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Isak is never letting his friends set him up again. It’s not that he’s got a problem getting dates. He’s very charming when he wants to be. He was before he came out and he still is. It matters more now though. Because now he’s charming people he actually wants and he’s good at it. It’s not that he’s got a reputation, but he does have some notches in his bedpost. And in club bathrooms. …And once in a back alley, but lets not go there. Bottom line is; Isak’s got game. His friends know it and have used it to their advantage more than once. The same friends who have now decided that it’s time for Isak to ‘settle down’. Which he’d like to do, eventually, if he found the right person.
Vilde had practically shoved him at Sebastian, a guy from the gym where she worked part time. Sebastian was… Attractive. Almost too attractive. Stereotypical gym rat and Isak figured that it could make for an interesting night. That line of thought lasted until their food arrived at the table. Chicken and asparagus for Sebastian and pasta carbonara for Isak.
“You really should be more careful with what you eat,” Sebastian had noted in a condescending tone.
Well, excuse you, Mr. Protein. Isak was perfectly healthy, thank you very much. He wanted to leave right then, but that would mean he had to leave the bowl of creamy, bacon-y deliciousness behind. Instead, Isak smiled humorlessly and asked a waiter to kindly bring him some garlic bread. Because, fuck you, Mr. Protein.
Next up had been Noora. She had set him up with Adrian, a guy she knew from university. Adrian was nice and interesting to talk to. A journalism student, just like Noora. Opinionated and funny. He was quite similar to Jonas, in both personality and looks. It was actually a bit scary how alike they seemed to be. Adrian should be perfect for Isak, considering his previous crush, but there was just… nothing there. Isak had a nice time, but there was no spark. Jeez, he sounded like an article from Cosmo, but it was true.
The third date was set up by Jonas. Well, technically, Jonas had pressured Isak to finally ask out Tobias. They both studied biochemistry and Isak had been, for lack of a better word, lusting after Tobias the entire spring semester.
Tobias was nerd-hot. Glasses, kind of preppy and very smart. They had been flirting a bit during some late-night study-sessions at the library, but it had never gone past that.
“If I have to listen to you drunkenly wax poetics about his ass or his brain one more time, I will tell Eskild about him and you’ll never hear the end of it,” Jonas had said when they played Fifa about a month ago. Isak had been about to deny any memory of doing such a thing, but realized that he couldn’t and ended up just glaring at Jonas.
Exam season had hit him hard.
He didn’t know the human body could actually run on a mix of Red Bull, coffee, Cheeze Doodles, ramen noodles and about two hours of sleep a night for more than a few nights in a row. Apparently it could. It also meant he slept for three consecutive days when the two weeks of hell had ended. The only thing that could get him out of bed was celebratory drinks with the boys. Mahdi, the only one from their friend group that had opted to leave Oslo, had just returned from Bergen and they needed to catch up. Jonas convinced him to text Tobias and Isak had actually followed through. They agreed on meeting after Tobias had returned from visiting his parents.
All of it has led to this moment. Where Isak finds himself on a date with Tobias, at the same restaurant where he’d been the two previous dates, and he is fucking bored.
Tobias has been talking about university and classes and science for the better part of this date. It’s not that Isak isn’t interested in what he has to say. He’s studying the same subjects. He does actually like the subjects. But they’ve just finished exams and he just needs a break. Every time he tries to change the subject, Tobias goes along with it for a minute before he starts up another lecture. He’s kind of a know-it-all and not in a good way. Also, he’s been downright rude to the waiter. Isak might be grumpy and snappy towards his friends, but you don’t talk back to people serving you. That’s just common decency.
Isak has almost finished his third glass of wine, hoping that the alcohol will help, but not even the slight buzz in his head is making this date any less of a disaster. He doesn’t even like wine that much, but Tobias had ordered a bottle. He nods and tries to pay attention to what Tobias is saying. Focusing on his pretty face hasn’t helped either. Tobias has been getting less attractive every time he’s opened his mouth in the last two hours. Oh god, it’s only been two hours! It’s feels more like an eternity by now.
