LOVE ME A LITTLE MORE (M×M)

~8~

"You sure you don't want to go home now?" Kyle asked me worriedly, looking at the clock. It was past my work hours. And I was no where near my completion.

My Boss would have my head if I don't meet my deadlines. After all, he was paying me quite a good overtime.

I shook my head, gazing at my laptop with my tired eyes. I removed my glasses, placing them beside my laptop as I pinched the areas between my eyes.

"You do know that this is mission impossible, right?" Kyle said to me, sitting on the chair in front of me and I scoffed in reaction.

Mom always told me that the only thing that is impossible is the word impossible itself. 'Who would've thought that the world would run on the access of one fingertip? There's nothing impossible, Theo." 

"That's why I am working my ass off to make it mission possible. There's nothing I can't do, Kyle. If I give up now. I'll be disrespecting my teachers and mentors. I will make this project a success. Just wait and watch." I said, sipping my soup and he sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't know if it's the extra money speaking or your self-respect. Either way, it's not worth it, Theo. Mr. Jones and Mr. Blue will eventually cross out your next design too. Why do you want to work so hard on a project which has no future?"

"It's both. Money and my self-respect both. And if I complete this project, I'll get my long pending promotion. I am, of course, not going to let this opportunity go." I said stubbornly and he grounded his jaw in anger and annoyance. He stood up from the chair, throwing his hands up in air.

"Fine! f**k with your health and see if I would care again!" He barked angrily, making me sigh.

"You don't mean it." I said pointedly and he glared at me, leaning against my table.

"Of course, I don't, you dumbass! Work as long as you want. Rent a house in this office itself. I am ordering you food and you better eat it." He warned me and I laughed, getting up from my seat to wrap my arms around him.

"You know, I love you, right?" I said sweetly and he scoffed, patting my back twice, making me snort this time.

"Like you should. Get your promotion and then promote me. Okay? Goodnight, I am going to sleep in my warm bed with my blankets. You know, sleep is the only sweetest thing in this world of fallacy, right?" He said, quoting a line from one of the books he must have been reading now.

"And I hope you also know that hard-work is the only ultimate key to success." I retorted back and he laughed, slamming the door of my office shut.

