What You Are

Chapter 2-2

Daniel had been completely taken aback at the sight of Alex with his glasses on. And why had Alex stared at him like that? He had suppressed the urge to take a look at himself, checking if maybe there was something wrong with his clothes, like dog s**t on his shirt or something. He was wearing sweatpants, so his fly wasn’t open.

He followed Alex into the kitchen in silence, wondering if there was a way to talk with the man.

“What are you doing?” Alex asked dryly when he found Daniel beside him, near the kitchen counter.

“I-I’m getting a glass of water,” Daniel said uncertainly, almost frightened.

Alex replied with something unintelligible and he poured himself a cup of coffee, swallowing it down in one gulp immediately after.

Daniel looked at him again for a few seconds and tried to deny any thought Alex was adorable, despite the fact that he was rude. Nonsense.

He was adorable because his honey-blond hair was standing up in every direction, his face was still half-sleepy and numb, and those glasses had left Daniel shocked and very, very pleasantly surprised. Last but not least, the deep green of his eyes.

“You wear glasses,” he said, cursing himself immediately after, when his roommate’s head snapped toward him.

“Not true,” Alex mumbled dryly.

“Sorry, what? You’re wearing them…now,” Daniel said with the hint of a smile pointing with the index finger at Alex’s face.

“Yes, but I don’t usually wear them.”

“I find it hard to understand the meaning of your words.”

“Well, learn my language, okay?” Alex muttered, taking off his glasses, like a stubborn child who wanted to prove he was right.

Okay, he was an asshole but, doing that, he was even more adorable, and Daniel, despite Alex’s hostile attitude, had to hide another smile.

He also had to force himself not to burst out laughing a few moments later, when Alex turned to walk away and ran into the open door of the cabinet.

“s**t!” he snapped, putting his hands on his groin. Without glasses he was blind as a mole, of course.

“Everything okay?” Daniel asked, his voice choked at the effort to not laugh.

“f**k you!” was Alex’s polite response as he walked away, but Daniel had the feeling he was angrier with the door than with him.

“Well, good day to you, too!” Daniel shouted after him with a smile, while Alex was on his way down the hallway, but taking care, of course, to slip on his glasses again. Daniel watched him make a gesture with his arm, and maybe, he wanted to say ‘good day to you, too’. Maybe.

Daniel got ready and left for school, trying to be silent as much as possible, because Gabriel and Kevin were still in their dream world and he didn’t want to bother Alex more than he had already.

Daniel loved his job, loved his class at the Lorne Elementary School and the children loved him back. He was a caring teacher of a second grade class, very patient, although he could be severe when needed. He talked with his students, it wasn’t only a job, he participated in their lives, he cared about them and their families and very soon he had become one of the most popular teachers in school.

That day he had a sandwich for lunch and, when he finished working in mid-afternoon, he stopped to buy some furniture for his room at an Ashley Furniture Homestore. He bought a dresser, a desk and a chair, some shelves and other things, and he had them delivered immediately. As soon as the delivery men were gone, he started working to settle the new purchases.

There was no one at home and Daniel felt a little more comfortable. Kevin and Gabriel were friendly, but Alex made him uneasy, even if he wasn’t sure why. Of course, there was the fact that he was an asshole, but Daniel wasn’t sure that was the only reason, especially because he couldn’t get the word—adorable—out of his head, which kept popping into his mind when he thought about him in pajamas and self-conscious about the glasses.

Kevin and Gabriel were the first to return home in the evening. They both worked at a café and Daniel couldn’t help but think their boss had to be very forgiving considering their crazy schedules. They came in giggling and jostling in the hallway, talking about the evening waiting for them.

They stopped at the door, and Daniel smiled, wiping away sweat from his forehead.

“Wow!” They said at the same time, looking at the furniture and the room.

“This is really good, Daniel! Now this is what I call a room,” Gabriel said, stepping inside. He looked around and craned his neck to look at the computer on the desk. “Nice toy.” He nodded with satisfaction.

“I use it for work,” Daniel said, smiling. “It’s much easier to prepare my lessons with it.”

“I guess. Jason told me you’re a teacher. You must have a lot of patience.”

Yes, it was true. And he had already proved that with Alex, actually.

“I do my best.”

“Well, well. I like how you’ve furnished the room. It’s…classy. Good taste. Oh, Kevin and I have a gig tonight in a pub not far from here. Do you want to come? If you want to bring some friends. Or a girlfriend.” Gabriel wiggled his eyebrows.

Daniel blushed slightly and nodded.

“I’d like to. I don’t know many people here apart from a few colleagues and I think it’s too late to ask if they want to come. And, no. No girlfriend.”

“No girlfriend?” Gabriel asked, eyes widening in surprise . Kevin chuckled behind his friend and shook his head.

“Oh, we have to fix that. Last night it was crowded with women here. You saw them, right? There was one of them who walked around practically naked. You couldn’t miss her, man!” Gabriel exclaimed.

“Yes, but—”

“But, what? Come on! You’re a handsome guy. What is it? You have some strange eruption in your lower areas? You have deadly breath? What? Because I can’t believe it.”

Daniel was now blushing deep red up to the tips of his ears and he caught Kevin’s eye, who leaned his head to the side, narrowing his eyes.

“Gabriel…” Kevin muttered behind him, like he had understood something, like he was warning his friend.

“No, no, I won’t listen. There’s no reason we can’t get a woman for him. We need to find someone who is worthy of this guy. I would never have thought Jason wouldn’t take care of you. We take care of friends! Right, Kevin?” Gabriel asked finally, turning to his friend.

“Yes, but I don’t think that’s what he wants.”

Gabriel fell silent for a few seconds and then he looked at them both, with the look of someone who was trying to understand some hidden meaning.

“You’re too shy?” he asked, shocked. “Or, I don’t know…you are chaste and pure?”

“Chaste and pure?” Kevin asked, starting to laugh madly. “Oh, man! How do you come up with these ideas?”

“I have been studying, okay?”

Daniel laughed with them and shook his head, amused and relaxed. So relaxed that, still laughing, he told them the truth.

“No, no. None of the above. I’m gay.”

The three of them kept on laughing for a few seconds, and then the laughter subsided slowly, when they realized what Daniel had just said.

“Gay?” Gabriel asked, swallowing, while Kevin had a small smile on his lips and was nodding, although a little tense.

“Is it…is it a problem?” Daniel gasped, already imagining them throwing him out in the middle of the street.

Gabriel looked at him and shook his head immediately. “No. No. Of course not! I mean…I didn’t expect this. You don’t look gay. I’m used to Matt—he is a friend of mine and flamboyant—but you…you’re different.”

“What? Gay?”

All the three turned toward the door, where Alex had stopped before going to his room, probably hearing their voices. Daniel felt himself blushing again and Alex’s gaze was so cold he was tempted to pack up his things and flee.

“Uh, hello, Alex,” Gabriel greeted him, clearing his throat.

“Yeah, hello. What were you saying?” Alex asked without taking his eyes off Daniel.

“We were telling Daniel he should come to the concert tonight,” Kevin answered.

“And then what?”

“I-I…well…” Daniel gasped out of breath.

“It doesn’t matter. I heard you. You’re gay. Perfect. I’m going into my room now.” Alex disappeared.

Kevin took a deep breath. Daniel felt like a puppy that had just been beaten by its master.

“I’m sorry, he’s not always like that,” Kevin said.

“Well, let’s say he was like that from the very first moment I saw him. And something tells me this conversation has only made things worse.”