Maybe the restaurant is cursed? That would be a shame though, because the food is delicious. Maybe the restaurant is part of a space-time continuum that slows down time and makes attractive people less attractive? Nah, the curse is actually the most probable option in this situation. Maybe Tobias has been cursed since the last time Isak saw him? Some witch or wizard decided that he was too perfect and put a spell on him. Maybe Isak is the one that’s cursed? In that case, he’s been cursed for months. The only common denominator is the restaurant. Crap, the restaurant really is cursed. Bye bye, delicious pasta and garlic bread.
Isak is very seriously considering the possibility of cursed restaurants when he hears a deep laugh. It’s a pleasing sound. He looks up from his wine glass and tries to locate the source. There’s a tall guy leaning over the bar and the bartender in the middle of doing a little dance. The tall guy is really tall. His legs are looong. He’s like a giraffe. If giraffes had asses like that. Oh man, he really is starting to get a bit tipsy.
“…the presence of the downstream mRNA stem loop can drive the ribosomal su- Isak, are you listening?” Tobias looks mildly irritated when Isak snaps out of it.
“Sorry, I just- I was just looking for the bathroom,” Isak says quickly and gets up.
Kind of a bad excuse, as there is a very visible sign for the bathroom hanging over a staircase. He hurries down the stairs and into the men’s room. When he’s checked that there is no one else in there, he leans his forehead against the cool tiles on the wall and lets out a groan.
He needs to get out of this situation.
Can he fake an illness? Shit, that’s another bullshit excuse.
Phone. He needs his phone. Jonas is on speed dial and he’s going to help Isak out of this, because he’s the bastard that convinced Isak to do this in the first place. It rings and rings and rings. “Halla, this is Jonas. Can’t come to the phone right now. Leave me a mess-“ Isak hangs up. Of course he’s not answering his phone! That’s just great.
Isak tries again and it goes straight to voice mail. He’s not in the habit of leaving messages, but he’s a bit tipsy, growing more frustrated by the second and Jonas is going to help him get out of this situation, dammit!
“Jonas. Pick up the damn phone! I’m at a restaurant, which I’m pretty sure is cursed, with Tobias and he’s being about as interesting as a stale piece of bread. It’s been two hours and I have to leave before I throw my wine in his face. Yes, I’m drinking wine. I don’t even like wine! I don’t know what I’m gonna do, but I have to get out of this somehow. I would rather take Vilde’s Zumba class for a month than spend another minute with this guy! Why did you talk me into this? All of this is your fault! ‘You have to ask him out, Isak. I can’t take your whining anymore, Isak. Why don’t you just text him and see if he wants to go out, Isak?’”
He knows that he’s being overdramatic, but he doesn’t care right now.
“Ughhh… I swear to all deities- I just need to get out of here.” Isak is angrily whispering into his phone, almost pulling some of his hair out and trying to come up with an escape route.
“You know when you’re embarrassed and just want the ground to swallow you whole, that’s me right now. If you take away the embarrassment and add the feeling of watching paint dry. I need a magic carpet so I can fly out of here. Or better yet, a dragon can come crashing into the restaurant and take me away. I don’t even care if the hypothetical dragon destroys the restaurant, because no matter what happens, the damn restaurant is still cursed. I’m gonna leave the longest and worst review in the history of reviews. One star. 0/10 would recommend. If I ever get out, that is, because it seems like the only possible escape route is through the tiny bathroom window. Also, you owe me at least a six-pack for getting me into this mess.” Isak is out of breath when he hangs up the phone and bangs his head against the bathroom wall.
Crap. He’s gonna have to get back up there and listen to Tobias babble on for another hour at least, isn’t he? Well, this will teach him to never take dating advice from his friends ever again.
“Sorry man, but I think the window is bolted shut,” Isak hears from behind him.
He spins around and surely there’s another guy in here right now. A very tall, very handsome guy. It’s the guy from the bar.
Oh no, just his luck. His hair is ruined, he’s breathing like he just run a marathon and to top it off, he was just banging his head into a wall.
He must look like a deer in headlights, because the guy chuckles- there’s that deep laugh again- and says, “Didn’t mean to scare you, sorry. But you were kind of in your own little bubble.”
Isak winces. “How much of that did you hear?” He says, finally regaining control of his vocal chords.
“Don’t worry, just caught the end of it,” the guy says and Isak instantly relaxes. At least he hadn’t heard his full-blown freak-out.
“Any particular reason why you would need to climb out a bathroom window when there’s a fully functioning door upstairs?” The guy asks.
