One, two, three, go!

“Watch it on your phone. I’m going to feel really bad if you only buy a TV because of a shitty show I recommended”. They smiled and nodded, feeling a little pride on their chest. “Mexican is not really hard, depending on the dish you want to make. Italian is hard, making a proper pizza is intimidating. Do you cook?”. It was always nice to have a talk that revolved around food, it was their expertise after all. “It’s uhm… near the beach. Can’t miss it, I’m always blasting some song”. They could feel their cheeks getting hotter, were they blushing? “There are better reasons to become a recluse, reality shows are definitely not a good reason”. 

        “Nah, I needed to buy a tv a long time ago, honestly. Shitty recommendations or not. Don’t feel bad.” Fabian smiled at them and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I guess I’ll learn then. Worth a shot. Probably save tons of money learning to cook it at home then going to some restaurants whenever I have a craving or two.” He smirked at their comments on Italian food and pizza, nodding his head in agreement. “I do cook, actually, not much but i know some things. Completely open to learning more.” He said as an open invitation to suggestions. “The food truck blasting music. Sounds like a good giveaway.” Fabian chuckled and crossed his arms now. “Well, now I’m curious. What are the better reasons to be a recluse if it isn’t from reality shows?” 

“You’ll get yours, don’t worry. We’re going to a bar and getting you laid”, Declan said with a nod. Friends did that, that was normal. Even if this friend knew that if Fabian was as good in bed as he was a kisser, he’d be good. “He’s my ex-husband. We’re divorced for a reason”, Declan shrugged. He didn’t like talking about it, a lot of gross feelings came up when he talked about Nolan and people usually stopped being understanding when they found out what that reason was. Declan was the cheater, he didn’t get to feel bad about anything.

        “Honestly? I rather stay here. Thank you, but I’m not the type to just go out and get laid.” Fabian didn’t mean to be rude by rejecting Declan’s invite, but if he wasn’t going to sleep with a friend, then why would he sleep with a stranger? Aside from that, he wasn’t feeling up to it. The whole situation put him in a damper and going out was the last thing he wanted to do. “We could sit here and talk... your ex, do you have a relationship with them right now? Even if it’s complicated?” 

Jacqueline finished wiping his face after washing off the exfoliator. “Now it’s time for the mask. You’re going to leave this on for 10-15 minutes while relaxing. Think you can relax?” she asked jokingly as she began pumping some of the cream onto her fingertips. “Let’s go later, then. Once this mask is done. We can get lunch after too, there’s a new sushi place that opened a few buildings away from Sephora,” she proposed, looking forward to spending her day with Fabian.

       “Of course I can relax for ten to fifteen minutes.” he was curious though, What made her think he couldn’t? Fabian closed his eyes, preparing for Jacqueline to do her worst. “I created the word relax.” He smirked, opening his eyes again to gauge her reaction. “Oh, that sounds good! I’m down for sushi.” Fabian was always excited to hang with friends, and add food to it? Well, he was in heaven. “I really like this plan actually. Thanks for coming over.” 

G: Hurry up though. I already opened the wine and it's hella good

G: wanna join?

G: drink the bottle of wine I bought for the fucker

G: what about you?

G: Hey, no it's fine. I'm glad you told me

G: Remember that really awesome date I went on?

G: And the guy I had birthday plans with?

G: Yeah, Nolan Anderson.

G: You're joking, right?

G: ..... Nolan who?

G: I guess so damn

G: Whatever you're hotter anyways

G: Who is this ham he's engaged to anyways?

F: haha well thank you. Um, the Instagram said Nolan. I think that's the name. Let me go back and check.

G: It meant enough for him to pull you back in -shrug emoji-

G: Whatever he's missing out

F: LOL well..

G: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA that'll last

G: Does his fiancé know you were making on him last week?

