I Am Not Uptight!

Dustin part 2

It had been a rough morning in the Reynolds Household, that was for sure. After Dustin had left, Jane, Wells and Josh ate breakfast more quietly than usual. Gary soon followed and tried to lighten the mood, but it was obvious that he was also concerned. It was Wells that left first with a simple, “I’m going.” Jane and Gary left next.

Josh stayed behind, saying that he’ll pack up the remaining food for Daniel. He did as he said, but he sat in the dining area for an additional ten minutes to wait for the man to come down, but he didn’t. At the last minute that his schedule would allow, Josh went up to his room to grab his things.

When he passed by Daniel's room, he did think about knocking, but he didn’t, and he ended up leaving the house without saying anything.

His work was the same as usual. Not much really changes at his 9 to 5 job. It went by so slowly yet so quickly at the same time, that it felt like he had been watching the clock for so long, but it was just a second ago and it was already time to leave.

Josh didn’t know what it was—maybe it was the weight of that morning, or maybe he was just feeling like he wanted to try something new—but instead of taking the usual route back to the house, he decided to take the longer one. It was a route that included a different and larger market, so he figured he would pass by it to cook something a little more complicated for dinner. Maybe it would lighten the mood a little, was what he thought. It was far-fetched, but still…

However, he had barely made it halfway when he noticed something in the corner of his eye. It was intuition when he turned his head, as if the universe just willed him to look. As soon as he saw what it was, he understood why.

It was Perry. Just across the busy street.

They had spent six years together, so it made sense to him how he was able to find him like a needle in a haystack.

It had just been a week since he last saw him, but Perry almost looked like a stranger. He was dressed in a new shirt—and Josh knew this for a fact, since he was the one who often organized their closet. He had just gotten out of a cab with a giddy smile on his face as he pocketed his phone. He was excited. Bubbly. An expression Josh hadn’t seen him wear during their last year together.

A few seconds later, a man approached him and planted a kiss on his cheek. Josh’s eyes widened at the sight, and when it looked like Perry and his “friend" were about to look his way, he sat on the floor so fast to hide behind a parked car.

His heart thumping so fast, it took Josh a few seconds to question his actions.

“Why the hell am I hiding?” he asked himself; but it was too late. He had already committed to it. So, he slowly inched up until he could peek over the parked car's untinted windows.

Perry and his companion were already walking away. Hand in hand. Smiling. Not a care for others.

Someone cleared their throat just behind Josh, making him stand up straight so fast and whirl around. It was a woman holding car keys, obviously the owner of the vehicle he had just been looking through.

Deeply embarrassed and ashamed under the judgmental look of the woman, Josh said a quick, “Sorry,” then adjusted his glasses and briskly walked away.

He did not intend to follow Perry and the man. It just so happened that they were taking the same route as he was. At least, that was what Josh told himself while he watched them walk. It was also what he kept in his head when he stopped at the same time they did. He did not, however, have any excuse for himself anymore when he entered the same restaurant they went into, just a minute after they had gone in.

The place was somewhat upscale. No one was eating in a regular t-shirt and jeans, servers had towels hung neatly on their forearms, and people were lightly damping the sides of their mouths with a napkin.

Perry and the man were led to a table—chatting and smiling from ear to ear. The two were obviously on a date. Josh had no intention of getting in the middle of it, but he was set on observing further; only he got halted as soon as he stepped in.

“Good afternoon, sir, do you have a reservation?” the woman asked kindly.

“Oh, uh,” Josh panicked. “No?”

“May I know how many there is in your party?”

Josh looked at Perry’s table, worried that he might be spotted; but the two were too busy with their menus inside their own blissful little bubble. He looked back at the woman and answered in a whisper, “J-just one. Preferably a table near the, uh,” he looked at the vacant table farthest from his ex-boyfriend, “that one near the bar.”

The woman followed his gaze. It was clear that she found him strange, but she managed a polite smile, nodded, then checked the computer. “Alright, sir, please follow me.”

Just like that, he was seated and given a menu.

Once again, Josh wondered what he was doing. It wasn’t as if he could do anything, and he was never one to stalk. In fact, he didn’t even know what he would get out of watching his previous lover dine with a new man. But he just had to. He just had to see.