“Um- bad date,” Isak answers, hoping to end the conversation, because he still needs to get out of here and the faster, the better.
“Ouch. That sucks.”
“Yeah. Normally I wouldn’t ditch anyone, but trust me, he- I just need to.” Why is he still talking?
“Can’t you just sneak past him? Or are your ninja-skills not up to par?” The guy grins and it’s making his eyes sparkle.
“Excuse you,” Isak snorts. “I’ll have you know that my ninja-skills are awesome. They’re practically legendary. It’s just that I’ve had a few glasses of wine-”
“A legendary ninja wouldn’t be affected by the alcohol though,” the guy says, still grinning.
He has a really nice smile. He has really nice everything, Isak decides.
“I would offer up my Invisibility Cloak, but unfortunately, I left it at home.”
Isak chuckles. “Shit. That’s a shame,” he says through the laughter.
“Not really though. I wouldn’t want to deprive the world of that face,” the guy says and tries to wink.
Is he flirting?
Isak rolls his eyes. The guy waggles his eyebrows.
“Because it’s a beautiful face. I would know, being an aspiring director and all. I recognize beautiful things when I see them.”
He’s definitely flirting.
Isak blushes and suddenly the bathroom floor is very interesting. Fuck. He needs to say something. Anything. He’s in a men’s room with a very attractive guy who is flirting with him. Maybe this night won’t be too bad after all? If he could just come up with something clever to say.
They’re both just standing there in silence now. Is the guy moving closer? Nope, that’s probably just Isak’s wishful thinking.
“Well, the window is out. Your ninja-skills are compromised and I don’t have my Invisibilty Cloak. There has to be another option- oh, I know. Come with me!” The guy is already out the door before Isak has time to process.
He has managed to finally look up again before the door opens and a flurry of blonde hair peeks back inside.
“Are you coming? I swear I’m not trying to kidnap you.”
Isak is intrigued and moves towards the door. “Why should I go anywhere with you?” Even if he really wants to do just that. “You’re just a stranger that I met like five minutes ago.”
The guy holds out his hand expectantly and Isak takes it. “Even. Nice to meet you…?”
Even.
“Isak,” Isak answers and grips Even’s hand.
“Good. Now that the formal introductions are over and we’ve established that I’m not going to kidnap you… Let’s go!” Even says and pulls Isak with him out of the bathroom.
As soon as they’re on the stairs, Even lets go of Isak’s hand and puts a finger to his mouth. Then he proceeds to go slowly up the stairs and peeks around the corner to look out into the restaurant. When he’s satisfied, he turns around and makes dramatic “come here”-hand gesture at Isak. Isak just walks up the stairs in a normal fashion and stops one step down from Even.
“Who are we trying to avoid?” Even mock-whispers.
Isak bends a bit to the side and tries to get a look at Tobias- who is currently glued to his phone.
“He’s not paying attention,” Isak whispers back.
Even hums in response.
“What now? I already said that the front door is not an option.”
“When I say ‘go’, turn right and down the hallway past the kitchen. At the end of the hallway there’s a door with a STAFF ONLY-sign. It’s unlocked. I’ll follow you,” Even explains, still mock-whispering like he’s in a spy movie.
“We can’t do that! We’re not staff and I don’t wan-“
Before Isak can finish his whispered protest, Even pushes him up the last steps and whispers “Go, go, go!”
They run down the short hallway past the bustling kitchen. Even opens the door and ushers Isak outside in one swift motion. Isak stops after a few steps, takes a deep breath and turns back to look at Even. He’s grinning at Isak and breathing a little too heavy considering the short distance they ran.
The door slams shut behind him.
They look each other in the eye and both of them start laughing. The whole situation is a bit ridiculous. Isak has just ditched his date while acting like a spy from a mediocre action movie.
“Out of shape much?” Isak teases.
“Ouch!” Even says while putting his hand over his heart. “I’ll have you know I’m in great shape. Just more used to other… activities.” He waggles his eyebrows again. Jeez, this guy is shameless.
He is definitely flirting now.
Isak should respond with another quip, but instead he’s pretending to be very interested in his surroundings.
