13 Like Sugar | Chapter Thirteen

Austin was going on about something as he typed on his phone. Jared wasn't really listening. His mind was on the fact that he would have to drive a little above the speed limit if he wanted to pick Darnell on time after this. Sure, he had called the younger man and told him he was going to be a little late, but he still felt bad about making him hang around the car park for a whole extra hour. Jared was driving Austin to his home on the other side of town because his friend's car didn't start up, and he needed a ride.

"You can't just tell me to take public transport," the older man had said when Jared had suggested that, horror clear in his body language and facial expression. Jared had felt bad, so he offered his friend a ride even though he had been in a rush to meet up with Darnell.

"Look at the road. When I asked you for a ride I didn't ask to die," Austin said, making Jared blink before tightening his grip on the steering wheel. He had spaced out and had, if only for a few seconds, not paid attention to the road. "Did something happen? You've been looking like a shell of yourself all week," Austin said, lighting a cigarette in the car. Jared didn't have the energy to tell him not to smoke, so he just let him. The physics professor sighed, looking away from his friend as he tried to arrange the thoughts in his head.

"You said you think you're in love with Yves, right?" Jared asked, and he watched his friend nod from the corner of his eyes. "Does he know you feel that way about him?" he asked, watching as his friend blew a puff of smoke into the car.

"Yes," Austin answered, making Jared raise a brow in surprise. "I told him less than a week ago."

He doesn't feel the same way," Austin muttered in a low tone, but Jared picked his words up, licking his lips at the awkwardness reigned over them. Austin had been really excited about asking Yves to marry him. Jared wondered if he just told him he loved him or proposed to him. He kept wondering because he knew he couldn't ask. Austin might be touchy about it, and besides, they were talking about something else.

"He didn't leave you?" Jared asked in a small voice, not sure how his friend would react. The older bubbly man had gone a little quiet, so he wasn't sure what was going on in his mind.

"We have a contract," Austin simply countered. "There's nowhere in it that says I can't have feelings for him," Austin added, making Jared bite down on his bottom lip as he thought about that.

"I love Darnell," he said plainly, finding an odd sense of comfort from saying it out loud for the first time. He had never even said it out loud to himself and admitting it to Austin felt like a load was lifted off his shoulders. "I love him so much, that I don't even know what to do with myself when I'm around him. I don't know if it's wise to tell him about it. Or maybe I'm worrying over nothing and he already knows and is being polite about it," Jared went on, stepping on the break as they came to a red light.

"Oh, so you're lovesick. That's why you haven't been functioning properly," Austin laughed, folding his hands over his stomach. "I've been there. I'm over it," he said, humming as he looked out the window.

"Why don't you just tell him if you think he doesn't know or ask him if you think he has an idea?" Austin said in a dry tone. He couldn't understand what Jared was worried about. It wasn't like Darnell would shoot him for having feelings. "You never know. He might even take you liking him a compliment," Austin added, making Jared frown.

"I don't think so," Jared muttered, recounting his experiences in the bar scenes as a younger man. "A lot of people take an ugly person taking interest in them as an insult to their own looks. I'm not sure how to explain it. Like, if you're attracted to them it seems like you're indirectly saying you think you have a chance with them? I don't know—" Jared paused, biting his bottom lip again as he removed his foot from the break when the light turned green.

"I know Darnell will be nice about it because he has to be nice to me. It doesn't mean he won't go home and laugh about it," Jared said in a low tone. That was his biggest fear; the possibility that Darnell would laugh over his attraction to him, even though he would probably do it in the privacy of his home.

Jared was trying to swallow down the question that had been boiling in his mind for a while, but he couldn't anymore, and let it slip. "Do you ever that like having money involved makes this confusing? I can't tell if the things Darnell does are because he feels he has to since I'm paying him, or maybe—" Jared's face warmed up as he paused. He couldn't say it. It felt odd even implying that Darnell might feel that way about him. It was wishful thinking.

There was no answer from Austin, and the car fell into silence. Jared's friend didn't seem to have an answer for that. Austin took a drag of his cigarette before winding the window down and letting the smell of tobacco slip out of the car. "Yes, it complicates things, but I don't think it's something you have to guess about or not if you're straightforward. Ask him how he feels. You'll get a yes or a no. The no might be laced in apologies and all that, but it's still a no," Austin finally answers, biting inside his cheek as his blue eyes watched the passing scenery.

"Yves isn't in love with me," Austin muttered, turning to look at Jared. "Yet," he added, turning to give his friend a wink.

Jared blinked, looking away. He wished he had just a bit of Austin's confidence. If he did, he was sure things wouldn't be as complicated as they were now.

