A/N: Please, guys, your author needs lots of reviews. I am hot, cranky, tired from not being able to sleep well because of the mugginess…I just want summer to be over. I live in a very cold state, and I’m longing for winter…
Chapter 4
Luke was handing a customer his change and receipt when Ronan came through the door of the convenience store the next day. He waited shyly by the door until the customer had picked up his bag of purchases and left. Luke grinned at him in greeting. “Lookin’ good, Ronan,” he said, giving the other man a thumbs-up gesture.
And, indeed, he did. He’d clearly used the acne products that he had, because already his skin looked much better. The haircut required little attention to look good, and he was wearing some of his new clothes. A green cashmere sweater over a white shirt with a crisp collar, and tan slacks with loafers. He was a clean-cut young professional, instead of the grubby slacker who’d taken to haunting the convenient store every day. Only the ugly glasses detracted from his appearance, but there was nothing that they could do about that until he got his new glasses sometime at the end of the week.
Ronan squirmed and turned a little red. “Thank you,” he said softly, looking at his new loafers.
“So how’d it go at work today?” Luke asked. Ronan had told him that he only worked five hours a day, but that he made so much money that his being a part-timer didn’t matter.
Ronan straightened up. “Good,” he said, sounding pleased. “Everybody complimented me on my clothes and my new haircut, and one of the ladies gave me some cookies, and some people asked me to sit with them at lunch! I’ve…that’s never happened before,” he said, clearly awed.
Luke’s lips twitched, through he felt great satisfaction over Ronan’s words. “See? I told you so,” he said, coming out from behind the counter. “Sometimes just little changes to your exterior can make a huge difference. But that’s just for the shallow people, casual acquaintances, and co-workers. When we’re finished working on your people skills, you’ll have tons of friends who like you for who you are, not just for what you look like. Come on over to the table, and we’ll have something to drink while we talk.”
Ronan came over and sat down, and Luke fetched them some drinks from the cooler. He plopped down across from Ronan, who ducked his head. Clearly he’d forgotten that he didn’t have any bangs to hide behind anymore. Luke slid him a bottle of flavored green tea. “There. You like this kind, don’t you?”
Ronan flashed him a look of surprise. “Yes,” he replied softly.
Luke winked at him. “I pay attention,” he said teasingly, “Maybe nobody else noticed you, but I do. You interest me, Ronan.”
“I do? Why?” Ronan asked, clearly confused.
Luke chuckled, opening the bottle of soda and sipping at it. “Well, why wouldn’t I be interested in my stalker?”
Ronan turned scarlet and spluttered. “I d-didn’t…I…” he trailed off, slumping in his chair in defeat with his head hanging.
Luke said gently: “Ronan, it’s okay. Really. I’m not scared of you, or anything, and it’s fun to hang out with you. If I’d really thought that you were some kind of dangerous stalker, I’d have called the cops or threatened you to make you stop coming in. I’m just teasing you, I swear.”
Ronan lifted his head from his hands. He peeped at Luke through his ugly glasses, chewing on his lower lip a little. “Are you sure?”
Luke nodded. “Really, really sure. So relax, and let’s talk about something else. I thought we could discuss date etiquette. Have you ever been out on a date? Besides our mock one yesterday, that is?”
Ronan shook his head. “Is it hard?” he asked uncertainly.
Luke shrugged. “Sometimes it can be, but it depends on how you click. If it’s a bad date from the get go, there’s probably nothing you can do to improve it. But if you find that you and the other person are getting along, there are things you can do to make the date really great…and make them come back for more.”
“What things?” Ronan asked, sounding genuinely interested.
“Oh, like what I’ve told you already, about laughing at their jokes even if they’re not funny, and agreeing with what they say. But you can also put all of your attention on them, as though they’re the most important thing in the room. It shows that you want to hear what they have to say, that you’re interested in them, that you really want to get to know them better. You’re giving them a signal that you really like them, and that you’re enjoying being around them. If you look bored or keep glancing around you, that’s a signal that you’re not really interested, and that you’d rather be somewhere else. And nobody wants to see that.”
“Oh. It seems pretty simple,” Ronan remarked.