It’s… a back alley. A large container, a couple of trash cans and a narrow alley out into the street. Nothing all that interesting. Except from the boy currently standing a few feet away from him. Even is wearing a plaid shirt with rolled up sleeves. Isak loves plaid shirts. Isak also apparently loves forearms, his brain happily supplies. Who knew?
Isak realizes that he’s staring and coughs.
“Is it okay that we’re here? I’m pretty sure that door we just ran through said STAFF ONLY.”
“No worries. I’m the owner,” Even says quickly.
“What?” Isak says incredulously.
“I own the restaurant,” Even repeats with a serious look on his face.
Isak just shoots him a ‘yeah right’-expression.
Even’s face cracks into a smile. “Okay, you got me. My parents own the restaurant,” he says while holding up his hands. “But that still means that it’s okay for us to be here.”
Even is still looking at Isak with a playful expression on his face.
His smile is nice. Everything about him is nice. Isak realizes that he’s staring. Again.
“So… Can I just wait here until my date leaves?”
“Of course. I actually have to pick up a few things for my mom, but I can totally play lookout as well.”
“Thanks,” Isak mumbles. Now that he’s sobered up a little, he feels kind of shitty for just leaving Tobias. Maybe he should text him and say that there was an emergency? That still doesn’t explain why he didn’t use the front door though.
He realizes that Even is no longer standing in front of him when he hears rummaging behind the container, followed by a loud “Ah-ha!” Even turns towards him with a recycling bin.
“For you, sir,” Even says and places it up against the wall behind Isak.
“I’ll be right back,” he says as he dashes through the door.
Isak sits down on the recycling bin. He wipes his palms on his pants. They're sweaty.
Even reappears with a “Voila!” and hands him a beer with a flourish.
“Thanks,” Isak says and accepts the bottle.
“I’ve gotta make up for your bad experiences so far. Can’t have you write a bad review about my family’s restaurant now, can I?”
No, no, no...
“Even though you might be convinced that it’s cursed,” Even says with a wink and then he’s gone again.
Oh god. He heard the entire conversation. The ground swallowing him whole seems like a nice option right now.
At least Even doesn’t seem to mind Isak’s little bathroom-breakdown, he thinks to himself and takes a swig of the beer. Otherwise he’d probably stayed away instead of talking to him and rescuing from his terrible date.
He swirls the beer around in his mouth before swallowing down.
It’s good beer. He checks the label. It’s one of those fancy once his wallet rarely allows him to buy. Being a student equals drinking cheap beer. Quantity over quality. He takes another gulp. Maybe he should treat himself a little more often? Or get someone else to treat him?
Isak leans his head back against the wall.
It’s very quiet out here, which surprises him. This neighborhood is usually buzzing with people at this time of night. Especially when the weather is this nice.
Norwegian summers are the best. Long, warm evenings where the light never seems to fade.
Isak unbuttons the top buttons on his shirt. He hadn’t really dressed for spending time outside. He’d made an effort. He rolls up his sleeves too for good measure. The action reminds him of Even’s rolled-up sleeves and his mind wanders to his very attractive forearms. Really though? Who knew that was a thing? Isak certainly hasn’t paid much attention to that body part before. He has a feeling he will from now on.
Isak tries to enjoy the beer and the quiet evening.
His phone buzzes in his pocket. Ugh. He doesn’t want to think about Tobias or his bad luck with dating so far or banning his friends from setting him up again. Somehow the thoughts won’t go away no matter how much he wants them to. He squeezes his eyes shut and has another gulp.
His beer is nearly empty when he hears the door open again.
“I brought you another one,” Even says and hands Isak another beer bottle. “Your date still hasn’t left. That is one patient guy.”
Isak checks his phone. One missed call and one text. Both from Tobias.
The text reads; Are you okay?
Then there’s the missed call a few minutes later.
His phone buzzes with a new text.
Checked the bathroom. You could at least have the decency to tell me you wanted to leave, asshole.
If Tobias were just a random guy, everything would be fine. But he’s not a random guy. They share classes next semester too. Which means that this definitely won’t be the last time they see each other.
“Shit,” he mutters under his breath.
How had he not seen earlier what Tobias was really like? Probably because he was too busy ogling him. He really wished their study sessions at the library had revealed what a bore Tobias was and he wouldn’t be in this situation. Now he will probably be on the receiving end of a lot of sour looks.