"Hey," Austin said, pulling Jared out of his thoughts. "I know this is short notice, but I convinced Yves to go out on a date with me by emphasizing it was a double date. The problem is, I don't know any other couples to ask. Do you think you can get Darnell to come with you tomorrow night? It's free food. Everything's on me!" Austin said, and Jared scratched around his hairline, wondering what to say in response.

"Darnell and I aren't a couple..." Jared trailed, feeling a bit uncomfortable with that phrasing. He in the world was he going to ask Darnell on a date?

"Yves and I aren't a couple either." Austin rolled his eyes, knowing where his friend was going with this. "Just ask him if he wants to go for dinner," Austin said, making Jared mull over it. Darnell wouldn't think going for dinner with his friend was funny, would he?

"Okay," Jared said, making his friend smile as they came to his stop. Austin got out of the car, closing the door before waving at Jared.

"I'll send you the details. See you tomorrow night. Be sure to bring Darnell," Austin muttered as Jared nodded. When his friend had safely gotten into his house Jared drove away, looking at his watch from time to time to make sure he wasn't late. He was supposed to pick Darnell up after his work hours ended, but he had to shift things around because Austin needed a ride. Darnell hadn't minded and had just said he would kill an hour somewhere before returning to the parking lot, but still, Jared felt a bit bad.

When Jared made it to the parking lot, he didn't even get the time to send Darnell a text, because there was a knock on his window within the short time bracket that he used to park his car. He looked up, finding the younger man leaning over his car and giving him a bright smile. Jared blinked, he hadn't seen Darnell up close in almost a week. The younger man was just breathtaking. His curls were looser today, and his eyes were bright. He looked excited to see Jared, and that made the older man's heart well. Jared looked away, moving to unlock the car doors so that Darnell could get in.

Jared tried to look straight ahead when Darnell climbed in and closed the door behind him. He knew his face had to be red from how warm they were. He wasn't sure what Darnell would think of his full-face blush. He was going to start the car again before driving out of the parking lot, but he couldn't since Darnell reached out to hold his hand, catching the man's attention, and making him turn to look at the younger man.

"I missed you," Darnell said in a low voice, edging towards the end of his seat before leaning over until he could press his lips on Jared's cheek. He pulled away, smiling at the older man before leaning in to kiss him again, but this time on the lips. Jared sighed into the kiss, feeling waves of content and pleasure run through him as his tongue met Darnell's in a deep kiss. Darnell leaned forward, more than halfway out of his seat as he gradually moved to Jared's lap as they continued to kiss.

Jared let himself run his hand through Darnell's soft curls, running his hand down Darnell's arms before Darnell made to throw his hand around the man's shoulders. Darnell was straddling him now, trying to make do with the little space they had. Jared broke the kiss, staring at Darnell's lips before kissing down the man's neck before settling to gnaw at the spot just before the dip in Darnell's collarbone. The younger man shuddered, sighing and cooing as he let his hands slide between them to fee Jared's chest through his work shirt.

Jared only snapped back into his senses when Darnell's hand moved lower, brushing his erection through the material of his Jeans. Jared pulled Darnell away at arm's length, startling the younger man.

Darnell folded his hands across his chest as a worried expression formed on his face. "I'm sorry—"

"You didn't do anything wrong. It's just that we're in the car," Jared said, cutting Darnell off before he could beat himself up over things. Darnell still seemed flustered even after the assurance. The younger man nodded, looking at anything but Jared as he slipped out of the man's lap before crawling back to his own seat.

"Darnell," Jared called when he started the car, realizing that he might as well ask Darnell about the dinner now because he wasn't sure he would remember to ask him about it when they got to his place. "My friend invited me to dinner, do you want to come along? It's tomorrow," Jared asked, driving the car out of the parking lot. The car was quiet for a bit as Darnell tried to think. Jared tightened his grip on the steering wheel, starting to get a bit worried. Maybe Darnell didn't want to come. He started wondering if it had been a stupid thing to ask.

"I would love that," Darnell answered, making Jared's eye's go wide with surprise before he smiled, humming in delight. "Just text me the time, I'll come over to your place before then," Darnell muttered, holding on to the bag he had brought in with him. Jared's heartbeat quickened when he saw Darnell smile from the corner of his eyes.

"Will you help me with my Math today?" Darnell asked, making Jared smile before nodding.

"Do you have a test soon?" Jared asked, relaxing into the conversation with Darnell.

"I have a quiz next week. I don't know if you're willing to help me out on Monday too..." Darnell trailed, rubbing the back o his neck.

"I'll do anything you want," the older man said, startling Darnell and making the younger man's eyes go wide as he looked at Jared. Darnell seemed pleased yet a little confused by the statement. Jared chuckled at his expression. Darnell would never know how much him saying yes meant to him. Of course, his head started treating it like a date, but he didn't stop himself. This was probably the closest he would get to taking Darnell out, and he decided he was going to make the most of it.