A Messy Romance (MxM)

Arlen's sweets

Arlen got out of bed and stretched his tired bones and joints before turning on the light. The big clock on the wall, a housewarming gift from his dad, read 7:30 AM. His room wasn’t very large, just how he preferred it—he didn’t like big spaces that made a room feel empty. Everything in his room was neatly organized, with all the essentials and white-painted walls. He walked over to the mirror to check his messy appearance.

He has spent several hours yesterday, reflecting on the conversation he had with others, shivering at the memory.

Justin had pushed him to go to the party, even though Arlen didn’t want to attend. Besides feeling uneasy around so many strangers who were too loud for his taste, he knew Cade would be there—and he wanted to avoid that.

Arlen couldn’t recall when or why the tension between him and Cade started; he only knew it existed. It hung in the air whenever they were together, something uncomfortable that they couldn't escape. Cade’s blank expression didn’t make things any easier. At least with Brennon, he could exchange a few words to fill the silence.

But with Cade, it was different. Cade's blank expression and vibe seemed to invite the awkward silence. He struggled to find a way to start a conversation or approach him. It wasn't that he wanted anything deep with Cade; he just wished they could get along. Unfortunately, that never happened.

He didn't mind too much, though, since they didn't see each other often. He wasn't even sure he could call Cade his "friend" since they only shared the same friend group. This was all thanks to Justin, who had hoped he'd connect with others, only to discover they were his brother's friends. Still, he joined them just to make Justin happy.

He couldn't pinpoint when his feelings for Justin began. He simply enjoyed how easy it was to talk to him and how their friendship developed and remained strong. He liked being around Justin a lot and often chatted about him with his assistant at the café. But he was uncertain if Justin felt the same way about him.

Sometimes, it's easy for friendly feelings to be confused with romantic ones.

That was the reason Arlen never confessed his feelings for Justin. He feared that if he was wrong and Justin didn't feel the same way, it would ruin their friendship, which was the last thing Arlen wanted. Although he had other friends, none meant as much to him as Justin did.

He still recalled that random Tuesday when Justin invited him to meet at a bar downtown. Arlen dressed just right—not too fancy, but not too casual either—thinking they would simply have drinks and chat like they often did.

However, walking into the bar and finding Justin drunk led to an unexpected moment: he asked Arlen to be his boyfriend. While Arlen wasn't thrilled about how and where it happened, he couldn't deny his excitement. At first, he thought it might be a joke and worried that once Justin sobered up in the morning, he'd take it back.

But that didn’t happen. Justin really had asked him out. Now, he was dating his crush, and he felt incredibly lucky.

Arlen looked at himself in the mirror, smiling. It had been a month since they started dating, and things were still going well. Even though they hadn’t crossed certain boundaries yet, he knew that would come eventually. He just hoped it would happen soon. They had only shared a few kisses, but none of them felt very passionate. They hadn’t even had s*x yet, but Arlen wasn’t upset; they had just begun their relationship, and there was plenty of time for that.

What he really wanted was for them to kiss more deeply just once. Whenever Arlen tried to take it further, Justin always pulled back.

A slight frown appeared on his forehead. “I need to stop overthinking this; we’ll get there soon,” he whispered to himself in his quiet room. “Time to get ready.” The smile returned as he prepared to face the day.

Fifteen minutes later, he was all set. He lived in a cozy one-bedroom apartment that suited his style perfectly. His dad had gotten it for him when he decided to move out years ago because he enjoyed having his own space and preferred living alone.

After finishing his breakfast, he was about to leave when he sent a good morning text to Justin. This was his routine every morning; he always texted first. He understood that Justin often got busy and forgot to message, so he didn’t mind doing it.

The traffic wasn’t heavy today, so the drive to his café went quickly. He stood outside, admiring the large blue and pink two-story building with "Arlen's Sweets" boldly displayed on it. Ever since he learned what a pastry chef was, that had been his dream. After graduating from culinary school, his father helped him get his first café. Eventually, he saved enough money to buy this café, which filled him with pride as he looked at it now.

As he stepped inside, the delightful aroma of pastries filled the air. Even after several years, he still loved how his café smelled. His assistant had already opened up shop, and the employees were busy taking orders and serving customers. After exchanging greetings with the staff, he made his way to the counter.

"Good morning, Arlen!" Max, his assistant and friend, exclaimed cheerfully. A small smile appeared on Arlen's face as he shook his head at Max’s boundless energy. He often wondered how the 23-year-old college student managed to be so lively each morning.

Arlen met Max during his last month of culinary school, while Max was just starting out. Now, Max was nearing graduation, and he felt proud of him, especially since he was an orphan. Max lost his parents in a house fire when he was 16. After that tragedy, he went to live in a foster home and stayed there until he turned 18. He earned a scholarship to the same culinary school where Arlen studied. Juggling several jobs, they eventually crossed paths at a bar, and that's how their friendship began.

"Good morning, Max. How are you?" Arlen said as he walked in.

"Healthy as can be. You?" Max replied while tapping away on his keyboard.

"I'm doing well." Arlen replied. This was how they greeted formally before moving into deeper conversations.

Max looked up from his computer and flashed a big smile at Arlen. "So, how was the party last night? Did you have fun with your boyfriend?" he teased.

When Arlen told Max that he had begun dating Justin, Max felt even happier for Arlen than Arlen himself did, if that's even possible. He always wished for Justin to see that Arlen had feelings for him, so he was thrilled when they became a couple. Max genuinely wanted his friend and boss to be happy because he truly deserved it.

"What's with that smile? Nothing wild or romantic happened, okay?" Arlen replied. "Actually, quite the opposite," he mumbled quietly to himself, but Max didn’t hear him.

"Nothing romantic? You went out with Justin, right?"

"Yeah, but there were other people around. We just had some drinks and looked around."

"That still sounds romantic to me," Max replied, shifting his gaze back to the computer screen.

Arlen rolled his eyes. "You find romance in everything. Anyway, I'm going up to my office now," he said as he headed upstairs. His office wasn't something big, just enough space keep his necessary things. After dropping off his bag and tying on his apron, he made his way back down.

The day officially began for Arlen.