“Did you get made?” Even asks.
“Yup. And he’s not happy about it,” Isak answers and has another drink. Maybe he should slow down a little? The buzz in his head is not as strong anymore, but three glasses of wine and a beer are still three glasses of wine and a beer.
Even hums in acknowledgement.
Isak suddenly notices how close Even is sitting. From the corner of his eye, he follows Even’s shirt down to where shirt meets bare skin and further down to his hand holding a bottle of water. He has nice hands too. Isak likes nice hands. It’s a thing. Also, he should stop being surprised at how good Even looks. Everything about his looks is more than nice.
The guy is ridiculously attractive. Isak knows that he's being repetitive, but saying it once just isn't enough when it comes to this guy. Even also helped Isak escape his date and brought him beer. Isak starts to think that the future sour looks from Tobias might be worth it.
“Cool conversation,” Even says and shakes Isak from his train of thought.
Isak laughs and dares to look at Even.
Even is staring right back at him. Laughter in his eyes and smiling so wide that his molars are almost showing. I want to happy you to your molars. Isak has read that somewhere. Probably on Tumblr or some aesthetic-y Instagram-post. He might finally understand what it means. He wants to happy Even to his molars.
Oh man, that is cheesy as fuck. And very, very presumptuous despite the flirting.
“What do you do? I mean, besides joining strangers in back alleys after ditching your date,” Even teases.
Isak shakes his head. “I- uh, I study biochemistry at the university.”
“Really?”
Isak nods in response.
“Wow,” Even says, sounding impressed.
Isak can feel his cheeks heating up.
“How did you end up doing biochemistry?” Even questions. “Besides the fact that you obviously have the brain for it.”
Isak can’t help but laugh. “Well, I- uh, it’s kind of hard to describe. I’ve always been interested in how the world works, I guess.” Even’s eyes are on him and they urge him to continue.
“Ever since I was a kid, I was always trying to figure out life. I mean, how are we the way we are? DNA and shit, you know. Why do I look like this and not like some other person? Or a jellyfish for that matter?” Even chuckles.
“How is it that someone can be completely healthy one day and then the next day they’re just… not?” Isak’s voice weakens a bit. He coughs and hopes Even doesn’t notice.
“I want to figure out- I mean, the world, collectively, has five big challenges right now. The environment, health issues, climate change, energy, food and clean water.” Isak counts them out with his hands and feels his voice gaining strength again.
“The incredibly fascinating thing is that chemistry can solve all those challenges. Of course there are social issues in the world as well, you can’t ignore that, but scientists are out there figuring out how to grow crops that are more resistant to extreme weather conditions and how to more efficiently use renewable energy sources.”
Isak is aware that he’s talking fast and gesticulating a lot, but... He fucking loves science, okay? He’s passionate about what he does and what he ultimately wants to spend his life doing.
Even’s eyes are on Isak, hanging onto every word.
Suddenly Isak is talking about diseases and extreme weather and malnutrition and all the things that are currently being done to slow down the developing issues or solving them completely. He’s talking about curing freaking cancer, which admittedly is kind of cliché, but it’s too important to not talk about it.
“I mean- Look, we’re trying and trying and trying to cure cancer and we’re not gonna stop until we find a solution. Because that’s what scientists do, they look for answers. And if one of the keys to unlocking that answer is hiding inside a tiny, tiny cell somewhere on the planet, they’re gonna look until they find it. I truly believe that chemistry is the key, the biggest key, to unlocking the world’s problems. I just- I wanna be a part of that.”
Isak looks down at his shoes. There are a few beats of silence.
“Wow,” Even breathes. “You’re totally gonna save the world, aren’t you?”
Isak glances back towards him and the look on Even’s face is… His eyes are shining and his mouth is slack before turning up into another Gigawatt-smile.
Isak smiles back. “Nah. Not on my own at least,” he answers, feeling bold.
Even laughs. “You could totally save the world. I’ll help you. Or at least, I’ll document it through the power of cinema.” He pauses. ‘The Oslo-genius – the story of a boy who grew up to save the world’.” His voice has suddenly turned really dramatic and he moves his hands in the air in front of him. Like he’s creating a poster in his head.
“How’s that for a working title?”
“Sounds ridiculously pretentious,” Isak aswers.
Even laughs again. Isak wants to bathe in the sound.
