The Distance

A shot glass slams on the counter. Sabastian looks at the transparent table with a smirk. The bar is dimly lit with dark colors and loud music."Don't stop," Sabastian whispered with hazy eyes, looking at the bartender, who was quick with his skill, pouring another round of shots for the man.Sabastian empties them one after another. The bartender didn't look worried. He has seen enough people being like this."Heartbreak?" The bartender asked, cleaning a mug with a clean cloth."I know; I'm rejected before I can confess, man.""How do you know that?""Because my love doesn't even look at me. It's been two days since I last talked with him. And, you know. He doesn't even realize it.""He, so it's a man. Men are much more difficult to pursue than women.""Aren't you disgusted? I'm liking a man.""I have been working on this bar for around five years now." The bartender shrugged. "I have seen gay couples. At first, I was disgusted. But I saw their love for one another. I feel love is love after all. The emotions don't see gender, do they?"Sabastian shook his head with a hiccup. "Not at all." He whispered, having difficulty opening his eyes."How do you court a man, then?" Sabastian asked, placing his chin on his hand. His eyes were fixed on the bartender, who was pouring wine."That's a mystery for you." The bartender keeps the drinks on a tray. "One suggestion: make your man feel special, not awkward with you."Sabastian ruffles his hair with a nod. He stared at the bartender walking around the club while taking orders, having conversations with customers, pouring liquor into empty glasses, and taking tips from them. He looks professionally trained, as though he owns the bar."Do I look handsome?" Sabastian asked the bartender as he went behind the counter."Yeah. But, less than me." Sabastian Snickers at the reply.Sabastian looks at the bartender with a smile. "Can I hit on you?""Whoa," the bartender says, looking around. "Weren't you mopping around a while ago?" He points his finger.Sabastian shrugged. "I want to know whether I'm good at it.""So," the bartender said, raising eyebrows. "Will I be used as an experiment?""I-I guess," Sabastian said, licking his lips. "I suppose so. I mean, I just-""What's my profit?" The bartender wipes the table.Sabastian cups his face. "This handsome face."The bartender didn't even look at him. "Pass."Sabastian gave a thought and said, "Twenty dollars.""Fifty."Sebastian shook his head and said, "I can't afford that.""Poor man wishes to persuade a man and doesn't even have money to spend on him.""Dean isn't a gold digger." Sabastian snaps."So, that's his name." The bartender replied calmly.Sabastian raised eyebrows. "Are you James Bond?"The bartender looked keenly at Sabastian and said, "Cocky, full of himself, with an attitude and too much pride, thinks he can own anything in this world and many more things; with these features, it's unlikely for Dean to like you."Sabastian's jaw touched the shot glass. He grits his teeth and gulps the liquor in one go. "It won't be easy." The bartender continued with a smile.⋇⋆✦⋆⋇Dean would sit back in bed and think about the words spoken by the man. Often, he finds himself smiling for no reason. Previously, he couldn't look at his reflection, but now he keeps looking at himself, feeling happy. Probably, what the man said might be right. He has become a better person."Teacher!" Dean snaps from his daze and slips off the bed to see Ayan running towards him with laughter."Teacher!" Ayan turned around and looked at the door.Dean heard a roar imitating a T-Rex from a movie."I'll protect my teacher!" Ayan shirkers at his father, who stomps forward as though Godzilla."No, I will take your teacher," Roman said, stepping forward with hands gripping the air."Superbeam." Ayan moves his hand forward like he's pushing something. Roman acted like he was getting hurt by his cute son's beams."No! You can't hurt me." Roman smirked, using a pillow as a shield."Ultra smart beam." Ayan steps forward with power as the duo circles the room. They're completely in action mode.Dean watched them with amusement. He has never played these types of games with his father. A new generation has new types of games, including making your dad the antagonist and you the superhero."Teacher, help me. This enemy is strong." Ayan said this while concentrating on his attacks. Roman smirked and kept the pillow as a shield."Yes, I will help." Dean looks around, not understanding how to help. Mostly how to play this game.His eyes focused on the stack of pillows on his bed. He marched towards them and sat on the bed.He picked one up and threw it towards Roman's back. Roman stopped his movement and looked over his shoulder."Cheating! Attacking from the back is prohibited." Roman said with a 'cross sign' using his arms."Really?" Dean asked, looking at Ayan for a reaction. Ayan looks back at his teacher without saying anything.Dean didn't know there were rules for kids' games too. Now, the duo has stopped playing, making him disappointed. He should have just stayed away from---A pillow smacked his face, which shocked Dean. He looks at the smirking culprit. "You should attack the face," Roman said with crossed arms. "What can a pillow do for a strong man's back--" A pillow slapped his blabbering mouth."Only idiots talk," Dean said, taking another pillow for the attack."Ok," Roman inhales and looks at Dean with dead eyes. "You're dead." Roman took the fallen pillow and threw it at Dean, who in turn threw another one. Ayan laughed and helped his teacher chase the enemy. A crescent smile is prominent on the dad-son faces.Roman chased Ayan and Dean around the room with roars. The trio took a pillow each and started hitting one another, which is like