Chapter 19

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"So what if you are older than me? You are still the person I like."

No matter how many times Jamie had replayed those words in his mind, the fluttering butterflies in his bellies couldn't help but get intensified every single time.

Not that he haven't heard Vincent told him how much he liked him before, he just wasn't expecting him to say it again, now in front of his friends and when they were talking about their age difference. Talking about the age difference, Jamie felt his mood flattened a bit.

He is four years older than him, even his friends. Putting aside the fact he felt old and a little self-conscious knowing that the guy he cared for and had choose to be his caregiver is actually younger than him. He couldn't deny the fact that the three college-hockey players sitting round him seems to had a much more lively life compare to his.

The way they talked and interacts between themselves seems more mature than his. He is just a twenty two years old guy-soon to be twenty three who still finds himself regressing back to a much more younger age.

For the first time in many years, he wish he hadn't been a little and had been someone who is much more an extrovert with lots of friends and lively behavior.

Feeling down with the fact that he might embarrassed Vincent when his friends knew the type of a loner he was, Jamie finds himself shifting a bit away from the younger, trying to prevent him from resting his head on his shoulder.

Seeing the confuse look on Vincent's with his friends watching them in silence, Jamie picked up his drink gulping down the hot liquor at once before Vincent will gets to stop him as he started coughing when the burning sensation in his throat sets in.

Owen gasped shocked at how fast Jamie had taken the strong drink while Vincent collected the empty glass from him pouring him a glass of water.

"Babe! Why did you drink that at once!"

Jamie collected the water from him, sipping it a bit before looking up at the three pairs of eyes that were on him. Feeling self conscious, he finds himself wishing to be anywhere but there. "I-I..sorry."

"Jamie.." Vincent called softly his hand on the older's lap in way to comfort him.

"I think we should lea-" Dylan got interrupted when Vincent's phone started ringing.

"I will quickly pick this outside, it my mom." Vincent said before turning to Jamie. "Wait for me, I will be right back."

Jamie nods slowly looking up at the younger. He felt stupid for making him worried. Guess that's one of the things which makes him really different from them. His low self-esteem is an issue he deals with sometimes. "I-I will wait." He said with a reassuring smile which didn't convince Vincent a bit but stood up after carressing Jamie's cheek lightly.

Jamie watched as the younger whispered a few words to his friends before walking out of the room. Jamie wondered what he said to them as the room came to a total awkward silence with Owen picking at the meats with his chopsticks eating them one at a time while Dylan choose to keep looking at the older.

Feeling a bit self conscious from Dylan's gaze on him, he made to pick up his drink but stopped on hearing what Dylan cleared his throat. He looked up at him.

"Vincent will get worried if you drink again."

"..." Is that what he whispered to them? To look out for me and make sure I didn't drink anything. I must have really made him worried earlier.

Jamie thought as he replied with a nod.

Owen cut up some steaks placing them in front of Jamie. "You should eat this instead. It's cooked."

"Thanks." Feeling the intensified tension in the room, the older couldn't help but wish Vincent will come back on time.

"Since when have you two been together?"

Jamie gulps down the meat in his mouth before looking at Dylan who had asked the question. "We are not together..." He knew he was talking about their friends and didn't want to waste time pretending he didn't.

"He meant Vincent being your caregiver." Owen said before slamming his hand over his mouth in realization of what he had said. "I-I am sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I..."

"Y-you knew?"

"Yes." Dylan replied.

Jamie froze setting down the chopsticks in his hand before clasping his already fidgetting hands together trying to calm himself down.

They knew he is a little. The secret he had been trying to keep away from the public had been blurted out to his face just like that. He wondered how they knew. Had Vincent told them? Did he tells his friends everything about them?

"Vincent didn't told us anything. We found out ourselves." Dylan added.

"He is right. Vincent tries to hide it from us, but we once saw him searching on things related to this." Owen said before sighing. "I think I should make it clear. I once saw Vincent searching on how to be a good caregiver. I didn't mean to tell anyone I just told Dylan, we are both dating and we are his only closest friend. He told me Vincent once asked him things related with being a little."

