Enemies with Benefits 2

Chapter 24: Fish fear me

The nice thing about being an older single bachelor is that Steven had a lot of space for himself. Some might argue that he had too much space. He lived in a house big enough for two families to happily live in. His bedroom alone could house just one of those families but he liked to think he utilised the space well. Some might say his wardrobe was too big. Why should a middle aged man need a walk in wardrobe? And he would argue to those people that style is important to all demographics. Every inch of that wardrobe had a suit in, a suit for every occasion, with ties and cravats to match. Well... almost every inch.

On this particular morning as he was picking out a suit for his supposed date, he decided to shuffle his suits to the left hand side, just to see how much more space he had. To his surprise, there was enough for say... another person. Yes there was certainly room for some clothes, perhaps some sandals, linen shirts and jeans. Maybe even room for some 'I heart Greece' memorabilia that was apparently bought ironically but the length of time owning such an ugly shirt brings into question how ironic the continued use of it is.

"So stupid," Steven muttered. He sighed and pinched the space between his eyebrows. "Get a grip."

He went to his full length mirror that was opposite his bed and admired the outfit he'd chosen for his date. Colby had given him some pointers. Sexy and seductive, Colby suggested, trying without letting him know that you put effort in. Steven understood him completely. That's why he had chosen one go his more slimline but still professional suits. It was a charcoal grey, a colour that held a happy balance between the formality of black and the softness of grey. He put under it a white linen shirt but kept the fold of the collar gentle, contrast to the usual sharp fold he gave it. He thought that was good enough for a date but he thought of Colby suggesting an air of sexiness to the outfit and plucked from his draw of pocket squares a red one. He folded it neatly and tucked it into the breast pocket of his suit. It was incredibly seductive if he did say so himself. Perhaps he should do a little more. Take it that one step further.

He felt his heart rate pick up and a strange giddiness overtake him as he reached towards his shirt. With a soft ping he undid the top three buttons. He looked at himself in the mirror and gasped at the scandalous appearance he had cultivated for himself. He was unrecognisable. He blushed at the state of himself and decided to redo the third button. Two buttons undone suggested seduction, three buttons undone just made him look like a common whore. He was going on a date but he didn't want to look like a cheap one.

To finish his look, he polished a pair of his favourite shoes until the black leather shone in the light. Perfection.

He took out his phone and awkwardly took a photo of himself in the mirror. He wasn't fond of selfies but he had promised Colby he'd send a picture once he was ready.

Colby responded quickly: 'I expected nothing less from you'

Satisfied with his response, he decided to go to his date fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. The early bird gets the worm as they say. Not that the worm was now a metaphor for something unsavoury! He would've said the exact same metaphor whether he was going on a date with a woman or a man.

By goodness, this was why he kept his thoughts to himself.

When he arrived at the decided venue that was in the farthest off reach of the city, he waited on a bench next to their agreed meeting point. He'd never came this far out before. Never took the time to enjoy this part of the city which was a shame as he was now looking out across the ocean. The sandy beach was just out of reach from his feet by the white concrete path. Children played in the sand. They shovelled the grains into their colourful buckets and flipped it upside down as quick as they could. With their small bright pink spades they would bang on the bucket before lifting it. The castles were never as intended. They were half crumbled or the details hadn't come through in their entirety. Still the children cheered and laughed and kicked down their creations before doing it over and over again.