Oliver had one more secret, but this other one he planned to tell Tristan soon, in fact as soon as that very night. His birthday was the next day, and for his own birthday, he had planned a surprise for both of them, because he was doubtful if Tristan even knew his birthday. Although he knew Tristan’s. But Oliver didn’t know that the universe had planned a surprise for him too, a surprise that he would not like very much. As Oliver entered the house that night, he was excited, and that excitement could be seen in every gesture of his as he skipped through the living room and into the bedroom, when he saw Tristan sprawled on the bed. Maybe he had fallen asleep waiting for Oliver. Careful not to wake Tristan up, Oliver placed his watch and phone on the nightstand. Since he had taken on to the red and white corporate building project, his life had been consumed by it. But after he would be done designing the project, it would not take up so much of his personal life, or at least that

Oliver waited for Tristan’s ex to say something in response, but he was more stubborn than Tristan’s story had described him. So Oliver pulled the phone away from his ear, and after contemplating the phone for a while, pressed the red button. He took some breaths to compose himself. He could not help but wonder if Tristan had given this guy the green flag to call him late at night? He narrowed his eyes at the number before him in the recently received calls on Tristan’s phone, suddenly realizing what he had done. Whomever had been calling Tristan at 2 AM, it was not Oliver’s business to talk to them. And even if it was to save Tristan’s sleep from being disturbed, Oliver had no right to talk to them on Tristan’s behalf. It was for Tristan’s own good, I am just looking out for him, Oliver comforted himself with the explanation. But he was well aware of how meek it was, as he stared at the screen. Tristan could never know that he had talked to Roth that night. Oliver had planned a

Tristan walked out of the bedroom, dressed in baggy pants and a sweater vest on top of a button down shirt. To complete the outfit he had put on a cross body bag on himself too. Everything about him screamed an art fanatic. Taking a look at him, Oliver did not even have to check the list to see where they were headed, it had to be some sort of art museum. “Aren’t you dressed yet for the Met?” Tristan gasped as he looked at Oliver, who was dressed in a plain-white T-shirt and blue jeans. Oliver chuckled, “I would have preferred if you wanted me undressed.”Tristan smiled teasingly, walking up to Oliver, “All in good time, baby, all in good time.”Oliver groaned, “Do we have to go to the Met? You must have gone there a million times!”“Yes, but never with you!” Tristan’s voice was firm enough to make it clear to Oliver that he was not changing his mind. “Can’t I just stay here and appreciate the art in front of me?” Oliver grabbed Tristan and pulled him towards himself, as color ros

Usually he would not even bother passing on the message to Roth, but something about the way this man cared for his boyfriend spoke to him. “What is it?” Roth’s brittle voice hit his ears, making him regret calling Roth. “Sir, are you familiar with our architect, Oliver Bardott?” “Get to the point.” The manager stifled another sigh. “Sir, he wants you to meet his boyfriend who is just starting his new business and could help with more partners,” Even before uttering the sentence, the manager could tell how absurd it sounded, as he internally condemned himself for calling Roth for something so lame. “And what are you for?” “Huh, I am sorry, sir?”“I hired you to tackle this stuff yourself and not let it get to me, but instead you are the one conveying these messages to me. If you can’t do your job properly, tell me and we have no shortage of candidates who would give anything to replace you,” The manager was especially unlucky to have caught Roth on a bad day. After another fiv

“Already taken care of, sir. Can I ask you a question though?” He could not take it anymore. “Go ahead,” Now Roth sounded busy. The company manager had learnt to distinguish Roth’s genuine voice from his business voice. “You never agree to meet any CEO’s - even the influential companies, the meetings are handled by your secretary, then why are you so intent on meeting this new business owner?” There was silence on the other end of the line, which made the manager regret having voiced his thoughts. Then Roth said, his tone dry, “You know the traits necessary for the job of a company manager directly beneath the CEO?” The manager’s heart sank and even though he knew it was a rhetorical question and however he responded it would not matter, he knew he had to say something, “Sorry, sir.”“That’s not the answer to my question.”“Yes, sir. I am not supposed to ask you questions - you will be asking me questions,” His voice was low and flushed. “Good, I should not have to remind you aga