Jack Morgan shouted on the phone, “Big bro! Eric Clark is looking for you!”

After a while, Adam Wright came over to take the call. Eric Clark asked him, “This isn’t a personal phone, is it?”

Adam Wright said, “No, it’s the work number.”

Eric Clark didn’t press the issue and got straight to the point: “When are you going to buy me a drink?”

Adam Wright said, “Anytime, you pick.”

So Eric Clark said, “Then Friday.”

Adam Wright agreed with a smile, “Alright.”

Eric Clark deliberately picked the weekend—he didn’t have to work the next day, so staying up late wouldn’t be a problem. That day, Eric Clark dressed to impress, wearing whatever looked the coolest, and even styled his hair.

They met at Su Chi as usual; Eric Clark only came here to drink, out of habit. He didn’t drive, and neither did Adam Wright. By the time Adam Wright arrived, Eric Clark had already been chatting with Old Scott at the bar for a while. Eric Clark waved him over and called out, “Over here!”

Old Scott asked him from the side, “You two together now?”

Eric Clark replied with a smile, “Not yet, I’m going to pursue him.”

Old Scott teased, “Switching things up, little bro?”

Eric Clark didn’t answer, just smiled.

When Adam Wright arrived, Old Scott naturally made himself scarce to give them space, worried they wouldn’t be able to talk freely. Eric Clark asked Adam Wright, “Do you come here often?”

Adam Wright said, “Occasionally.”

With some liquid courage, Eric Clark was bold. After a few drinks, he asked Adam Wright directly, “Most people who come here are gay. Are you?”

Adam Wright didn’t deny it. He clinked his glass lightly against Eric Clark’s.

Eric Clark had a very attractive smile. He looked at Adam Wright and said, “Me too.”

Adam Wright nodded, “I could tell.”

Adam Wright put a cigarette between his lips, his gaze lowered, looking incredibly alluring from Eric Clark’s angle. The lighter was on the bar, but before Adam Wright could reach for it, Eric Clark grabbed it first, held it in his hand, then leaned in and lit Adam Wright’s cigarette.

Adam Wright, cigarette between his teeth, mumbled a thank you.

Eric Clark stared at him, “So I’m interested in you… Did you notice?”

Adam Wright took a drag from the cigarette, using Eric Clark’s hand to light it, then looked up at Eric Clark. As Eric Clark leaned in, his collar shifted slightly, revealing the lines of his neck and his beautiful collarbone. Adam Wright looked back at his face, exhaled smoke, and said, “I noticed.”

“Then that’s settled.” Eric Clark nodded, not saying more. Since Adam Wright had said last time that he was used to being single, it meant he wasn’t interested, so Eric Clark wouldn’t spell things out and give him a chance to reject him outright. The conversation stopped there, leaving a subtle sense of ambiguity between them.

At least in this bar, the two of us have to be seen as a pair who come and go together.

Normally, when pursuing someone, Eric Clark should pay for the drinks this time, so he’d have a reason to ask Adam Wright to return the favor next time. But that felt a bit cliché—the other guy was even more mature than him, not some girl, and being clingy like that would just be annoying.

When it was time to pay, Eric Clark stood by confidently and let Adam Wright settle the bill. After they walked out, Eric Clark said, “You can really hold your liquor, Boss Wright. You drank more than me and still looked totally calm.”

Adam Wright said, “Everyone in my family can drink. Don’t drink with me in the future—you can’t keep up, you’ll lose out.”

Eric Clark laughed, “Then how about we don’t drink next time? I’m interested in you, I’ve put it all out there. If we don’t drink, can I still ask you out?”

After laughing, Eric Clark frowned and quietly pressed his hand to his stomach.

Adam Wright noticed and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Eric Clark sighed, “Drinking gives me a stomachache. I really can’t hold my liquor—it’s a disgrace to my profession as a teacher.”

“If you can’t drink, then don’t. Next time you want to see me, just come to the shop or call me,” Adam Wright said.

Eric Clark looked at him with a half-smile, “So next time I still have to call your work number?”

Adam Wright laughed, looked at Eric Clark, and after a few seconds said, “You’re really something.”

He took out his phone, unlocked it, and tossed it to Eric Clark.

Eric Clark took it and, without hesitation, saved his own number, then called himself from it.

Before leaving, he said to Adam Wright, “Boss Wright, I haven’t chased anyone in a long time. But when I was younger… there wasn’t anyone I wanted that I couldn’t get.”

Adam Wright raised an eyebrow.

Eric Clark continued, “Why don’t you give it a try?”

Adam Wright flicked his forehead with a smile and said, “When you were younger… I look at you now and you’re still just a kid.”

Eric Clark pulled out his ID and showed Adam Wright his date of birth, “I’m thirty, the real deal.”

A truly handsome guy looks good even in his ID photo. Adam Wright looked at the much younger-looking face of Eric Clark on the ID, smiled, and said nothing.

After they parted ways, Eric Clark curled up in the back seat of the taxi, clutching his stomach. He hadn’t been faking when he told Adam Wright his stomach hurt—he’d already been sweating from the pain back at the bar, just pretending to be fine.

His stomach had always been bad, which was why for the past two years Ethan Harris rarely let him drink. But it didn’t always act up—like on his birthday, he drank a lot but didn’t feel any pain.

This time, though, it really hurt. By the time he got home, his legs were weak. Maybe it was because he started drinking on an empty stomach—his stomach was just too empty.