Screw science and saving the world. Isak’s only goal, from this moment on, is getting Even to laugh.
Again, moving way too fast here, Isak. Rein it in. “You did mention directing earlier.” In the same breath as he called you beautiful, Isak’s brain happily supplies. “Are you studying film?”
Even takes a drink of his water and nods. “Just got back from London a month ago. I studied there this past year and now I’m back in good ol’ Oslo to finish up my degree.”
Isak really wants to do the whole exchange thing, but he also needs to be close to his mom. She has been doing better these past couple of years after getting help and they’ve slowly gotten closer again. Which has been good and Isak doesn’t want to mess up by leaving soon. Maybe he’ll do his master’s abroad?
“What was it like? Being so far away from home for such a long time?”
“It was…“ Even pauses before finishing the sentence. His brows pull together and looks up at the sky. “… challenging. But I needed the change. London is an incredible city and I ended up learning and experiencing so much.”
Isak just nods, while Even takes another sip of his water. Isak takes a sip of his beer. It’s lukewarm by now.
“Not much of a beer-guy?” Isak asks, lacking a better thing to say.
“Sure I am. I just don ‘t drink that often anymore.” Even takes a deep breath and looks like he’s deciding whether or not to continue.
“It- the alcohol, fucks with my meds,” he finally says.
An “Oh?” escapes from Isak’s mouth.
Even’s eyes shift back to Isak’s face, but he’s not quite looking Isak in the eyes.
“I’m bipolar.”
Isak is genuinely surprised by the honesty. He also feels kind of intimidated by the fact that Even trusts him enough already to reveal such a personal thing about himself. Not that Isak would judge him, he’s not like that anymore, but there’s still a huge amount of stigma tied to mental health.
“My mom’s schizophrenic,” Isak blurts out. That information is something only a handful of people know and now he’s told Even.
“Not that that’s anything like- I mean, the fact that you have a diagnosis and me saying that my mom has a diagnosis is not me trying to say that I understand how you’re-.”
Shit. Isak shakes his head. Three glasses of wine and a beer apparently causes Isak to have no filter.
“It’s okay,” Even says, voice calm and his eyes still locked on Isak’s face.
Isak meets Even’s eyes and finds conflict in them. They’re kind of clouded, but at the same time there’s a quiet determination breaking through. Isak can’t help but wonder what Even has been through. From his experience with his mother’s diagnosis, there are probably some seriously rough patches. It’s a bit hard to reconcile what he finds in Even’s eyes now and how they had sparkled so beautifully earlier.
Isak intensely searches his brain for something meaningful to say. He doesn’t want to sound like he pities him. Even breaks eye contact with a small shake of his head.
“What kind of music do you listen to?”
What? Isak blinks fast and tries to get his brain to catch up.
“No- wait, let me guess...” Even taps his finger to his chin and tries to look like he’s concentrating. The corners of his mouth betray him a bit.
“You’re probably one of those people who secretly likes cheesy stuff, but then you still listen to N.W.A. to prove that you’re so cool,” Even teases, putting air quotes around ‘so cool’.
Isak wants to flip him off for being suspiciously right, but settles for scoffing.
“I’ve got just the thing for you.” Even pulls out his phone, scrolls and smiles as he taps his screen.
Isak instantly recognizes the song.
“Nas,” he mutters.
“Yes! Match made in heaven, I’m telling you.” Even is gesticulating to the small space between them.
Isak can feel his cheeks warming again. Dammit, what is it with this guy and his ability to make Isak blush? There’s no point in hiding it either, because Even is looking at him with a smug expression on his face.
Isak bops his head along with the music. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Even still looking at him.
They’re quiet for a while. It’s just them, the music and occasionally the sound of a car passing.
The song changes. It’s Nas again. And again. Until it’s not.
Vi er perfekt men verden er ikke det, øynene så blanke som arkene…
Isak doesn’t recognize it, but it’s nice.
“What’s this?”
“Cezinando. He’s great right?”
“Mhm,” Isak hums and continues to pay attention to the lyrics. We’re perfect, but the world isn’t. Well, that’s the understatement of the century.
They end up chatting about everything and nothing.
Isak is surprised with how easy this is.
He gets flustered when Even slips in a few compliments here and there, but tries to brush it off and play it cool.
