Tom - Present

At sharp 7, Tom arrived at Heavens bar. The door was closed and it said that it would only open at 9. Was this a joke? The other guy never mentioned his own name and now he was hungry and upset. He recognised the deep voice that came from the door as soon as it was opened from the inside.

- You’re punctual. That’s nice.

- Although it’s a job requirement, being on time is one of my few qualities. I’ve got some, you know?

- And what do you do for a living? - Joseph stretched his arm and hand to invite Thomas to enter the bar. As soon as he got in, his eyes browsed the space that looks like a log cabin. On the left side, there was a fireplace with two green armchairs and a table in the middle which made him smile.

- Your boss has a nice taste. Can we eat there? - Thomas headed to his already favourite spot without waiting for an answer.

- You didn’t tell me your job… - Joseph smiled while putting his apron on.

- And you didn’t tell me your name. - Thomas grabbed the granny squares pillow and sat, placing the cushion on his lap. Then he directed his attention to Joseph, who was amused with the scene, and took a deep breath. - I’m a teacher.

- I am Joe. Welcome to my place… I run it with my sister, but I own the place. So thank you for your previous compliment.

, Thomas could see Joseph through the kitchen door. He was dressed in black that contrasted with the colour of his skin, bringing out the blue of his eyes. His hair is brown and curly which he tied before starting to cook and that made him still look handsome. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been on a real date. Well, this wasn’t a date, he invited himself for dinner and this man just went with it. He got up and came closer to the jukebox on the other side of the pub. Choosing the first song wasn’t easy because he liked many of them, so he opted for the Arcade Fire. When he turned, Joseph was standing right behind him with glowing eyes and half-smiling. Damn, he was handsome, a handsome modern Viking warrior. Thomas wetted his lips with his tongue.

- Thirsty? What can I get you?

- If possible, a black beer.

- Yes, it is.

Thomas couldn’t avoid looking at his ass. After another deep breath, he returned to the armchair. The beer helped him cool down and at the same time relax after a long day. When food arrived at the table, he didn’t know where to start.

- It’s not restaurant food, this is pretty much what I had available at this moment. Hope you like it.

They didn’t talk a lot during dinner. Thomas was always stuffing his mouth with food and apologising for his gluttony.

- You cook well. You’re risking to have me here demanding to be fed. My girl-friend doesn’t live very far from here.

- Girlfriend? Sorry, I guess I misread you. - Joseph gulped the rest of the beer and avoided Thomas eyes afterwards.

- Girl space friend. A female friend with whom I have a brother / sister affinity. Nothing else. Her name is Delilah, I’ll bring her here one day. I’m not in a relationship and not looking for one. Just having fun. - as soon as the last words came out of Thomas’ mouth, he realised that they could be misunderstood but he didn’t try to explain what he meant. It would be better to stop now before this went too far.

---___---___---___---

- Did you at least tell him that you were gay that day, sweetie?

- I grabbed his face and kissed his lips before leaving, Dede. His soft lips… Shit, I ruined everything… Shouldn’t have done that. - Thomas lowers his head to his knees and rocks himself while grabbing his head with his fingers in the middle of his blond hair. - How is it possible to still have feelings for a person after all this time? Before leaving, he said that I was almost perfect… and I answered that he was too good to be true… What a jerk…

- You’re in love, dear Tom. If you want to, we will never go back there. We erase it from our map.

He quickly sits up with tears in his eyes.

- NO… I am going back there till he gets tired of me. He will see that I am not worth of his time.

- So, you have been trying to ruin something before it started… And it was what 4? 5 years ago? Haven’t you been hurting yourself for too long, darling?

- Time is what we have left…