“It is. There are more complex parts to dating, but the initial phase is really pretty simple. It’s only when you start to get serious about each other that complexities set in. That’s when you can learn about each others’ deal-breakers, that sort of thing…”
“Deal-breakers?”
Luke nodded. “Those are things that can kill a budding relationship, no matter how promising it is. Like if you really wanted kids desperately, and your boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t want them at all…that might be a deal-breaker. There’s also religious differences, political differences, money issues…”
“Political differences can be a deal-breaker in a relationship?” Ronan said skeptically.
Luke grinned. “You wouldn’t think so, but with the country being so polarized between the two parties and the sometimes large gap between liberal and conservative thinking, the fights you can have about the subject can be enough to bring a relationship to its knees. It’s sad, I know; but it’s also sometimes true.”
Ronan shook his head. “That seems kind of dumb.”
“It is, really. But humans often fight about the dumbest stuff! You’d be shocked at some of the cases that I’m studying. People suing other people over the most retarded things…it just blows your mind. I’m afraid that the one constant among human beings is that we tend to be stupid in one way or another. Not a great survival trait, but somehow we’ve managed to become the supreme species on the planet. I don’t get it, but there it is.”
Ronan fidgeted in his chair. “It seems like there’s so many pitfalls,” he complained.
“Nothing good in life is ever easy,” Luke sighed. “And when you meet the right person, it can be really good indeed. Having somebody there for you, to hold you and kiss you and tell you that you’re wonderful even if you don’t think so…it’s really great.”
Ronan looked at him. “Has that ever happened for you?” he asked.
Luke shrugged. “Once. I dated a guy for two years. We were pretty serious - but we were also both pretty young. He met somebody else that was better for him, and he dumped me. That hurt a lot, but I can look back on it now and realize if he could leave me that easily, he definitely wasn’t the right one for me in the long run.”
“I’m sorry,” Ronan said. Then: “A man? You’re…?”
“Gay? Yeah. Will you have a problem with that?”
Ronan turned pink. “Oh, no!” he cried, shaking his head. “It’s fine. And I think…I think that I’m…the same way.”
Luke’s brows lifted. “You think? You don’t know whether you’re gay or not?”
Ronan hunched his shoulder a little. “Well, I’ve never been out on a date with a guy, or kissed one, or…anything!” he cried passionately.
“That doesn’t have anything to do with it. If you’re attracted to other guys, then you’re gay. If you’re attracted to girls, you’re straight. And if you’re attracted to both sexes, you’re bisexual. It’s as easy as that. Are you only attracted to guys?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, you’re gay. Welcome to the best club in the world!” Luke went on with a wink.
Ronan smiled that delightful little smile of his. “Thanks. It’s nice to just be able to talk to somebody about this. It’s kind of scary, knowing that you might be gay.”
“It is. And it can be really difficult, especially when you have to come out to your family and friends. Taking those first steps is hard, but it’s worth it to live the way you want to. So hopefully with my help, you can meet some hot guys who will be thoroughly charmed by you,” Luke said whimsically, smiling at Ronan.
Again that blush. He was just so adorable when he blushed! He might have teased Ronan some more, but the door jangled just then as a customer came in. He sighed. “Back to work,” he remarked philosophically, rising to his feet.
Ronan sat at the table drinking his tea while Luke helped the customer. But then several more customers came in, and Luke realized to his chagrin that he wouldn’t be able to spend more time with Ronan today. He sighed as he rang up the purchases of his third customer, losing sight of Ronan as people lined up in front of his counter. When the little crowd finally thinned, he was startled to see a man leaning over the table and apparently talking to Ronan! Suspicious and annoyed, he gritted his teeth and got rid of the rest of his costumers. By the time he finally rang up the last one, the man was gone. Ronan was sitting alone, looking dazed.
Luke strode over to the table. “Who was that, Ronan?” he asked tightly.
Ronan looked up at him. “I…his name is Andrew Sykes,” he said, disbelief clear in his voice. “He-he asked me out! And I said yes!” he added.
