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Asa sighed as he pushed open the pub door.
He sighed with relief that his workweek was over. Derek had decided to take inventory, which meant telling Asa where to move the books. It was also a sigh of annoyance at the thought of sharing Anthony with their friends tonight when Asa would have preferred to spend the evening in the cozy confines of his apartment with a good book in one hand and a glass of sherry in the other. Not to mention spending some quality time with his lover.
His week had been tough, but Derek had given him Saturday off, so spending the weekend with Anthony was becoming more appealing. However, the idea of spending Friday night in a noisy pub was a bit less so.
He raised his hand to open the door. Once inside, despite his irritation, he couldn’t help but smile when he immediately spotted Anthony and their friends sitting at a table and chatting animatedly. They all had drinks in hand, but what warmed Asa’s heart was that there was a fourth one on the table, for him.
After so many years of not wanting to go to the pub—mainly because he had no one to keep him company, or to keep company with, it felt new and pleasant to know he was expected.
His mood had shifted so quickly that he chuckled to himself. He’d thought he didn't want to spend the evening at the pub, but now he was eager to sit next to Anthony.
No doubt it was because he felt something special every time he saw Anthony.
A sense of belonging stronger than anything else.
None of the three had seen him come in, and he stopped short when he heard Nina’s voice, which already sounded quite tipsy, "Anthony, my friend, Maggie is absolutely certain she knows how you and Asa got together, but she won’t tell me anything!"
Since Anthony had his back to him, Asa didn’t move forward, eager to hear his response.
He saw his lover straighten up slightly. In a voice with only a hint of embarrassment, he replied, "Nina, I don't know if I should tell you all our little secrets, especially since Asa isn't here. But so you won't bother poor Maggie anymore, I'll tell you my side of the story. The rest is up to Asa."
Ignoring Nina’s offended reaction and oblivious to Asa’s amused gaze, Anthony continued, "I had just arrived in the neighborhood and decided to get my bearings, check out the shops and streets, and find the bus and taxi stops. When suddenly, I came across this bookshop and wanted to stop by. And there you have it."
Nina and Maggie snickered.
Then, Nina replied, "I think you're hiding something from us. I don't think you walked into that bookshop by accident."
Asa laughed softly because he knew that's exactly how it happened. To his surprise, though, Anthony stammered, "Um... well... yes, I... I don't see what you mean!"
Maggie leaned forward but spoke loudly enough for Asa to hear.
"Derek told us everything, Anthony."
"What?" Derek? But he doesn’t know anything!"
Anthony put his hand over his mouth, realizing he’d just given himself away.
Maggie continued, "Derek had seen you hanging around the shop the days before you went in."
Anthony buried his face in his hands.
"It's true."
Nina started to snicker. "Pathetic."
"Nina..." Maggie said gently to Anthony.
"I think it’s cute. Besides," she nudged Nina with her elbow, "I did the same thing with you."
Nina was about to protest, but Maggie stopped her, saying softly, "I'm glad you found the courage to go into the bookshop. It’s good to see our Asa happy. And we’ve gained another friend."
Anthony said softly, "I've never regretted that day."
To say that Asa was surprised would be an understatement.
It was hard to believe that Anthony had noticed him long before the day they first met.
And that he’d found the courage to walk into the bookshop.
To meet him.
Asa’s smile widened, and a gentle warmth washed over him.
He stepped forward as Nina asked, stammering a little because of the alcohol, "Oh… and then, how did it go? Who kissed who first?"
Anthony didn’t answer, slowly shaking his head and laughing softly.
Maggie, who had just spotted Asa, took Nina by the shoulders and said softly, "Nina, love, I think you've had enough. It’s time to go home."
Over Nina’s shoulder, Anthony asked Maggie, "Do you need help?"
Maggie shook her head, helped Nina to her feet, and led her toward the exit. As they approached, Maggie nodded and gave Asa a knowing wink. He watched them leave before moving closer to Anthony.
"Come sit down, Asa. I know you're there. Your glass of sherry’s going to evaporate." Anthony had spoken to him without turning around.
Asa wondered how long Anthony had known he was there.
He placed his hand on Anthony’s shoulder and gently squeezed it. Then, he kissed his forehead before sitting down across from him.
He asked softly, "Have you known I was here for a while?"
Anthony shook his head and replied, "No, I didn't realize it until Maggie left. I saw her glance toward the entrance, and I knew it was probably because of you."
He pushed Asa’s glass toward him and continued, "How long have you been here?"
"Long enough to learn something new about our first date, and to remind myself how lucky I am."
As he grabbed his glass and took a sip, he casually left his other hand on the table. It took barely a few seconds for Anthony’s hand to slide across the table and rest on Asa’s, their fingers intertwining in a now-familiar gesture.
After setting down his glass, Asa lifted their intertwined hands and kissed Anthony’s knuckles.
Making no attempt to hide his surprise, he said softly, "So you’d noticed me long before you walked into the bookshop that day?"
He couldn’t hide the pleasure that thought brought him.
In fact, he didn’t want to hide it. After all, Anthony knew him; he would have guessed it immediately.
Anthony replied softly, tightening his grip on Asa’s hand. "How could I not have found the courage to meet this man I’d noticed the first time I walked past the bookshop? You were walking an elderly customer outside. When you saw that she was having trouble carrying her books, you walked her to her bicycle and made sure that her books were safely in the basket. You did all that without losing your patience. I wanted to experience your kindness myself, especially your beautiful smile."
Asa took a sip of his sherry to hide his embarrassment, which, of course, backfired. The alcohol made the flush on his cheeks stand out even more.
"I'm the one who should be blushing. After all, I acted like a stalker."
Asa shook his head. "You weren't a stalker for long. You came in. I probably wouldn’t have had your courage."
Anthony laughed softly. "My brave Asa, who ran after me to invite me to dinner? Of course you would have had that courage."
He brought Asa's hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on his palm. When Asa gazed into his lover’s tender eyes, he thought that they’d both shown courage by taking half the journey.
To meet each other somewhere in the middle.