Roman getting hit by his dear son and his teacher."You earthlings can't do anything to me," Roman said with a roar, earning a slap on his chest and a pillow hitting his face from Dean."We're strong because we stay together, right, Ayan?" Dean asked to panting Ayan, who quickly nodded his head attacking his dad again."Hey, you're my son," Roman said to Ayan, who hit Dean's face instead, earning a gasp from the man."He's my student." Dean narrowed his eyes and threw a pillow at his face. He quickly turns around, running away.Roman chased after him, with Ayan tagging along. However, the boy lies on the floor with the pillow, recharging for the next fight with closed eyes.Feathers flutter in the room with the other people still fighting. Pillows were scattered around the room."Got you." Roman holds Dean's hands to restrain him.Dean laughs, trying to pull his hands from the grip. "Leave my hand." He tried pulling himself from the man's hold by twisting his wrist and the weight of the body on the opposite side of Roman."If you wish." Roman released his grip, as with gravity Dean would fall back, and with instinct he closed his eyes, holding the first thing his hand caught, which was Roman's shoulder.They fall on the bed, and Roman towers over Dean. Roman chuckled, getting a deja vu type of feeling. Dean laughs along, getting the attention of the recharging boy, who looks at them with curious eyes."I can bet you're clumsy," Roman said, standing up."I'm not; you caught me off-guard." Dean defends himself while sitting on the bed."And, as you say, you know martial arts.""I do," Dean looked at Ayan and gestured for the boy to get up. "The floor is cold." Ayan pouted and nodded."He couldn't fight me off," Roman said, trying to provoke the model.Dean looks at Roman and whispers, "Because I don't see you as an opponent or someone I distrust." Roman was taken aback by the reply. Doesn't it mean that Dean trusts him?"You shouldn't trust someone with just a few interactions." The smile on Dean's face vanished with Roman's reply."What do you mean?" Dean asked, sitting upright with caution."I mean, the trip is going to end. Then we'll be back to strangers." Roman replied, sitting next to Dean.Dean whispered, "I understand." He stood up to leave. "I thought..."Roman held his wrist. "You thought?"Dean shook his head with a smile and said, "Nothing." He removed his wrist from Roman's grasp.Roman and Dean's phones ding with notifications.Today, we've got an evening party as a wrap-up and an important announcement. We have a return flight on Sunday. It was truly wonderful working with you all.It was sent by Liam in the chat group. Dean and Roman look at each other.⋇⋆✦⋆⋇Dean and Roman are sitting next to each other. Dean is talking and smiling at others. Roman, who would once in a while glance at Dean and immediately look away. However, Liam could feel the distance between them. He sighed, looking at the duo. Did they have an argument or something? Ayan was sitting on the right side of Roman, who was peeking at his teacher too."Roman!" Liam calls, placing his beer bug on the table."There is a child here, and you're drinking?" Roman said, pointing at the mug.Liam realized it and pushed the mug away from the boy's sight. "The work had burned me. So, I had to drink the stress away."Roman nodded his head. "You didn't make the announcement yet."Liam widens his eyes and looks at their large table filled with colleagues. Everyone is enjoying the evening, except these two."Everyone!" Liam taps on the table, gaining their attention. "I've got an important announcement to make."Dean looks at Liam, keeping his fruit juice aside. Roman wipes Ayan's mouth with tissues."We started this project with a low budget. After we launched the new perfume set with our new faces, Mr. Dean, Mr. Sabastian, Ms. Freya, and Ms. Emily," Liam clapped as others followed, praising the four for their work. Dean was quick on his feet, thanking others, followed by the other three."Then, we got a new investor for our project, who truly helped us a lot. He was the one who requested a real view instead of photoshopping. He was the one paying for all the expenses of the trip." Liam informs, looking at the people. "Later, we had a new team, right?" The staff nodded. "It was the team from Emricon." People gasped, looking at the team sitting with them. They felt proud and shy.Emricon is a multinational company. It has sectors in all fields, from software to clothing. The company's headquarters are in France, and they have branches in almost all countries. It's a very well-known company. Getting a job in this company is similar to earning a badge of pride."They're the ones helping us collaborate with the clothing brand too." Liam continued with his speech.Dean sips his fruit juice with furrowed eyebrows. Why would such a big company help them? Did they see potential in La Scenté? He fished his phone out to check on the company's CEO. However, he narrowed his eyes, noticing missed calls from Ethan.He stands up and excuses himself by showing the phone. He steps out of their view and calls his brother."Brother is anything-"[Mom is taking a new job.]Dean frowns. "Job? Why? We are doing-"[Marriage fixing of you and me.]"What?!" Dean almost yells. However, he stops himself from realizing his current situation and atmosphere."Why is Mom doing it?"[I've no clue. I was forced to attend a blind date today.]Dean takes a second to understand and whispers, "How did it go?"[Horrible!! As soon as I saw her, I knew we weren't meant to be. She looked too uninterested to even converse with me. Clearly indicating that she was forced to meet me.]Dean heard a deep sigh on the other side. He tries to comfort his brother. "You'll meet-"[I'm worried about you.]Dean looked at the wide orange sky and nodded. He inhales deeply and says, "I had to come out today or tomorrow."