Stunned, Luke just stood there. He couldn’t believe it! Some other guy had snagged Ronan right out from under him! He felt sick. While he’d teased Ronan, he’d never made it clear that he was doing all of this because he wanted to get to know Ronan better. Oh, God, he was a fool. And he was going to be a very lonely fool, soon. All because he hadn’t made himself clear from the start. He had the great urge to stick his head under the slurpee machine and drown himself in blue raspberry…
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Chapter 4
Luke was handing a customer his change and receipt when Ronan came through the door of the convenience store the next day. He waited shyly by the door until the customer had picked up his bag of purchases and left. Luke grinned at him in greeting. “Lookin’ good, Ronan,” he said, giving the other man a thumbs-up gesture.
And, indeed, he did. He’d clearly used the acne products that he had, because already his skin looked much better. The haircut required little attention to look good, and he was wearing some of his new clothes. A green cashmere sweater over a white shirt with a crisp collar, and tan slacks with loafers. He was a clean-cut young professional, instead of the grubby slacker who’d taken to haunting the convenient store every day. Only the ugly glasses detracted from his appearance, but there was nothing that they could do about that until he got his new glasses sometime at the end of the week.
Ronan squirmed and turned a little red. “Thank you,” he said softly, looking at his new loafers.
“So how’d it go at work today?” Luke asked. Ronan had told him that he only worked five hours a day, but that he made so much money that his being a part-timer didn’t matter.
Ronan straightened up. “Good,” he said, sounding pleased. “Everybody complimented me on my clothes and my new haircut, and one of the ladies gave me some cookies, and some people asked me to sit with them at lunch! I’ve…that’s never happened before,” he said, clearly awed.
Luke’s lips twitched, through he felt great satisfaction over Ronan’s words. “See? I told you so,” he said, coming out from behind the counter. “Sometimes just little changes to your exterior can make a huge difference. But that’s just for the shallow people, casual acquaintances, and co-workers. When we’re finished working on your people skills, you’ll have tons of friends who like you for who you are, not just for what you look like. Come on over to the table, and we’ll have something to drink while we talk.”
Ronan came over and sat down, and Luke fetched them some drinks from the cooler. He plopped down across from Ronan, who ducked his head. Clearly he’d forgotten that he didn’t have any bangs to hide behind anymore. Luke slid him a bottle of flavored green tea. “There. You like this kind, don’t you?”
Ronan flashed him a look of surprise. “Yes,” he replied softly.
Luke winked at him. “I pay attention,” he said teasingly, “Maybe nobody else noticed you, but I do. You interest me, Ronan.”
“I do? Why?” Ronan asked, clearly confused.
Luke chuckled, opening the bottle of soda and sipping at it. “Well, why wouldn’t I be interested in my stalker?”
Ronan turned scarlet and spluttered. “I d-didn’t…I…” he trailed off, slumping in his chair in defeat with his head hanging.
Luke said gently: “Ronan, it’s okay. Really. I’m not scared of you, or anything, and it’s fun to hang out with you. If I’d really thought that you were some kind of dangerous stalker, I’d have called the cops or threatened you to make you stop coming in. I’m just teasing you, I swear.”
Ronan lifted his head from his hands. He peeped at Luke through his ugly glasses, chewing on his lower lip a little. “Are you sure?”
Luke nodded. “Really, really sure. So relax, and let’s talk about something else. I thought we could discuss date etiquette. Have you ever been out on a date? Besides our mock one yesterday, that is?”
Ronan shook his head. “Is it hard?” he asked uncertainly.
Luke shrugged. “Sometimes it can be, but it depends on how you click. If it’s a bad date from the get go, there’s probably nothing you can do to improve it. But if you find that you and the other person are getting along, there are things you can do to make the date really great…and make them come back for more.”
“What things?” Ronan asked, sounding genuinely interested.
“Oh, like what I’ve told you already, about laughing at their jokes even if they’re not funny, and agreeing with what they say. But you can also put all of your attention on them, as though they’re the most important thing in the room. It shows that you want to hear what they have to say, that you’re interested in them, that you really want to get to know them better. You’re giving them a signal that you really like them, and that you’re enjoying being around them. If you look bored or keep glancing around you, that’s a signal that you’re not really interested, and that you’d rather be somewhere else. And nobody wants to see that.”
“Oh. It seems pretty simple,” Ronan remarked.
“It is. There are more complex parts to dating, but the initial phase is really pretty simple. It’s only when you start to get serious about each other that complexities set in. That’s when you can learn about each others’ deal-breakers, that sort of thing…”
“Deal-breakers?”
