Chapter 9

• Eric smiled the entire time as he talked with Hugo, which was an easy task for anyone in the presence of the redhead, who, as Jonathan put it, was one of the happiest and most lovable people he had ever encountered in his life.
• Jones observed the extreme contrast between Hugo's outgoing personality and Eric's introversion, which made him worried that they wouldn't be a good match. However, his opinion changed when he saw them getting along better than he had imagined.
• "Shall we take a picture?" Jonathan asked, ignoring Eric's head shake, who tried desperately to escape the situation.
• As he opened his camera to take a photo with his friends, a message notification appeared, and his first impulse upon seeing that it was from Elliot was to hide his phone, which piqued his friends' curiosity. He would certainly regret that decision.
• "Why did you hide your phone?" Hugo asked, confused.
• "Because he's flirting with the boss," Eric replied, receiving a slap from Jonathan in response.
• "That's not true; we're just almost friends," the younger man said, embarrassed.
• "Almost friends? I see," Hugo teased Jonathan, who was pouting. "At least you have good taste, because Elliot Park is handsome, let's be honest."
• "I can't comment on that." Jonathan did a poor job of hiding his obvious attraction to the CEO.
• "You know what's even better, Hugo?" Eric continued, receiving a dissatisfied look from Jonathan. "Our client, Harry Thompson, is also really into Jonathan."
• "Eric! You're such a gossip," Jonathan complained, covering his face with both hands.
• "Thanks, Eric. If it were up to my friend, I wouldn't know anything." Hugo shot an angry look at Jonathan, who pretended to look around.
• "I didn't tell you because it's not important," the brunette lied.
• "How is it not? Two men are into you, and you don't think it's important?" Hugo retorted, noticing how the subject was bothering him.
• "Elliot isn't into me; he's my boss. And Harry, I won't pay him any attention. We work together, and I don't want it to become a problem." Jonathan didn't lie; he was sincere about what he truly thought.
• In his mind, his boss only wanted to become a colleague or a closer friend. He preferred not to place his expectations on someone he barely knew.
• "And what a problem that would be," Eric said, teasing his friend.
• "Here's the message," Jonathan said. "There's nothing special; it's just work. See?"
• "Relax, no one's judging you for flirting with your boss. I even find it understandable considering the circumstances," Hugo replied playfully.
• "That's enough of that; I think we should head back. We've gone over our lunchtime," Jonathan said, changing the subject.
• "He can't even hide it." Hugo rested his arm on Eric's shoulder, and they both laughed.
• "I think I made a mistake in introducing you two." Jonathan gave his friends an angry look, but they laughed at his exaggerated reaction.
• Even though he tried to hide it, everything was becoming increasingly obvious, much to his dismay. He momentarily regretted introducing Eric and Hugo, who now had a new hobby of commenting on his possible flirtations, which Jonathan tried to deny at all costs, completely ignoring all the evidence that surrounded him.
• But he couldn't admit it; it was something he didn't even consider a possibility. Acknowledging such facts would cause even more confusion in his mind, and it was something he wasn't willing to face emotionally.
• His friends didn't need to know, besides him, about the way Elliot looked him up and down every time they met or how his defined arms dangerously marked the white dress shirt he insisted on wearing as if it were some kind of provocation.
• They also didn't need to see the way Harry repeatedly bit his lower lip while flirting, tucking his hair back in an almost indecent manner to expose his sculpted face completely.
• It was a situation he never thought he would experience, and it was delightfully torturous to imagine himself caught between two extremely attractive men who seemed to have come straight out of a romance movie worthy of Netflix's catalog.
• The danger added to the increasing sexual tension as he imagined such tempting possibilities. But Jonathan couldn't give in; he wouldn't let himself fall into temptation.
• As they walked back from the restaurant, the friends talked about various topics, much to Jonathan's relief, as they didn't let go of his possible crush on Elliot. Or Harry.
• Even though he joked with them, asking if they were friends or enemies, he didn't blame them for not understanding the exact confusion going on in his mind.
• It was understandable; they probably thought it was just something irrelevant.
• Hugo shared that he was living alone and mentioned going through some struggles until he got used to the new routine without his parents. But besides that, he was enjoying it, although he often wished he had a roommate because he didn't like feeling lonely.
• Eric also mentioned his desire to have his own space, as sharing a house with his grandmother at almost twenty-eight didn't sound so great for an adult. However, he didn't plan on leaving her while she needed him.
• When they arrived at the building, Hugo said goodbye to Jonathan and Eric, and they quickly headed to the 10th floor, hoping no one would notice how late they were. Jones was surprised and happy to see how open and willing Eric was to get closer to Hugo.
• He didn't sulk for a moment, laughed at his jokes, and even became more playful than usual, causing a certain strangeness. He even accepted the invitation that the redhead extended to both of them to spend the next week at his apartment, as it was very close to work and more convenient for them to go out whenever they wanted.
• Jonathan thought to himself, even though he joked about the possibilities, that Eric liked Hugo too much. Perhaps more than he could imagine, and laughing at his own thoughts, he kept that possibility to himself.
• After all, what were the chances?