Even’s playlist continues to fill the air and it’s quite diverse. More rap, some pop, alternative rock and… Gabrielle? What the…?
“Okay, that’s it. I have to go.” Isak moves to stand up.
Even is confused for a second before realization hits him. “Come on, don’t be such a snob!” He bumps into Isak’s side.
Isak just can’t with this guy. Everything had been going so well and then he has to listen to Gabrielle. This might be a deal breaker. Crap, maybe the restaurant is cursed after all. Isak is lost in that thought-spiral again and doesn’t notice that he is, in fact, slightly moving his head.
“See? Just admit it, you dig her,” Even teases.
Isak sticks his tongue out at Even, which earns him another laugh. Yes, 10 points to Isak.
Just as the song changes, the music stops and Even’s phone chirps with a new message.
Isak feels bold. “Girlfriend getting worried?” He jokingly asks and realizes quickly that it’s kind of a stupid question considering Even has been flirting with him this entire time. Not that people can’t like more than one gender. Eskild had been pretty clear about the intricacies of sexuality in some of his lectures when Isak hesitantly asked about that sort of thing many moons ago.
“That’s kinda heteronormative, don’t you think?” Even answers immediately, but his tone is still lighthearted. “And no- it’s my mom. Wondering if I’m still here and if I can bring some more stuff home.”
“What time is it?” Isak fumbles for his phone, dropping his beer in the process. “Shit.”
“Um, eleven-thirty.”
Wow, he’s been talking to Even for over two hours. It certainly doesn’t feel like it’s been two hours. Isak doesn’t really want to go home, but… He’s supposed to visit his mom tomorrow morning. Plus, there’s a tram leaving in about ten minutes.
“I should probably go,” Isak says hesitantly. “My- the tram leaves in like… 14 minutes.”
“Which one?”
“Which- um- 13.”
Even jumps up from his makeshift chair. “Perfect. I take the same one,” he says while holding his hand out to Isak.
“Um- ok.” Isak takes Even’s hand and is pulled to his feet.
That’s the second time they’ve held hands tonight.
Isak likes it. This time Even doesn’t let go right away, he just pulls Isak with him to the door.
“I just have to quickly pop into the office to get the stuff for my mom,” Even explains.
He’s still holding Isak’s hand as they pass the kitchen. Isak hears someone wolf-whistle and Even takes a step back to the flip the person off. Laugher rings through the doorway to the kitchen. He only lets go of Isak’s hand when he disappears into the office. Even comes back out a minute later with a tote bag slung over his shoulder.
“Shall we?” Even gestures towards the door. There aren’t that many people still in the dining room and the staff busy themselves with getting ready to close up. Even throws a quick wave to the bartender who was dancing earlier and gets a wink in return.
They barely make the tram and they’re both a little out of breath when they’re safely on it. “You keep making me do cardio,” Even teases.
Not the kind of cardio I want to do with you, Isak’s traitorous brain supplies. Not that his brain is wrong, but that’s beside the point.
The tram-ride is quiet. Isak keeps stealing glances at Even and Even is always looking back at him. This causes Even to turn on his Gigawatt-smile each time and his eyes scrunch up in laughter.
God, he’s beautiful.
Isak wants to kiss him. He really, really, really wants to kiss Even. Somehow his brain has turned him into a 14 year old experiencing their first crush. Even keeps smiling.
When they get to Isak’s stop, Even follows him off the tram. Isak raises his eyebrows in question.
“I’ll just walk from here,” Even shrugs.
Isak obviously doesn’t know where Even lives, so he just goes with it. They walk close together in comfortable silence. Their hands actually brush a couple of times in the few minutes it takes to get to Isak’s apartment building. Isak’s heart starts beating faster every each time it happens.
“You didn’t have to walk me to my door,” Isak says while fishing around his pocket for his key.
“Come on, I’m trying to show off my gentleman-ly ways and impress you,” Even counters.
This guy will probably ruin Isak. “Seriously?”
“What?”
“Gentleman-ly ways,” Isak half-mocks. “That’s kind of cheesy.”
“Oh, I’ll show you cheesy,” Even says with a glint in his eyes.
Suddenly he takes out his phone and starts pressing his thumb repeatedly against the black screen.
