The two of them made their way to a nearby diner in silence. Tobias could feel David's curious gaze on him, but he ignored it. His heart was beating too fast at the moment. He could feel David's warm palm against his own as they held hands all the way to the diner. He had been dreaming of taking David out on dates for years, but the man refused him over and over again. After college graduation, he thought he lost David for good.

Not that he was ever close to David in the first place. He spent his junior and senior years arguing with David every time they met each other on campus. He had no idea what he did wrong, but David seemed to hate his guts. At first, he tried to work things out. Then, he grew mad, as well. Things escalated from bad to worse after that. They would quarrel and throw snide remarks at each other during all their encounters.

It was strange how things turned out at the moment. He was seated across from David at the diner. They had both ordered their food and drinks, and they didn't know what to say to each other. It was as if they were out on their first date. They were both so awkward right then and there. Tobias yearned to utter something witty to break the tension, but his mind was a complete blank. In the end, he simply stared at David, admiring the pretty man he had been crushing on all those years ago. Judging by how he felt now, he still had the same feeling of infatuation.

"This is my favorite diner."

Tobias nodded. "Mine, too. I live in the apartment building one block away from here."

David's eyes lit up. "Is that the new building? Cliffview Heights or something?"

"Yeah."

"Cool. What floor are you on?"

"The apartment is on the rooftop."

David gaped. "Wow. How can you afford to pay for that?"

Tobias blushed as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm the CEO of a chain of department stores since my dad retired three years ago."

"Which one?"

"The Majestic Ruiz."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I never knew that."

Tobias shrugged. "We weren't friends."

David nodded. "True. I'm not even sure what we are now."

Tobias inhaled before letting out his breath slowly. "I don't know either. I'm still confused about your reason for hating me back then."

"Your reputation."

"What?"

"You slept with everyone."

Tobias narrowed his eyes in irritation. "No, I didn't. That was an exaggeration."

"But you had sex with quite a number of people to earn your man-whore status."

"What are you? A fucking prude?"

"Better than a man slut," David retorted in an angry tone of voice.

Tobias gritted his teeth and tried to calm down. "Is that why you refused to go out on a date with me?"

David didn't respond to his question for a moment. Instead, David simply looked at him in silence. He was about to repeat himself when David nodded at him.

"Yeah."

It was like a slap in the face, but he probably deserved it. "I see. I thought you just disliked me for no reason at all."

"Not at all. I ... I liked you. You were one of the smartest people in school. I also heard about your grades in college. You must be really intelligent if our mutual acquaintances in college knew about how well you did in your classes."

Tobias shrugged. "I had to perform well. I'm an only child. I have to continue with my family business. There's no room for failure. I can't let my parents down."

"I see."

The two of them were quiet after that. When their orders were placed on the table, they proceeded to eat without exchanging a single word. They were about halfway done when Tobias decided to break the silence.

"Do you still like me?"

David didn't answer for a moment. Tobias's heart beat harder and faster as he waited for David's response. Finally, David nodded.