What's this? A new chapter? You bet your sweet buns it is!
When morning came I woke much easier than I had the day before, beating Duro and Chadara by over an hour. I took the time to shower and then made waffles for my brother and his 'guest'. Today was a training day, training days always started with a good breakfast of waffles and bacon and eggs with a bit of fruit on the side.
As I waited I sent Tiberius a text, asking how badly he had bruised and offering to hunt down the shit that had beaten him. I didn't get a reply but didn't let it bother me, Tiberius himself had given me his number without me even having to ask. That had to mean something, right?
The first four waffles were cooked and on a plate, and I was scrambling some eggs and frying bacon, when Duro turned up in an old pair of pants Chadara behind him in one of Duro's old shirts that fit her like a dress.
"Good morning, eat up and take her home, we're still training." I informed Duro with the sort of knowing smile only a brother can give.
"Training? Oh for the Ninja contest right?" Chadara was taking a waffle herself and bathing the thing in syrup.
Duro nodded, his mouth already full and the boy had yet to sit down.
His new girlfriend(?) eyed him, flipping her hair back and taking a decidedly dantly bite herself. "Such a pig, I came home with the wrong brother." She announced, casting me a flirty look complete with batting lashes.
My brother, classy as ever, snorted and almost choked on his waffle. "He's gay."
Chadara turned wide, questioning eyes on me.
With a solemn nod I took the second set of waffles from the iron for myself and sat at the kitchen table with them, my plate full of waffles, eggs, and bacon.
"Anyways, you were saying about Nasir?" Duro prodded. "I thought he was, you know." It was obvious that Duro didn't want to call Nasir a dream, not in front of this girl, but he'd always been skeptical. After all, I was the one with the dreams, not Duro.
All of my excitement from the night before came rushing back. "No, I saw him last night after I left, talked to him for bit. I even got his number."
Duro gave an appreciative whistle, and mocking cheers to which I bowed to.
"Who is this Nasir?" Chadara asked watching us with amusement.
"His childhood crush." Came Duro's helpful reply.
My cell went off from a text, a quick look showed photo text of a very annoyed looking Tiberius, half of his face bruised black and purple, with the caption: "What do you think?".
"Who's that? Spartacus?" Duro asked leaning over to look, when he saw the photo message he hissed in sympathy. "What happened to him?"
Chadara followed suit. "Oh Tiberius!"
"Yes, I had stopped at a bar, that's where I met Nasir," If Chadara didn't recognize Nasir to be Tiberius I wasn't going to tell her. "In the bathroom I ran into Tiberius, some shit was giving him a hard time."
Chadara looked worried, "And here I was having fun, I should go home and check on him!"
"I'll drive you," Duro declared, shoving the rest of his third waffle in his face and choking it down and grabbing an apple for the road. "Let me grab my bag, I'll meet you at the gym, okay?"
I waved Duro and Chadara off, watching out the front window as they left. I was beginning to slip back into daydreams about how I'd get Tiberius to fall in love with me when my cell went off again
From:Tiberius 8:24 am
YOU TOLD CHADARA ON ME! D:
I snicked at that, I'd been about to reply when I got another text.
From:Tiberius 8:25 am
Wait, how do you even know Chadara?
You really are a stalker aren't you?
To:Tiberius 8:25 am
Nah, I meet her at the Drunk Corner then my brother brought her home,
You should come there tonight, less assholes than whatever skeezy club you found that last guy at.
I waited, heart pounding, would he agree to come? Would I have another excuse to see Tiberius? Although, it seemed he worked as an escort, wouldn't that mean he'd be busy working on a friday night?
From:Tiberius 8:28 am
Only if you're buying my drinks
SUCCESS! I even let out a cheer of joy, I'd see Tiberius again.
To:Tiberius 8:29 am
Sounds like a deal!
Promises to meet up arranged I set to cleaning up the kitchen before setting off for the gym. I had 2 hours before my shift and I meant to spend them training.
~~o~~
I couldn't keep myself from grinning like a complete fucking moron all through training with Duro. The world was bright, I'd found Nasir, or rather Tiberius, and he while didn't seem to remember me or our lives together but that just meant I had to win his heart again.
Apparently my good cheer was noticed by all of the regulars at 'Oenomaus' Gym' and many commented on it to which Duro would happily explain that I'd fallen in love. Once I confessed to Duro and Spartacus that he had agreed to come the 'The Drunk Corner' and meet me everyone was promising the most embarrassing night of my life.
Now I remember why I never tell Rhaskos, Duro, Barca, and Donar anything.
Still all of my nerve ending were on fire, I'd spent my life dreaming of Nasir, watching our life together play out in the past, cursing myself every time I left his side because every time I had one of us ended up half dead. Now, after all these years, Nasir was within my grasp. My dreams had solid form, weight, breath, everything else faded into background noise in the face of that one fact: Nasir was real.
He was real and within my reach.
Up next, why you don't tell your friends about your crushes. Who's ready to watch Agron's friends embarrassed him? I know I am XD