“I think there’s something wrong with my phone.” Even holds it up, pretending to have a closer look. “It doesn’t have your number in it.”
Oh lord… Isak rolls his eyes and doesn’t have time to come up with a response.
“Are you wearing space pants? Because your ass is out of this world,” Even continues.
Isak lets out a mixture of a groan and a chuckle, which apparently eggs Even on. He steps closer and his voice drops an octave.
“Those are some really nice jeans. Do you think I could get in them?”
That makes Isak loose it. “Fy faen,” he wheezes out after laughing for a minute straight. Not that Isak wouldn’t mind letting Even into his jeans, if Even would return the favor.
Even must have read Isak’s mind, because the mood shifts and he takes another step closer. Isak looks up at him and gets lost in the sea of Even’s blue eyes. Who’s the cheesy one now, Isak?
Isak’s eyes drop to Even’s lips and he can feel Even leaning in. He closes his eyes and his lips part in anticipation. The space between them is almost crackling with tension.
Isak feels the soft brush of Even’s lips against his cheek and waits for him to continue. But he doesn’t.
Huh?
When Isak opens his eyes again, Even is not as close anymore. Isak can feel himself frowning.
Even quickly reads the disappointment on Isak’s face.
“As much as it pains me to say it, I don’t kiss on the first date,” he explains.
“Date?” Isak questions.
“Of course,” Even says with an eyebrow raise. “I took you to a restaurant-“
“I came to the restaurant with someone else,” Isak protests.
“Okay, we met in a restaurant-“
“Technically, we met in a restaurant bath-” Even puts a finger to Isak’s lips to silence him. Isak fights the urge to kiss or better yet, lick it.
“I helped you escape your other date, gave you beer, flirted and walked you home at the end of the night,” Even finishes with a triumphant smile. “2+2 = 4. And all of that equals to a date.”
Even is technically right, but Isak won’t give him the satisfaction of admitting that fact. He just rolls his eyes instead.
“I am serious though. Can I have your number?”
There’s something oddly refreshing about a guy asking for Isak’s number. In this day of social media it’s usually; “Add me on (insert-preferred-platform-here).” Which turns into the-awkward-chatting-phase or worse, the instant-dick-pic. Yes, guys get them too. When you want them, great. When you don’t, which is most of the time, not so much.
So, a guy- an attractive, nice and funny guy- asking for his number is nothing short of wonderful.
Isak feels the corners of lips turn up and motions for Even to hand him his phone. Even beams at him while Isak punches in his number and saves himself as ‘Isak AKA the Oslo-genius’.
He hands the phone back.
“Well- good night,” Isak says and moves to unlock the door.
Even lightly strokes Isak’s cheek. “Good night, Isak.”
Even’s hand doesn’t leave Isak’s chin. His eyes drop to Isak’s lips for a millisecond before meeting Isak’s eyes again. It’s like they’re searching for something and apparently they find what they’re looking for.
“Fuck it,” Even mutters under his breath. Suddenly he tilts Isak’s chin up and their lips collide.
Soft, soft, soft.
It takes Isak a moment to catch up.
More, more, more.
He lifts his hands to the back of Even’s neck and his fingers grip onto Even’s hair, pulling him closer. Even backs Isak up against the door. The kiss is languid. There’s no need to rush things. The only thing Isak cares about right now is Even’s lips never leaving his. They taste like honey and cinnamon. Sweet and a bit spicy at the same time. Isak sighs and tightens his grip on Even’s hair.
All too soon, Even pulls back. His pupils are dilated. Ocean blue almost completely taken over by black. He dives back in for a quick kiss. Then his Gigawatt-smile is back. Isak can feel the blood buzzing in his veins and his lips… and other body parts are tingling.
He needs to get inside before he pulls Even with him or worse, turns into a pile of goo right there on the street.
“G’night,” Isak breathes and slips through the door.
Despite his shaky legs, Isak quickly makes his way up the stairs and into the apartment.
The door has just closed behind him when his phone buzzes. Eskild shouts a “Hello!” from the living room.
I hope you’re not getting ready to write the longest and worst review in the history of reviews. See you soon.
x Even
Isak chuckles.
Eskild has made it into the hallway. “How was your da- You’re smiling. A lot. Spill, baby gay!”
Nah, changed my mind. 10/10 would recommend ;)