[You sure? I will try to distract or...or do something like, uh..]"Brother. How long would you have distracted them?"He didn't get any reply for two seconds, and he heard hushed words.[I'll always protect you.]Dean's eyes water as he looks away from the sky and gazes at his polished shoes.[You're my little Dee. My tiny brother, who is too good and sweetest.]"I'm not as good as you-"[I agree; you went the wrong way. But you found the right way too.]Dean bites his lips and hums with a clogged throat.[I should have reached out. I was seeing the difference in you and thought it was because of teenage hormones. That was so silly of me.]Dean shook his head while pressing the phone close to his ear.[Dee, my brother. I'll always be with you and support you. I believe you'll never walk down the same path again. I know you'll never repeat your mistake.]Dean nodded while blinking his eyes. His eyes were burning with unshed tears. He parts his lips and exhales, trying to ease up his throat to function properly and not give away his actual emotions."Brother," He fidgets in his place and looks at his side. "Thank you for being my brother." He harshly wipes the tear gliding on his cheek and blinks his eyes.He sniffed, and he heard his brother sniffing too. A chuckle slips from his mouth. "Are you cutting onions?"[No, I'm not crying.]"When did I mention you're crying?"[I take back everything.]Dean chuckled and wiped excess water from his eyes.[By the way, where are you now? Shooting or something?]"No, I'm out in company treat. I'll return by Sunday night."[You bought all the items on the list, right?]"Of course I did."Meanwhile, inside the restaurant, a duo of a manager and a model glanced at each other.The manager nodded and excused himself to go to the comfort room. The model continued to converse with others.The manager taps a waiter's shoulder and asks for drinks. He quietly mixed a liquid in one fruit drink and brought the tray to their table with a wide smile.Freya's manager picks one drink and says, "Here, for you, Mrs. Shin." He smiled at the lady, who gladly took it.He continues to give them one by one to everyone present by walking to their seats. He can't take the risk of placing the drinks on the table."Is Mr.Rayden still outside?" The manager asked Roman, who nodded.The manager took the spiked drink and gave it to Roman. "This is for you. My treat everyone for the wonderful experience." He smiled brightly and placed Dean in his place.He sat back on his seat and subtly gave thumps up to Freya. She smirked behind her drink and glanced at Roman talking with Liam."Roman, did you guys fight?" Liam's question took the man mentioned by surprise. Was it so obvious?"Dean is avoiding you. You are looking at him as though you wanna apologize. Your son is sitting next to you instead of between us." Liam explained, gesturing with his glass of juice."Papa, I'm back," Ayan said, sitting on Dean's seat and looking around. He looks at his father and asks, "Teacher didn't return?" Roman shook his head."You washed your hands?" Roman asked, taking his glass of juice and taking a sip."Were you able to reach the basin?" Liam asked Ayan, who nodded."I stood on my toes," Ayan replied, looking at his father. "Papa, I'm growing tall."Roman chuckled, and Liam smiled. Roman pats his head. "Of course you are."Ayan's eyes fall on the awaiting Dean's juice. He didn't think twice and carefully took the long glass of orange juice. He gulps and licks his lips."Yours is here," Roman said, placing an orange in front of him. Ayan looks at his glass and then back at the one placed on the table. He shook his head, saying, "I already drank it. Give that to the teacher." He continued to enjoy the orange juice.Roman nodded and kept it aside, or else Ayan might spill it. However, the boy still spilled the orange juice on his white t-shirt."Ayan," Roman grumbles, taking tissues and wiping the shirt. Ayan sheepishly smiles, giving the almost empty glass to his father, who kept it far away from Ayan.Roman sighed when he saw the orange color printed on Ayan's shirt and jeans. "Let's go to the comfort room." He picks Ayan up in his arms and walks away, leaving behind his half-empty glass.Freya looks at the unfinished juice. But she was thankful that at least Roman drank something. After returning, he will finish the rest.Dean walks back to his seat, noticing Roman and Ayan missing. He didn't mutter anything, as his mind was still occupied with the thought of coming out to his parents. How will they handle the truth? All this time, he somehow managed to escape by giving different excuses, especially his health.Dean looks at the half-full glass and assumes it's his unfinished juice."Stop," he heard a lady's voice say. But it must be said to someone else. His mind is so occupied with thoughts that he is just physically present here. He drank Roman's drink all at once.Before Liam could say anything. He saw the empty glass placed on the table, with Dean wiping his lips.Can it be counted as an indirect kiss?Liam blinks and prefers to keep quiet as the deed is already done. However, he glanced at the source of the voice, probably asking Dean to stop. But he can't pinpoint to whom that voice belongs. Many ladies are sitting with them.Freya had wide eyes, looking at her lap. She was the one asking Dean to stop. But the manager held her hand as a gesture to keep quiet. Her one word can uncover their plan to bring Roman and Freya together."Did you say something, Ms. Freya?" A staff member sitting across from them asked. Freya quickly shook her head."I was talking with my manager." She replied, earning a nod from another.