Josh had been looking above the menu—his mind all sorts of muddled up—when someone approached his table.

“Good afternoon, sir, my name is Dustin and I’ll be your server for—”

Josh looked up quickly at the sound of the familiar voice. It was, in fact, Dustin Reynolds. Daniel's younger second cousin. The one he lived with. The one who knew him.

At the exact second their gaze met, both of their eyes widened in recognition and surprise.

“Jo—”

Josh, knowing that his name was about to called out loud, did not think and hurriedly pulled Dustin down to place a hand over his mouth.

If he was trying to be discrete, this surely was not the way to do it.

A few people looked their way, and Josh realized that he acted too rashly. Thankfully, Perry and his friend were still in their own world and didn’t even notice. Dustin pushed his hand away and straightened his uniform before motioning “it’s okay” to the obviously concerned floor manager.

Embarrassed for the second time in under five minutes, Josh shot an apologetic look towards Dustin, while placing the menu up to cover his face from Perry's side of the room. He placed a finger on his lips and pleadingly looked at the kid. Dustin, despite frowning at him for a second in confusion, slowly nodded and started again.

“I’ll be your server for today,” he awkwardly said. “Is there anything I can get for you?”

“J-just a cup of coffee,” Josh whispered.

Dustin’s frown didn’t leave his face, but he said, “Coming right up,” and left.

Josh wanted to melt in his seat, behind the menu that he was still holding up like a shield. If there was a word that was greater than “ridiculous”, “embarrassing” and “shameful", that was what he was at that very moment. He did not just follow a man who cheated and broke up with him, but he also had to get caught in the act of sneaking. Twice. By different people.

The day surely couldn’t be any worse.

With his free hand, he took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. He had to stop this immediately and leave, for he might not be too lucky the next time he gets caught.

After putting his glasses back on, he sneaked another peak. Perry had leaned over the table and whispered something that made his companion smile. Then, the two shared a toast and drank their wine.

“Here you go, sir.”

Josh almost jumped as Dustin placed a cup of coffee in front of him. He tried to pretend that he hadn’t been looking elsewhere and smiled at him, but it was too late. Dustin had already followed his gaze for a second, then turned his attention back to him.

“Will that be all?” Dustin asked, maintaining a professional façade.

“The um, tab, please,” Josh answered, his voice sounding a little squeakier than usual.

A corner of Dustin's lips curled up ever so slightly into a smile. “Coming right up,” was all he had said before he left, but Josh knew he had definitely been caught staring. At least, he thought, Dustin was at work and couldn’t tease him on the spot.

A minute later, and his bill was delivered. Deciding then and there that he wouldn’t watch Perry and the man any further, he set his mind to pay and just leave. So, that’s what he did. Right as he stood, he let himself cast one last look, and saw that Perry and the guy was sharing a short peck on the lips.

Despite his ability to almost forget about Perry the past week, seeing for himself that he had been replaced so quickly still stung. It would have been better if Perry had looked like a mess—like he regretted his actions and pleaded for Josh to take him back—but it was as if nothing had happened to him. He had truly made ending a relationship of 6 years seem so easy.

At that moment, dinner or going to the market didn’t even enter Josh's mind. He stood right outside of the restaurant, feeling like his legs were numb. And as if everything he had been through that day hadn’t been enough, he felt a touch on his shoulder that awakened his senses.

“Josh?”

Josh was right when he thought that he wouldn’t be too lucky the next time he got caught; because this time, he got caught by Perry, of all people.

“Shit.” Josh's eyes widened and he almost jumped back. “Perry? W-what—” In his head, he immediately tried to come up with an excuse but drew a blank.

Perry's eyebrows furrowed a little, but he kept a polite smile. “I thought it was you when I saw you leaving. What a coincidence,” he said, looking at Josh from head to toe. “Of all the restaurants in the city…”

Josh knew what he was implying, but he would rather be caught dead in a ditch than admit he had followed him around. He let out an awkward chuckle in an attempt to play it cool. “Funny coincidence, right? Yeah, I can’t believe it either. I-I didn’t expect to see you here. I was just getting a cup of coffee but I remembered I left something somewhere, so I had to leave… But that’s the thing about coincidences, I guess.”

