Text Me, Baby | A Social Media AU (LGBT, Complete)

81 || smitten

|| smitten ||

~

Ever since Karlos made his presence known, Andi has not been able to stop smiling.

Karlos is as easy to talk to in person as he is via text, something Andi later discovered once the fanboy inside of him calmed down.

The two have been hanging out for almost two hours, talking about everything under the sun, and not yet have they grown tired of each other. Karlos is incredibly down to earth, charming, and funny; in short, he has Andi absolutely smitten.

"So, tell me something, Mr. I'm An Open Book." Karlos smirks, giving the cute boy walking beside him a mischievous look. "What's the longest you've ever been in a relationship?"

Andi nearly trips over his own feet; the question had completely taken him off guard.

One minute, he and Karlos had been talking about their favorite genre of music and the next minute, Karlos is asking questions centered around being in a relationship.

During the time that they've been talking, Andi has come to learn that Karlos isn't the type to hold his tongue, hide what he's feeling, or cower away from sensitive topics. Although it makes Andi feel more exposed (emotionally speaking) than what he actually is, at the same time, Andi kinda likes it. He finds it hot when a man isn't afraid to speak up and say whatever is on his mind... but nothing too toxic, of course.

"Well, I'm only twenty-three so I haven't had much life to live," Andi says, slightly embarrassed despite Karlos being only three years older than him. "But, the longest I've ever been in a relationship...? Hmm, I guess it'd have to be with that guy that I told you about a while back."

"The Capricorn?"

"Yeah, him." Andi nods, impressed by Karlos' sharp memory. "We dated for both my junior and senior year of high school. I thought I was sooo serious about him, it was honestly sad."

"In high school, puppy love often feels like the real thing, so I get it." Karlos chuckles. He spots a lone bench on their way back to the event, suggesting they sit and take a break from walking.

It hadn't been easy for them to hold a conversation back at the exhibition due to the music playing and everyone around them talking at once, all the voices combined had been loud enough to drown out Andi and Karlos.

It was Andi who suggested they go someplace quiet to talk. Karlos later took him on a mini adventure—from a brief stroll through a nearby park to stopping at a bakery to grab some sweets—it all made the night feel more like a first date rather than a casual getting-to-know-you-better, or at least that's how Andi felt. Not that he's complaining.

"In my younger days, I was in a serious relationship with someone too," Karlos says once they take a seat. "Wasted three years of my life with that asshole, unfortunately."

"Wasted, huh?" Andi mentions. "So the relationship hadn't been a good one?"

Karlos shakes his head, staring up at the stars. "He was controlling, manipulative, and extremely jealous. I didn't realize how fucked up I'd been living, as far as my love life went, until I caught him cheating on me... After that, I snapped back to reality and left his ass. Haven't dated anyone seriously since then."

"Oh," Andi whispers, unsure of how to take that. He for sure feels something towards Karlos, something he wouldn't mind exploring further; however, Andi isn't interested in being someone's on again-off again fuck buddy, especially not Karlos'. There's too much emotion involved already and Andi wouldn't be able to turn it off in order to have a friends-with-benefits type of relationship. "I see."

"Hey, now. Don't frown like that." Karlos laughs, reaching over to pinch Andi on the cheek. The boy playfully rolls his eyes, swatting away Karlos' hand. "Exceptions can always be made, Andi."

"Are you usually this forward with people?" Andi asks, his eyes locked on Karlos' handsome face. "Or is it just me?"

Karlos smiles, being honest. "It's definitely just you."

Damn it.

There it goes again...

Andi's heart skipping a beat.

~