My Type of Socializing | ✓

Chapter 19

"Oh, Adam?" Assad was surprised to see the man standing at his front door again. He had left with a smile on his face, and now he was back with a frown on his face with teary eyes and trembling lips.

"Is something wrong?" Assad asked in a soothing voice, stepping out of his apartment so that he was closer to Adam.

The older man looked down at the floor at Assad's words, blinking back his tears as he let out a big sigh. "He sent this," he said, with no context offered except pushing the letter he had received into Assad's hand. "Is a cease and desist."

Assad frowned, unfolding the letter he had pulled out of the envelope. "This can't be court-mandated. He's trying to scare you."

"Yeah," Adam agreed, sniffing. "I can see that."

"So, what do you want to do?" Assad asked, looking up at Adam. The man looked like he was seething, skittish and about to jump out of his own skin from paranoia all at the same time.

"I'm going to write to my company, and I'm going to go to bed," Adam said, more to himself than to Assad. "Can you help me write the letter—make sure I sound professional and not, you know..." he trailed, exposing his shaking hands.

"I can," Assad said, smiling at Adam. "Come in," he said, reaching out to grab one of Adam's free hands before pulling the man into his apartment.

They made a beeline for Assad's room, and the man sat Adam down before fishing around for his laptop and coming to sit beside him on the bed

They drafted a letter together, and Assad read it out as many times as Adam asked him too until the man said he was comfortable with the wording. After Assad pressed send, he closed his laptop and put it aside, looking over at Adam who had taken to picking at his nails in the absence of anything to do.

"Are you feeling okay?" Assad asked, making Adam turn to look at him.

The older man licked his lips before looking away again. "Yeah."

Assad reached out a hand to hold Adam's. He gave it a squeeze before scooting closer to the man and making him rest his head on his shoulder.

"I think you should sleep now," Assad muttered, running his fingers through the man's hair. "I know you don't have anything planned for tomorrow, and we were just supposed to hang out, but you need to sleep."

Adam swallowed the saliva at the back of his mouth as his eyes glazed over the tiled floor. Why was Assad pampering him so much?

"Assad," he called out, deciding to let his thoughts be aired.

"Hmm?" the man with dreadlocks hummed as Adam raised his head from his shoulder.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Adam asked, staring into the man's brown eyes. Assad's lips parted but he didn't say anything. Adam let out a sigh. "It's just that you're always here for me, and sometimes I feel like I don't do enough for you too," Adam explained, and Assad's gaze softened.

"I don't want to bother you with my problems," Assad admitted playing with the blanket. "They're not a lot compares to yours—"

"But I still want to know," Adam said, cutting the man off. "I still want to help," he deadpanned as Assad stared at him with wide eyes.

The dark-skinned man let out a puff, rearranging his dreadlocks as he leaned into Adam until the man was lying on his back. Assad hovered over him, folding his hands over the man's chest as he smiled at him. Despite Assad being reasonably taller and more muscular, Adam didn't find the man's weight on him to be unbearable.