Luke nodded. “Those are things that can kill a budding relationship, no matter how promising it is. Like if you really wanted kids desperately, and your boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t want them at all…that might be a deal-breaker. There’s also religious differences, political differences, money issues…”
“Political differences can be a deal-breaker in a relationship?” Ronan said skeptically.
Luke grinned. “You wouldn’t think so, but with the country being so polarized between the two parties and the sometimes large gap between liberal and conservative thinking, the fights you can have about the subject can be enough to bring a relationship to its knees. It’s sad, I know; but it’s also sometimes true.”
Ronan shook his head. “That seems kind of dumb.”
“It is, really. But humans often fight about the dumbest stuff! You’d be shocked at some of the cases that I’m studying. People suing other people over the most retarded things…it just blows your mind. I’m afraid that the one constant among human beings is that we tend to be stupid in one way or another. Not a great survival trait, but somehow we’ve managed to become the supreme species on the planet. I don’t get it, but there it is.”
Ronan fidgeted in his chair. “It seems like there’s so many pitfalls,” he complained.
“Nothing good in life is ever easy,” Luke sighed. “And when you meet the right person, it can be really good indeed. Having somebody there for you, to hold you and kiss you and tell you that you’re wonderful even if you don’t think so…it’s really great.”
Ronan looked at him. “Has that ever happened for you?” he asked.
Luke shrugged. “Once. I dated a guy for two years. We were pretty serious - but we were also both pretty young. He met somebody else that was better for him, and he dumped me. That hurt a lot, but I can look back on it now and realize if he could leave me that easily, he definitely wasn’t the right one for me in the long run.”
“I’m sorry,” Ronan said. Then: “A man? You’re…?”
“Gay? Yeah. Will you have a problem with that?”
Ronan turned pink. “Oh, no!” he cried, shaking his head. “It’s fine. And I think…I think that I’m…the same way.”
Luke’s brows lifted. “You think? You don’t know whether you’re gay or not?”
Ronan hunched his shoulder a little. “Well, I’ve never been out on a date with a guy, or kissed one, or…anything!” he cried passionately.
“That doesn’t have anything to do with it. If you’re attracted to other guys, then you’re gay. If you’re attracted to girls, you’re straight. And if you’re attracted to both sexes, you’re bisexual. It’s as easy as that. Are you only attracted to guys?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, you’re gay. Welcome to the best club in the world!” Luke went on with a wink.
Ronan smiled that delightful little smile of his. “Thanks. It’s nice to just be able to talk to somebody about this. It’s kind of scary, knowing that you might be gay.”
“It is. And it can be really difficult, especially when you have to come out to your family and friends. Taking those first steps is hard, but it’s worth it to live the way you want to. So hopefully with my help, you can meet some hot guys who will be thoroughly charmed by you,” Luke said whimsically, smiling at Ronan.
Again that blush. He was just so adorable when he blushed! He might have teased Ronan some more, but the door jangled just then as a customer came in. He sighed. “Back to work,” he remarked philosophically, rising to his feet.
Ronan sat at the table drinking his tea while Luke helped the customer. But then several more customers came in, and Luke realized to his chagrin that he wouldn’t be able to spend more time with Ronan today. He sighed as he rang up the purchases of his third customer, losing sight of Ronan as people lined up in front of his counter. When the little crowd finally thinned, he was startled to see a man leaning over the table and apparently talking to Ronan! Suspicious and annoyed, he gritted his teeth and got rid of the rest of his costumers. By the time he finally rang up the last one, the man was gone. Ronan was sitting alone, looking dazed.
Luke strode over to the table. “Who was that, Ronan?” he asked tightly.
Ronan looked up at him. “I…his name is Andrew Sykes,” he said, disbelief clear in his voice. “He-he asked me out! And I said yes!” he added.
Stunned, Luke just stood there. He couldn’t believe it! Some other guy had snagged Ronan right out from under him! He felt sick. While he’d teased Ronan, he’d never made it clear that he was doing all of this because he wanted to get to know Ronan better. Oh, God, he was a fool. And he was going to be a very lonely fool, soon. All because he hadn’t made himself clear from the start. He had the great urge to stick his head under the slurpee machine and drown himself in blue raspberry…
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