Chapter Thirteen

Author’s Note: This story is set in an alternate universe, in an imaginary town and country, and during an ambiguous time period.

Kazir hurried toward the main lobby, his thoughts consumed by the impending quality control meeting looming after lunch. He hated presentations—hated the spotlight, the attention, the scrutiny. Being a project lead came with responsibilities he couldn’t shy away from, but it didn’t stop his stomach from twisting into knots every time he imagined standing in front of a room full of people, all eyes on him.

He hadn’t brought his lunch today—a rare occurrence—too busy and stressed last night to get his affairs in order. He needed something quick, something to fuel him before the meeting. His mind was so preoccupied that he didn’t even notice the figure approaching until—

“Kazir!” A familiar voice cut through the busy lobby.

Startled, Kazir looked up, and his heart skipped a beat. Adisa was standing there, impossibly tall and broad, his smile so radiant that it seemed to brighten the entire room. Kazir could feel the heat rushing to his face.

Adisa’s long legs quickly carried him over to where Kazir stood, rooted.

“Hi, stranger. Haven’t seen you in a while.” 

Kazir laughed awkwardly.
“I’ve been here. Working.”

“Yes, I know. If I wasn’t a stronger man,” Adisa teased, a playful glint in his eyes, “I’d think you were avoiding me.”

Kazir froze for a split second.

Was it that obvious?

He quickly composed himself, offering a polite smile. “I’m not,” he replied, trying to sound casual, though his voice betrayed the slightest hint of nervousness.

Adisa laughed, a low, warm sound that somehow made Kazir’s heart race even faster. He truly did have an amazing laugh. And smile. And he smelled nice. And he looked nice, too. Overall, he was an upstanding guy, and Kazir couldn’t be distracted right now.

“I’m kidding,” Adisa said, brushing it off. “Where are you headed?”

“I didn’t bring lunch today,” Kazir admitted, glancing toward the exit. “I’m heading to the bistro nearby to grab something.” Kazir fidgeted, wanting to escape from Adisa’s presence—a presence that felt abnormally large and suffocating today.

“Me too.” Adisa frowned, his smile still apparent on his handsome face. “Surprised you didn’t bring lunch.”

Kazir gave a small, awkward shrug. “I’ve been a bit busy lately.”

This was one of the most complex and largest projects he had worked on in a while.

“Sounds intense.” Adisa’s tone was genuinely sympathetic. Then, as if struck by an idea, he grinned. “Mind if I join? For lunch? Cafeteria food is getting old.” He scrunched his nose as he said that, looking completely adorable.

Kazir blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “Uh, sure, I guess…” he trailed off, feeling the familiar flutter of nerves settling in his stomach. He hadn’t expected Adisa to tag along. He hadn’t been expecting to see him at all.

They fell into step beside each other, heading out of the lobby and making their way toward the main street to get to the bistro. “My poppa has been giving it to me lately, reminding me of how much money I could save if only I stopped eating out so much,” Adisa was sharing, a large smile on his face as they navigated their way down the busy street.

Kazir glanced at Adisa from the corner of his eye. He remembered Adisa mentioning how he hated cooking, and now that they were talking about food, it somehow felt appropriate to bring it up. “You don’t like cooking, right?”

Adisa chuckled. “Now remember,” he joked, “I can cook. I’m a competent adult. I’m just… not a fan, if you’d allow me to say.” He shrugged and looked at Kazir with a soft smile. “But I’ve noticed you always bring your own lunch. I admire that.”

Kazir felt a slight flush creep up his neck. “It’s not a big deal,” he mumbled. “I just enjoy cooking. It’s a… calming activity.”

Adisa groaned and then smiled widely. “You’ve mentioned; I'm more of a cleaner.”

“Very important.”

Adisa laughed, his guffaws carefree and light. “I’m still jealous,” he said, and then added with a glint in his eyes, “Maybe one day you could cook for me.”

The words hung in the air for a second, and Kazir’s heart thumped loudly in his chest. 

There it was again—this strange, electrifying tension whenever Adisa made comments like that.

Kazir wasn’t sure how to interpret it, and it made him uncomfortable in a way he couldn’t quite place. His mind raced back to the last time they’d met when Adisa had commented on his scent. Kazir had convinced himself that Adisa had simply caught a whiff of his cologne, but deep down, the uncertainty gnawed at him.

To ease the tension, Kazir forced an awkward laugh and said, “That wouldn’t be a problem.” Adisa was probably giving him lip service.

Adisa’s face lit up as if Kazir had just made his day. In fact, the endearing way he was smiling at Kazir made it appear as if Kazir’s response had made his whole week, if not month. “Really?” he asked, his tone bright with excitement. “How soon can I get you to make me a meal without it looking like I’m pestering you?”

Kazir couldn’t help but laugh. Adisa had a way of charming people effortlessly. It was disarming, and Kazir was no exception. “Whenever you’re ready, I guess,” he replied, trying to sound casual. 

“How about Saturday?” Adisa asked, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. “We’ll already be together, after our cycling club meet-up.”

Kazir blinked, taken aback by the suddenness of the invitation. “Saturday?” He hesitated, trying to grasp the flutter of emotions racing through him. “Don’t you have a birthday thing? You mentioned it last time…” he muttered, his words trailing off.

Adisa shook his head, his eyes warm and kind as he smiled. “No, it’s today. My youngest brother is turning eighteen.”

Kazir felt his whole body tense. Shit. He was stuck now, wasn’t he?

“Oh, congrats to him.”

“The last baby in the family.”

“Huh?”

“He was the youngest. Now my parents are really crying about their grandkids.”

“Right,” Kazir muttered, not knowing what to say.

“You must get it, too, right?” Adisa said, his gaze lingering on Kazir a little longer than he felt was necessary. Kazir hated to think his cheeks were crimson.

There was something almost tender in the way Adisa looked at him, something that made Kazir’s heart feel too big for his chest. It wasn’t an overbearing stare, but it was warm, sincere, and it left Kazir wondering.

Was this the normal pacing of a friendship?

For Pete’s sake, he was a grown man of thirty-one!

But in situations like these, he always felt so naive and… stupid.

Yet there was this inevitable pull he felt toward Adisa. Like how, face-to-face, it was so hard to turn him down. Especially not when he gave him that smile or let out that glorious laugh.

How could one human being be so… genuine and happy? He was the personification of mirth, or maybe bliss. He made it hard to refuse him anything or not want to be around him. It felt so natural and easy to be in his calming presence.

Kazir shrugged, averting his gaze from Adisa’s face, and decided to ignore the conversation about their parents and growing their family. Instead, he said softly, “I’ll think about Saturday,” more to himself than to Adisa.

Adisa’s grin widened, and for a brief moment, the world seemed to shrink around them—just the two of them, walking side by side.

Kazir still felt uncertain, still felt the fluttering nerves that came with navigating something new. Then he quickly rationalized: for now, the company was enough. He enjoyed having a friend.

Author’s Note: Happy Saturday! Hope y'all enjoy this update.