant last night.”

  “Just the two of them?”

  “Of course not. Jackson and Grace brought your darling nephews—”

  “Troy and Tyson are more like little six-year-old twin tyrants.”

  “Don’t pretend. I know how much you love those boys.”

  “Whatever. What about Jacqueline?”

  “With Nathan and my precious granddaughter, of course.”

  He was offended now. “Why is Tanya your ‘precious granddaughter’ instead of my ‘precious niece?’ I love her, and she loves me.”

  “She loves me more.”

  “No, she doesn’t.”

  “She’s four. She doesn’t know any better.”

  “How dare you!”

  “Oh, whatever. I’m not here to argue with you about who Tanya’s favorite person in the world is. Let’s just agree that it’s me and move on.”

  He rolled his eyes for the second time. “As if. Anyway, what did they want?”

  “To meet you, of course. They missed the weekly family dinner last Monday because of that silly company event or whatever, so I told them to pay you a visit.”

  He felt properly chastised now, but he didn’t regret the date with Davion. “I’ll give them each a call. Maybe they can come here tonight for dinner. In fact, why don’t you all do that? I’ll call Joanne, too.”

  His mom clapped her hands once. “That’s an excellent idea. Speaking of Joanne, your little sister is getting more serious with her current boyfriend.”

  “Gerald?”

  “Uh-huh. I’m hearing wedding bells.”

  He snorted. “Mom, don’t you think it’s too early? They haven’t even reached the two-year mark yet.”

  “Your sister is thirty-two years old. She’s old enough. When I was her age, I had already pumped out…”

  He tuned his mom out and nodded once or twice every few minutes. He had listened to the same old story at least one hundred billion times. His mom could talk nonstop about the same old thing. He had long since given up in trying to get her to stop doing that. However, his dad always seemed to enjoy her stories. His parents and their loving relationship, even after decades of marriage, were the reasons why he yearned for a wonderful partner of his own. They made him believe it was possible to find someone perfect just for him. He was so absorbed in his reverie, he was startled when his mom nudged his hand to grab his attention. He smiled sheepishly at his mom.

  “Sorry, mom.”

  His mom appeared a little put out, but the expression was replaced by something else in an instant. He groaned under his breath. He recognized that look on his mom’s face. It would b
e nothing he liked. He had zero doubt about that. He was proven right a moment later.

  “I’ll forgive you.”

  “But?” he asked.

  “But only if you ask Davion to have dinner with us tonight.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Oh, come on, Jojo. It’s just a simple dinner with the family.”

  “That’s exactly why I don’t want him there,” he said before blowing out an exasperated sigh.

  “Why not?”

  “You will all grill him with way too many questions.”

  His mom shook her head. “I won’t.”

  “Yeah. Right. You’ll be the worst of the lot.”

  “Rude. Okay, what if I promise to only ask him ten questions?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Three.”

  “Eight.”

  “Three.”

  “Five.”

  He stretched his right hand out. “Deal.”

  “Deal.” She shook his hand before beaming at him. “I’ll pass along my other questions to the old man, Jackson, Jacqueline, and Joanne instead.”

  He let his mother’s hand go and face-palmed himself. He’d walked right into his mother’s trap. He could only pray Davion would either be too busy that evening or forgive him after dinner with his entire family was over. If Davion was furious at him, he would just get down on his knees and grovel. He really liked Davion very much. He hadn’t felt such an immense attraction toward another man in a while, and he was unwilling to let Davion go. He would do whatever it took to keep Davion in his life. His pride could be damned for all he cared. Now he just had to pick up the phone and call Davion up. That should be easy enough compared to the dinner that would be waiting for him and Davion later that evening.

  Chapter 4

  “You didn’t!”

  Davion snickered at Elizabeth’s flabbergasted expression before bobbing his head up and down in affirmation. “Oh, yeah, I did.”

  Elizabeth squealed and grabbed his hands. “Go you!”

  He snorted at Elizabeth while doing his best to ignore the amused glances from his other colleagues sitting at their own tables inside the pantry. “It wasn’t that big of a deal.”