“You’re getting a free facial, and I have a golden touch. Not in the same sense as Midas, though,” Jacqueline joked. “This one would be about $300, but I know Sephora has some for a much lower rate. My rewards are expiring soon, maybe I’ll lend you my Beauty Insider card to buy some,” she offered, “I’ll go too, of course. Never know what you’d come across.”

“I’d hope not. I’d actually like to keep breathing.” Fabian laughed a little, very much enjoying her touch, not that surprised by the price. “Pretty expensive.” He nodded his head, looking at himself in the mirror. “Yeah that sounds good, we’ll make a day out of it.” Like they were making a day out of this. He enjoyed his time with Jacqueline. 

“I mean I loved Harvard. Enough that I stayed for law school so,” he said with a shrug. “I had an amazing time. I learned a lot. I mean it’s college, it isn’t perfect but it was a vast improvement from high school. I really peaked in college, yanno? I was pretty unpopular in high school so going across the country and getting a chance to be social and really find myself, it was the perfect coming of age time,” he said with a soft laugh. “Financial analyst? Well that’s no small job. Where’d you go to college? UCLA?” He let out a laugh at his words and nodded. “Money instead of people does sound like an easier time but I prefer the opposite personally. People are a lot but they’re also pretty amazing if you give them the chance.” He smiled at his joke before ordering their coffee. “I’m a shit artist but I’m a hell of a lawyer. I’m a founding partner of Fitzgerald and Levinstein,” he said as he took a card out of his wallet and gave it to Fabian. “Our offices are about ten minutes from here on foot and like five by car.”

      “Right, of course. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” He agreed with his view of college being a vast difference from high school Fabian couldn’t stand high school. He hadn’t been diagnosed bipolar until he was a senior and in the meantime, it was hell trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Missed so much school he was surprised he went to college in the first place. “Yeah, no but it’s great i love it.” Math had always relaxed him, and though he knew it was a different case for most of his peers, he hoped he could find a job that relaxed him as well. He did, and he was proud of himself for it. “I actually went to community college in San Francisco and transferred to UCLA.” Fabian smiled, chuckled even Noah told him to give people a chance. “Well, I also drive uber/lyft so I’m definitely open to meeting new people.” He’d met a lot of characters that way. Noah was confident and handsome and smart and it was always fun meeting people like him. KInd of just brightened up your day. “Congratulations.” He said, taking the card from him and smirking as he looked down at it. “I’ll hit you up if I ever get in trouble.” Fabian has heard a lot about lawyers and how grimy they could be, but Noah honestly didn’t seem like the type. Maybe he hid it well, but Fabian found himself liking him personally. 

"I’m not losing a friend over a kiss”, Declan said, wrapping an arm around his friend. Hugging was okay - it had to be. Declan needed this to be okay. Maybe they didn’t agree that it was just a kiss, but it needed to be. They were just friends. “If we’re going to stop being friends over this, we should at least go out with a bang”, Declan said before crunching up his nose. “That wasn’t funny.” It was inappropriate and he still felt like someone poured molten hot lava into his chest, but he had a point. If things were going to be awkward, they might as well make it really really awkward and fuck - he would make that joke, because that was normal.

“It’s not that simple”, Declan said, the words slipping out like it was his go-to excuse. It was true. He could go kiss Nolan, but it wasn’t that simple. Nothing with Nolan ever was.

       Fabian hugged back, happy to receive it along with reassurance. “Good.” He said and chuckled at the next. The mood lightened up again and Fabian sighed in relief. He hated drama, especially drama he was involved in. As Declan experienced, Fabian didn’t really take things like that very well. “What’s so complicated about it? If you don’t mind me asking.” He probably did mind, and Fabian prepared himself for that. For the ‘it’s none of your business’ comment, and it wasn’t truly any of his business, but at this point, he was curious. On the other hand, Fabian was just looking for a way to understand what was going on. Almost like closure for being kissed like that, like if he could discover the reason why he’d be more okay with it and move on.