"Enjoy your success then, Sir." He yelled over his shoulders, making me laugh as I again put the glasses on my nose to continue my work. It would be a very long night.

~~~~~

"You should not walk on streets with your eyes closed, Mr. Roosevelt." Mr. Hudson said, walking out of his car and I blinked, realizing I was walking in the middle of the street.

We had to extend the deadline by another week and the work pressure only increased with every passing day. I even had to miss my third therapy session. Not that I wasn't going to but my work gave me a legit valid reason to not attend my therapy sessions.

But hearing him wasn't any easy. Not when I had purposely missed his sessions and when he was standing in front of me.

Even at three in the morning, Mr. Alderic Hudson managed to look fresh as ever. Dressed in a dark suit, with his hair slightly disheveled, he managed to make my breath hitch.

Standing at a distance of one meter, I could look into his brown eyes. They were as as intense as I could last remember them. Like his eyes weren't just eyes but a shard of glass that often pierced my skin, making me bleed the blood that wasn't just invisible but also without any pain. Just intense blood that wanted me to get connected with him.

"I wasn't walking with my eyes closed." I muttered under my breath and he rose one of his brow, taking a few steps closer until he stood just a few inches away from me.

"And still you couldn't see vehicles advancing towards you?" He asked me, making me feel like a child. He wasn't even scolding me, never did his voice shot up. He was as composed as I last met him. But something in his eyes and voice made me feel like a child.

"I.... I did see the....." I trailed off, adjusting my glasses and he clicked his tongue, taking the glasses from my nose and started cleaning it from the back of his suit. Now that I saw him doing that, I realized, he had the clothe sewed behind his suit that was used to clean the spectacles.

"Even these are fogged, Mr. Roosevelt. No wonder you didn't see my car advancing towards you. Here, let me." He said softly, his voice wasn't above a whisper.

I froze when his warm fingers accidentally brushed against my skin as he put my glasses back on his place. When I thought he would retract his fingers back, they stayed there. On my face. For a long minute.

"You are cold. And you look tired too. What were you even doing at this hour? Night shift?" He asked me and I snorted, shaking my head. Looking at him clearly now.

He was beautiful. Damn gorgeous.

"I don't do night shifts, Mr. Hudson. I made that clear in my contract before starting my job." I said tiredly, stuffing my hands in my pocket to avoid shivering in cold.

"Then? Partying?" He asked again and I laughed, shaking my head.

"I don't party either, Mr. Hudson. I was working overtime. What about you? Were you doing overtime too?" I joked and he smiled, shaking his head.

"No. Not this time. I was actually partying. My cousin was shifting to a new country. It was a farewell." He said, astounding me. I don't know why but the idea of Mr. Hudson partying sounded foreign to me.

Maybe because he was always too formal and always sounded and behaved so responsibly that it did sounded so foreign that Mr. Alderic Hudson was partying.

He must have seen my surprised face because he chuckled, shaking his head as if telling me not to think what I was thinking.

"I don't party usually, Mr. Roosevelt. It's just that he was my cousin and I had to bid him my goodbye. Who knows when we'll meet next." He said and I smiled, nodding my head.

"Goodbyes are hard." I suddenly said, not realizing that I was voicing out my opinion. Not even realizing that Mr. Hudson was hearing me intently. I flinched back when my eyes met his brown ones. They were looking at me like I was some undiscovered species of animal. With curiosity.

"Not when you don't hold them back. Letting go is the easiest thing we can do, Mr. Roosevelt. Goodbyes are only hard when you dwell on them, thinking that your life will end if you don't meet them again. And such behavior is only harmful. Such behavior never benefits us." He said softly and I hummed in response. And where was the lie in that?

There was something about him, about his voice, about his words that made me wish to just listen to him. Without any interruptions, without any break. He made me wish to keep his words inside me alive always.

"A therapist never leaves his profession aside. Now does he?" I said with a chuckle and he smiled, shaking his head, crossing his legs as he looked at me with something very raw. So raw that it pained me to even look into his eyes anymore.

"A therapist needs to ensure that his patients are okay, Mr. Roosevelt. Especially when they are trying hard to run away from them. I don't just listen to my patients because they pay me, Mr. Roosevelt. I listen to them because I genuinely care for my patients. I didn't took this job to just earn but also to help people heal."

Guilt bubbled inside me and I bit my lips, shyly, very slowly looking up to meet his eyes and his soft, tender expression only broke me. He was smiling. And I don't know why but his smiled made my heart hurt. His eyes told me that I hurt him. And this was the only way he showed me his displeasure. He smiled even more.

"I... I was working overtime." I tried to reason pathetically and he snorted, laughing silently as he took a step forward. His eyes were focused on me. Not even once did they waver from mine.

"Is it because I confessed to you that I am a gay? Is this the reason you're trying to hide from me, Mr. Roosevelt?" I chocked on his question. I forgot to breathe.

"You never said you were a gay, Mr. Hudson."

"But my words very well implied that, Mr

Roosevelt. I clearly said, I like men. What else do you need me to confirm that I am a gay. That I like what you like. We are more similar tham you would like to admit, Mr. Roosevelt." His words were like a hot searing punch to my gut.

I laughed nervously, taking a step back.

"That.... that wasn't the reason I didn't visit you. I told you I am working overtime. I am leading a project that's due this week. I am already late by a week. That's the only reason I didn't visit." I lied blatantly, making him smile even more. His smile was mocking me for my lies.

He knew I was lying.

"That is one of the reasons, Mr. Roosevelt. Remember I am a psychologist. I have studied about human behavior more than any other profession. You still want to lie to me and want to convince me to buy your lies, hm?"

"I... I need to go home." I said, not having an answer to his question and he nodded his head.

"Sure. But do you want to stay for a bowl of soup?" He asked, making my eyes to widen at his offer.

"Soup?"

"We can order some food also. You're cold, Mr. Roosevelt. You even look tired. I am sure a bowl of hot, delicious soup and a few deliciouries would help with your tiredness. What do you say?" He said and I felt my heart bouncing inside my chest.

"What kind of restaurant is open at quarter past three in the morning, Mr. Hudson?" I asked instead and his lips curled in a slight smirk. Mr. Alderic Hudson smirked.

"There are many restaurants that are open day and night. I am sure we can at least find a free table in one of my favourite restaurants." He said and I looked at him with my narrowed eyes.

"You sound like going to a restaurant in midnight is a normal thing for you. And besides didn't you just come from a party? How are you even hungry?"

"Who said to you that I had something in the party, Mr. Roosevelt?" He asked me and I licked my lips, my throat felt dry.

"Oh." Was all I could muster and he smiled teasingly at me.

"I went there to say goodbye to my cousin. And the only things he had arranged there was beer and prawns. I consume neither. I am pretty hungry actually." He said, making me squint my eyes at him.

"You're allergic to prawns?" I asked him and he shrugged his shoes.

"I am not a very big fan of seafood. Now shall we, Mr. Roosevelt?"