Ashkii knew that Giovanni was gay, obviously. It wasn't like the man was hiding it.

     He didn't miss the subtle jokes the patrons would throw at the bartender or the way some of them flirted with him or looked at him. Heck, sometimes Giovanni was the one doing the looking. So much so that Ashkii knew the man's type. Tall, tattooed, great beard, and a broad frame. Giovanni would swoon in the presence of a man with all that, and it was so obvious and unrelenting that Ashkii wasn't even sure if the man was even trying to hide it.

     He probably wasn't.

     Giovanni seemed to be a flirt. He was charismatic, and there seemed to be something about his tone and composure that drew those men right in.

     As fascinating as it was, Ashkii wasn't too much of a fan of watching it happen, and that was what was playing out right now. A man, who looked about six foot two, had walked straight up to the bar and given Giovanni the largest of smiles. Giovanni had reciprocated, and very soon the chat Ashkii had been having with him about the new job he'd gotten at his local gym had become mute. The man with a scruffy beard and blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail had all the bartender's attention.

      Times like this always annoyed Ashkii. Anyone would feel bad if their friend abandoned them to talk to a crush. But Ashkii wasn't exactly Giovanni's friend and talking to customers and making them feel special was part of Giovanni's job which Ashkii was intruding on, to be fair, so he had to suck it up.

      The man didn't stay too long at the bar, but he did slip Giovanni a card before winking with a smile and wandering away with his glass of vodka. Ashkii watched Giovanni flip the card around before tucking it into his back pocket. He smiled a little, looking up as he picked up a rag to clean off the counter.

     "What do you do with them?" Ashkii asked, still thinking about the man.

     "Huh?" Giovanni paused, raising a brow as he looked over at Ashkii. "Do with what?"

     The younger man shrugged, biting his lower lip as he adjusted his sitting position on the high stool. "The numbers," he said, looking down at the tray of chips Giovanni had given him a while back. They were cold and brittle now.

     "Oh." Giovanni stared out into space. "I call who I like, and don't call who I don't like."

     "I see." Ashkii couldn't pinpoint why, but the answer wasn't satisfactory for some reason. It made him more uneasy. He wasn't sure what he had expected Giovanni to say. He was gay, and he did like mean, so of course, he would seriously consider dating them... and sleeping with them. The thought of the last part made a shiver run through Ashkii's body, and what was left in its aftermath was a sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn't hate gay people. He knew a few of them and had never really been bothered by the thought of them dating, but for some reason, the thought of Giovanni doing anything with a man offended him in a way he couldn't describe.

     "Are you there?"

     Ashkii blinked, realizing he had spaced out for a while. "Err, yeah," he said, straightening up on his seat.

     "Good, you seem a little off today, anything at work or school in your mind?" Giovanni asked, and Ashkii shook his head.

      "Not really," he said, staring as Giovanni worked. He had always noticed how lean the man was. It complimented his above-average height and lean face.

      "Are you sure? Technical school isn't kicking your ass?" Giovanni turned a bit, and Ashkii got a view of his throat and lips that almost made him jump. He felt his body warm up when the man's dark eyes seemed to drift towards him as his lips broke into a smile. The man had dimples—small—they were barely there, but they complimented his smile well. He had a prominent cupid's bow. Ashkii usually found that unattractive in girls, but on Giovanni, they just felt right. They suited him...

     A small gasp left his lips when everything clicked in his head.

     He found Giovanni attractive.

     "Err, no," he said, answering the question before he forgot to. "I'm doing well so far since most things are hands-on. The written classes are okay, and I'm at least making an average pass."

     "That's good to hear," Giovanni said, nodding his head in a way that made his hair bounce a bit. Ashkii's stomach twisted up in knots again as he watched the man's slender figure move towards the drinks. "Do you want lemonade? It's free."

     Ashkii smiled, chucking a little. "Half my drinks are free here."

     "Well, you fixed my dryer the other day, so have it as a thank you," Giovanni said, beginning to make the lemonade before Ashkii could say another word.

     Ashkii watched the man work as a thousand thoughts ran through his head as he tried to comprehend what his earlier revelation meant. It could mean anything. For one, he could just find the man attractive, generally. Most people were able to notice when someone was attractive. It didn't necessarily mean he wanted to sleep with him. But if that was the case it wouldn't explain his jealousy and overall disappointed feeling at the thought of Giovanni sleeping with people. He could also be feeling this way because he respected the man, and the feelings were being mixed with sexual and romantic ones. That could mean he might not actually want to sleep with or be romantic with Giovanni and it was just a vivid thought that would probably go sour once if they ever initiated anything. He was straight as far as he could think. He liked curves and folds to grab, and Giovanni obviously didn't have any of that. He was slender and tall with broad shoulders that filled out his turtlenecks and high collar shirts.

     "Here you go." Giovanni's voice rang close, and Ashkii blinked, realizing the man was right in front of him with a glass of cranberry lemonade in hand. "I wasn't sure which one you'd like, but I felt this was a safe bet."

     "It is, thanks," Ashkii said, looking up from the drink to stare at Giovanni's face. His stomach twisted up in a knot again as he got a glance at the man's lips. The lower pit of his stomach felt tense, and embarrassment ran through him as a stray thought ran through his mind. He didn't think Giovanni would be half bad at giving blowjobs.

     He wondered if his lips would be as cold as his hands and if the warmth of his mouth would make a nice contrast. He wondered if he would tease him—look at him while doing it. He seemed like a tease and a natural flirt. Not many people couldn't go deep, but maybe Giovanni could. He had a nice slim throat, and Ashkii was sure Giovanni would know what he was doing. He seemed experienced—

     Ashkii let out a breath, feeling his pants get a little tight.

     He got up as fast as he could without toppling his seat over as a scene flashed across his mind.

     "Uh, I think I should head out now, it's a little late," he said, barely able to look at Giovanni. "I forgot I had something to submit this evening," he said, taking a swing of the lemonade before picking up his backpack. "This was nice, thank you," he said, pushing the still half-filled glass towards Giovanni before making for the bar's exit as soon as possible. He made his way to his truck, which seemed to have a more or less permanent parking slot at the side of the road across Giovanni's bar. He got in, turning up the engine before leaning back on his seat as he stared into the darkness of the nearing night. His heart rate slowed down, and the guilty imagined scenes of Giovanni being on eye level with his penis faded.

     He stared at the bar entrance for a while, feeling another ting of jealousy as he spotted the tall blonde man from before strolling out of Giovanni's bar. He was for sure going to get to sleep with the bartender at some point, and it frustrated Ashkii.

     "Fuck," he groaned, looking away before covering his face with his hands. He was so glad his skin was tan, and that he could get away with the amount of blood that had been pooling at his cheeks at the counter, but there was no way he could get away with an erection. He knew he had acted weird, leaving so randomly after being offered a drink, but he was sure he could come up with some reasonable excuse to text Giovanni later tomorrow.

      For, what was more important was washing his mind clean from his thoughts, and maybe he would also make it a point to avoid looking at Giovanni's mouth for a few weeks.