“Mmhm,” Perry hummed as he slowly nodded. It was obvious that he was barely buying it. After all, he had known Josh for almost a decade. He could probably still read him like an open book. “It’s really good to see you, though,” Perry continued, gently giving Josh's arm a squeeze. “I’ve been meaning to text you.”

Josh didn’t know if he believed that, but he didn’t have time to decide when Perry’s friend jogged up to them with a wide smile and a, “Hey. Ready to go?”

Perry dropped his hand from Josh's shoulder, and obviously took a small step to the side, away from the man. “This is uh, my accountant,” he told Josh as he motioned to the man, who looked confused for a second but went with the lie.

“You got a new accountant?” Josh asked, the pitch of his voice a little high as he feigned surprise. He cleared his throat and smiled at the both of them, clutching his briefcase a little too tightly. “Of course, you did. Very quickly.” He had said it through gritted teeth, which was the best he could do at the time.

Perry shifted his weight awkwardly, and in an attempt to change the topic, said, “You look… pretty well.” It was a tone that Josh knew included judgment, but before he could ask him what he meant, an arm slid above his shoulders and he felt himself get pulled into a half hug.

“He does, doesn’t he?” Dustin asked with a proud smile as he loosened his hold on Josh, but kept his arm rested on his shoulders. “Hey, babe, are these your friends?”

Josh was initially unsure who he was talking to, but then he saw that Dustin was directly looking and smiling at him. He was, it seemed, talking to him. He was the “babe,” for some reason. Not knowing how to respond, Josh looked at Perry and his “accountant” who both had the same look of confusion as he did. “Uh, t-they’re…”

Dustin let out an exaggerated smile and gazed lovingly at him. “Look at that,” he told Perry and the man, “he still gets tongue-tied whenever he sees me. Hello, Josh's friends!” It was peppiest Josh had seen Dustin as he took Perry and the man's hands to give them a firm shake. “My name's Gareth McKinley the third. Pleasure to meet you.”

Josh's head snapped towards Dustin in surprise, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Dustin—or the energetic “Gareth”—continued, “I don’t want to get ahead and introduce myself as this gorgeous man's boyfriend—since he's got a few of us dangling by—but that’s the goal.” Dustin laughed and ruffled Josh's hair as if he was a kid.

“Really?” Perry blinked, looking alternately at Josh and Dustin in disbelief.

“I’m kidding about the other guys, of course,” Dustin said with another obnoxious laugh before he patted Josh’s back a little too hard. “I'm his one and only because this guy here is a keeper. A good one! Great, actually!”

“Really?” Perry’s eyebrows were high, and he didn’t even try to mask the fact that he was taken aback. “I must say, I’m really surprised. I didn’t think he’d be your type,” he said jokingly to Josh. “No offense.”

Dustin took the reins once more before Josh could utter a word. “I don’t know who to thank but it seems his type has turned from judgmental douchebags to hot young professional athletes,” he said with a playful wink.

“Professional?” Perry asked, completely disregarding Dustin’s passive-aggressive tone, while Dustin nodded proudly. Perry looked over to Josh, as if asking for him to confirm it. When he didn’t move for a solid three seconds, Dustin pinched his back. That was enough to make Josh snap out of it and nod out of compliance.

“Huh,” Perry thoughtfully muttered as he eyed Dustin from head to toe.

“But aren’t you one of the servers?” Perry's companion reluctantly asked.

Josh looked to Dustin in a panic, but the younger man didn’t seem to be fazed. “Me?” he lightly scoffed. “I don’t think so. I’m not wearing a uniform nor serving drinks, am I?” It was only then that Josh noticed this as well. Dustin had, in fact, changed into a plain shirt with a bomber jacket over it. “I think someone needs to get their eyes checked and watch the local sports channel from time to time” he said patronizingly. “Anyway, you’d have to excuse us. We still have to pack for our ski trip.” With that, he took Josh's briefcase from him and replaced it with his own hand.

“A ski trip? You?” Perry asked Josh in further disbelief.

“H-he's—”

“Let's go, honey,” Dustin smiled at Josh, but his voice was firm and he was squeezing his hand so tightly that Josh had no choice but to nod once more. To Perry and the man, Dustin politely smiled. “It was nice to meet you,” he said, then he dragged Josh away and into the back of a car.