Chapter Seven

In all his 20+ years of life, a hot guy happened upon Nash and happened to like him, a stark difference from his goal- a CEO. Still, he welcomed the opportunity even if that guy was Ace. Did he love him back? Was the burning question: To be or not to be? An answer he left up to fate.

They scheduled the movie date for tomorrow, and Nash didn't have to help out at the bookstore. As he sat at his desk, Nash pondered the condition he wanted Ace to fulfill. There was nothing he wanted from Ace. Should I make him do something embarrassing? Nash finally felt like he had the reigns-that he was in control.

When he thought about it, why did Ace even like him? They hadn't known each other for long. Was this love at first sight? Those were the questions he should've asked, but Ace abruptly ended the game after asking Nash to the movies. How long has it been since Nash went to the movie theater? With all these costly streaming platforms, Ads, Katie who lived nearby, and the comfort of his bed, his feet haven't graced a movie theatre since high school. He didn't even know what was playing. There weren't a lot of genres Nash was interested in. Give him a proper apocalyptic, disaster, or thriller movie, and he'll sit for hours.

There was something about cursing characters for stupid decisions, wondering why they let their hormones take control, and bringing a crying baby into an apocalyptic world, thinking he would do a better job in the situation, knowing full well he wouldn't survive a day. Thinking he would be better off dead than living amongst dead people wanting to eat him or nature retaliating. Something about those moments fueled his continued enjoyment.

Opening his laptop to the already-open BookNerds website, Nash immediately thought of Moonbeancactus.

Moonbeancactus, just who are you?

Nash decided to do some investigating. For all he knew, they could be working through him to get to Ace. The possibilities are endless. He clicked their profile, carefully taking in every detail he read before. They have been an avid user of BookNerds for years. Their reading list was separated carefully by genre. Nash spotted a few books he read. Thinking Moonbeancactus has impressive taste. While he wasn't one to judge a person's reading list, there were some questionable books, but he'd push those thoughts to the back of his mind.

There was nothing that stood out to Nash. Typing Moonbeancactus into Google, hoping to get some social media presence, but nothing showed up. Lastly, Nash sent a message:

"Who are you?"

They replied quickly.

"A friend. Don't worry, we'll be meeting soon. Creepy as it may sound, I meant it in a good way, not the stalker killer type of way."

Nash was indeed creeped out.

"That's what every killer says before they put you in a body bag. I'd be a fool to believe you."

It was a dangerous world out there. Stalkers and the like lurked and blended in with regular people. What's to stop one from looking at a website full of bookworms? And Nash just happened to come across Ace's potential stalker and unintentionally added himself to the mix.

What a coincidence.

"There's no way you'll believe me. What if I told you something that only the two of us know? He'll kill me when he finds out I told you, but it's better than being labeled a stalker. You can confirm with him. Mr. CollectorOfHotMen"

Nash cringed at his ever-embarrassing username. He didn't know what came over his younger self when he created his account. The BookNerd website, forever nurturing their love-hate relationship, thought it would be a good idea for users to stick with embarrassing decisions by making them unable to change their usernames.

"Reading books like I'm snorting that white stuff. #Imaddicted."

Nash covered his face, remembering his original bio. He must've really been on something to think his username or bio was in any way unique. It was turning heads for the wrong reasons.

Now wasn't the time to reminisce on his life decisions. Nash decided to hear Moonbeancactus out. The story could be true, false, or something they obtained through unscrupulous methods. He'd check with Ace but warn him too.

While he was grateful for their assistance in finding his favorite book, Nash decided to maintain a certain level of caution.

~~

Nash stood outside the movie theatre, tapping his feet as he waited for Ace. He hated having to wait on people, especially when they were the ones that invited him. They were already fifteen minutes over the meeting time. He'd prefer if they reached before him. Just as he was about to call Ace again, he waltzed up to him, smiling.

"Sorry, I'm late. It's not easy getting dressed with one hand, no matter how long I've been doing it. And traffic was a pain in the ass." Ace said.

"You should've told me that over the phone. I can't say I'm impressed, arriving late on your first date."

"So, you do agree that this is a date." Ace smiled fondly at him. "I'm happy that you do."

"You already have it in your head that it's a date. Is it wrong to call it what it is? Besides, I'm enjoying this. Who would have thought that you liked me."

"Don't worry. I'll have you liking me if it's the last thing I do." Ace declared, throwing his arm around Nash. "I think it's already working by the looks of it. Looks like I don't have to work too hard."

Nash scoffed, "In your dream,"

"What movie shall we watch?"

Nash looked over the movie options. Nothing caught his interest, so he chose the one that seemed the better option while Ace ordered popcorn and drinks. There was a decent amount of people at the movie theater, the movie they picked having few watchers. They sat in the middle section, Nash already munching on popcorn. The movie had five minutes to grab his attention. Nash was ready to call it quits but decided to ride it out when things started getting interesting. As he began to delve into the movie, he felt a hand on his. Ace intertwined his fingers with his.

"What are you doing?" Nash questioned.

"Are you blind? I'm holding your hand." He replied. "You already know I like you, so I'm making the most of it."

Nash decided to ignore him and focus on the movie. At least he tried to. Ace did everything, from caressing his hands, resting his head on Nash's shoulder, and trying to feed him popcorn. Ace's antics caused Nash to miss half of the movie. None of this wasn't what he had in mind when he agreed to see a movie. Luckily, he freed his mind of Ace and enjoyed the rest of the film.

"I can't believe you cried. The movie wasn't even sad." Ace said as he tossed the empty popcorn bucket.

"I didn't cry. My eyes happen to get wet." Nash spoke. "I wasn't sad. I was happy." It wasn't his fault he was the emotional type. Nash's emotions did as they pleased. Sometimes, he wondered if he was the one in control of his feelings or if the emotions controlled him. Today was one of those days when his emotions ran high. The film evoked a level of happiness that brought tears to his eyes. His initial apprehension about the film disappeared. "It was a good movie. Next time, keep your hands to yourself. Did you even focus on the movie?"

"I did, for the most part. Since we'll be doing this again, I'll keep my eyes solely on the big screen."

"Why do you even like me so much," Nash muttered. He didn't recall doing anything special. Even now, Nash was still trying to maintain that already crumbling wall between him and Ace.

Nash shook the thought, remembering he had something more important to discuss. He led Ace to a less crowded area and said, "I have two things to say. Firstly, there are a lot of crazy people out here, from stalkers to murderers, so watch your back. Also, I heard through the grape vines that-I'll show it to you instead."

Nash revealed the video Moonbeancactus sent him. Honestly, he didn't want to do this, but it was the only way to get some confirmation. He made sure to get his dose of laughter at home.

"Where did you get this?" Ace said in disbelief, grabbing Nash's phone. His eyes spoke what his words didn't-utter embarrassment making Nash want to bury himself if he were in Ace's shoes.