Adrian shut his door quietly and leaned against it for a second. The apartment felt smaller than usual. Or maybe it was just him.
He exhaled, loosening the collar of his shirt, but the tightness in his chest didn't go away.
It hadn't since the café. Since him.
His phone lit up in his hand.
Rion: Did you get home safe?
Adrian stared at the message, jaw tightening slightly. He typed. Paused. Deleted it.
Then, more deliberately this time,
" Yeah. I did." Sent.
The reply came almost immediately.
Rion: Good. You left in a hurry.
Adrian smirked faintly, though no one could see it. "It was late". A lie. A weak one.
Rion: Or I made you nervous.
Adrian let out a quiet breath through his nose. His fingers hovered over the screen.
Don't flatter yourself. Sent.
There was a short pause.
Rion: I don't have to.
Adrian's expression shifted, just slightly. Annoyance. Interest. Something in between.
He locked his phone and dropped it onto the bed, running a hand through his hair.
"This is stupid."
And yet, He picked it up again.
Rion's profile opened almost too easily. Pictures lined the screen. Clean. Effortless. Confident. Rion didn't try to look good. He just did.
Adrian's thumb slowed over one picture longer than it should have. Sunlight. That same lazy smile. He tapped before thinking. A like. The red heart appeared. And Adrian went completely still. "…shit." He removed it instantly. Too fast. Too obvious.
His phone buzzed. Adrian closed his eyes briefly. Of course.
Rion: You stalking me now?
Adrian sat down hard on the edge of his bed.
That was an accident. Sent too quickly. Too defensive.
Rion: Mm.
Another message followed.
Rion: Didn't look like one.
Adrian's jaw clenched. He hated how easily Rion got under his skin.
The tightness in his chest came back. Worse this time. He stood up abruptly, grabbing his laptop like it could explain something he didn't want to name.
Search. Chest tightness attraction. His eyes scanned quickly. Then another. Blushing around someone same sex. He stopped reading halfway. Closed the laptop. Too fast.
"No." The word came out under his breath. Firm. Immediate. Like shutting a door before something could walk in.
His phone buzzed again. Adrian hesitated this time before picking it up.
Rion: Be honest.
A pause.
Rion: Did I make you uncomfortable?
The shift in tone was obvious. No teasing. No edge. Just… direct.
Adrian sat back down slowly. His thumb hovered over the screen. He could lie. That would be easier. Cleaner. Safer.
Instead...
I don't know. Sent.
The reply took longer this time. And for some reason, that bothered him more.
Rion: Fair.
That was it. No push. No pressure. Just acceptance.
Adrian stared at the message, frowning slightly. He didn't like that either.
Minutes passed.
He lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. But his mind didn't stay still. It kept going back. To the café. To the way Rion looked at him. Like he already knew something Adrian didn't.
His phone buzzed again. This time, he picked it up immediately.
Rion: I'm going to the driving range tomorrow.
Another message followed.
Rion: Come with me.
Adrian huffed softly. "Of course you are." Golf. Really.
He stared at the screen for a long moment. Thinking. Weighing. Ignoring the way his chest tightened again.
I've never played before. Sent.
Rion: Good.
A pause.
Then
Rion: I like teaching.
Adrian's grip on his phone tightened slightly. There was something in that line. Something that didn't feel innocent.
He let out a slow breath, shaking his head. "Yeah…" A faint smile pulled at the corner of his lips despite himself.
"I should've said no." He didn't.