"I was a bit surprised you said you guys aren't in a relationship yet. Vincent made it seems like you guys are. He wouldn't stopped talking about the cute guy he met in his daug-I mean Chanel's school. We really had no choice than to force him to let us meet you together. We wanted to be sure the guy he kept talking about wasn't just an imaginary being. This is the first time we did see him this happy about liking someone in a very long time."

"I'm sorry for making things awkward by blurting it out like that. We just guessed you were the guy he was searching about judging from how loving and affectionate you guys were treating eachother. Vincent really didn't say anything. He really might kill me if he finds out I said this to you." Owen added.

Jamie tries to calm himself down a bit as he looked up at them. "Sorry. I-"

They probably was not expecting me to be the guy their bestfriend was talking about. Jamie thoughts feeling his low self-esteem seeping in again.

"Why are you sorry?" Jamie looked up at Dylan not knowing how to answer the question.

"I-for being like this? You guys probably not expecting your friend to fall in love with someone like me."

"Someone like you? You meant being a regressor? What's wrong with that? My cousin is a little himself. Are you looking down on someone like him too?"

"No, I just.." Jamie trails not knowing what to say. It wasn't a lie he did feel bad for being a little at that moment.

Folding his arms against his chest before leaning forward to Jamie. Dylan lowered his gaze at him with a darkened frown. "I don't know what you are thinking but I really hope it's not what I thought you were thinking. I guess you don't feel comfortable with us yet but I just want to let you know we really have no say in whosoever our friends is in love with. Yeah, we were a bit curious to meet you because this was the first time ever since his last relationship that we found him being physically interested in someone. We were so happy for him and wanted to meet the guy who made his heart races this fast again."

"I have no prejudice against you. All my curiosity got solved when I saw you, I finally realised why Vincent had been interested in you in the first place, but! What I am not expecting is to know you have this low self-esteem about yourself. You're thinking you are not good enough for him? You know what? You are right. You are not good enough for him at all. Not even a bit close!"

"Dylan!" Owen gasped, a bit shocked at his boyfriend's outburst while Jamie lowered his gaze in defeat.

Dylan ignore his boyfriend as he continues. "Vincent saw all this, he saw the differences between the both of you. Do you want me to starts talking about how different you were from him? He knew all this too yet he strive everytime to bridge the gap between you too. He was ready to go any length just to make you feel comfortable with him. But if this is how you want to keep thinking. Trying to make yourself believe he deserves better than you? Then maybe you should just break things off with him now before my friend gets indulged in your radiance more than this."

Dylan banged his hand on the table towering more closer to Jamie. "Vincent is my bestfriend and he meant a lot to me. If you dare to hurt his feelings I will really-hump!" Dylan whines as Owen clasped his hand over his mouth.

"Don't mind his word please. he won't do shit." Owen said with a nervous chuckles trying to ease Jamie's nerve.

Jamie raised his head with a low smile. "I'm sorry."

Owen sigh. "You really shouldn't mind him. He won't do anything."

"No he is right. I knew how much Vincent meant to me. He showed me just how much I meant to him also yet I kept feeling this way. I'm sorry for feeling this way with him. I shouldn't have bring myself down at all. I promise you not to hurt his feelings at all. He meant so much to me more than you could imagine. Rather than me leaving him, I'm the one getting scared he will find someone better than me."

"You are looking down on yourself again." Dylan frowned.

"Sorry."

"Trust me, when Vincent likes someone, he likes them for real. He is not the one to toy with the word love. He takes it dearly to his heart. It's something we've witnessed before." Owen said as Jamie felt his heart throbs.

One of the major facts he learnt from all their discussion was the fact that Vincent had been in a relationship before and it doesn't seem like just a mere relationship. This makes him hated the fact that his friends kept referring to his past relationship.

"I-"

"Sorry, did I kept you guys waiting?" Vincent barged into the room interrupting their conversation as they all turned to look at him.

Vincent clears his throat before sitting down beside Jamie holding his hand. "Why are you all staring at me? Were you talking about me before I enter?"

...•~•...

Sorry for the long break. Been dealing with stuffs in my life lately lol and coupled with this somewhat writer's block that I couldn't think of a better way to construct words, I'm sure you guys so felt the way this chapter seems a bit off. I will try to get better in it.

Thank you guys for reading. Almost 8k+ reads🫢❤️

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