That day, Enda scolded Dante like that, but he still took it to heart, feeling that Dante's suggestion was... not too bad.
So, taking two days off from class to hole up at home, Enda went online to search for a shop selling sex toys and lingerie. Based on his best friend's figure, he chose a few sets of sexy cosplay sleepwear and also ordered a few sex toys.
Before calling to place the order, he scrolled past a section for men at the bottom. Not sure what he was thinking, his face turned red.
The wedding day arrived very quickly. Enda packed the gifts into two different boxes. He still included an envelope with money and a normal souvenir. Then, he gently pulled the bride to a corner, handed her the small pink gift box, and whispered:
"This is a private gift for you. Remember to use it tonight, and keep it a secret. Don't let Edsel know."
"Why so mysterious?"
"Just listen to me."
He winked mischievously, making Rose chuckle. This friend of hers looked cold and unapproachable at first glance, but only when you were close to him did you realize he was very lively and active, just a little easily embarrassed.
Saying goodbye to the bride, Enda pulled the groom to a secluded spot, handed him a larger blue gift box, and gave him the exact same instructions.
Once that was done, he finally sat at the banquet table with some classmates. His class was male-dominated; out of thirty-seven people, there were only four females. One was getting married today, and the other three were still single.
Because Enda had spent quite a while chatting with the bride and groom, he was unfortunately seated at the same table as the three female classmates. The three girls glanced at him once and then ignored him, continuing to gossip about everything under the sun, from childhood stories to adulthood, then beauty, shopping, and eventually, bedroom matters were brought up for discussion.
Enda: "…"
I am a man too; is it really okay for you ladies to talk like that in front of me?
As if sensing Enda's embarrassment, one rather lively female friend turned to ask him:
"Hey, you and Rose are so close. Now that she's married, when are you planning to invite us to your wedding feast?"
Enda smiled:
"Ugly as I am, not even a dog would want to marry me."
Another girl chimed in:
"You're not ugly at all. Your skin is actually quite nice, it just has a lot of acne. Once that's gone, you'll definitely be handsome."
"That's right. By the way, Enda, you have too much acne on your face. Come here let me see… This is atopic dermatitis, it's not hard to cure… I'll give you this address, guaranteed to cure it."
Enda: "…"
Why did the topic shift to my acne? Besides, if I were to treat my acne, I'd rather go to my aunt's hospital. But if what they said was true, then as long as the acne was gone, his face wouldn't be too bad, right?
The image of a gentle, warm young man appeared in Enda's mind. He felt he must be crazy to think about beautifying himself to seduce a man.
---
Sitting in his aunt's office, facing Vivi's teasing smile, Enda propped his forehead on his hand. So, in the end, why did he still crawl over here?!
"Alright, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I told you to treat your face a long time ago but you wouldn't listen. Now that you see people getting married, you're stimulated, right? I understand."
"It's not what you think."
Enda feebly denied. He definitely wasn't...
"Fine, I won't tease you anymore. Your condition isn't serious; it's just because you haven't been eating or sleeping with any regularity."
According to his aunt, his face needed two weeks of treatment and another week for the skin to recover. His uncle also ran over, insisting that he stay at their house. His cousin, who was in twelfth grade, also clung to him, pleading incessantly.
In the end, Enda had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Early in the morning on the second day after waking up, Enda received three messages. Their contents were as follows:
Rose:
*You damn brat, what did you give me yesterday? My waist is about to break...*
Edsel:
*You're pretty good, kid. I'll treat you to a drink sometime, haha.*
Enda burst out laughing reading the newlyweds' messages, guessing the two must have broken the bed playing last night.
What surprised Enda was that the last message was from Dante, sent at ten o'clock the previous night, but it had been unsent.
He replied to the other two. As for Dante, he hesitated for a long time before finally replying with a single '?'.
Dante received the message, his heart complicated, not knowing what to say. He didn't know what was wrong with him; doing it just once with that kid made him feel lingering attachment. Perhaps he was attracted to the body opposite him—eating once wasn't enough, he wanted more. Regardless, by the time he realized it, his hand had already sent the message.
He hurriedly pressed unsend, both hoping the boy would see it and ask, and hoping he wouldn't reply. In short, his mind was a tangled mess.
He sighed and typed a message.
Neighbor: *My computer froze yesterday. I went over to call you but didn't see anyone home, so I intended to text and ask.*
Adorable Baby: *Is that so? I'm visiting my uncle's house and won't be back until the end of the month. I'll check the computer for you when I return.*
Neighbor: *Okay.*
Enda didn't know what else to say, so he just sent a smiley face and left it at that. Dante didn't text back either; Enda knew there was nothing for the two of them to talk about.
"Enda, where is Enda?"
The room door was kicked open. His female cousin burst in from nowhere like a deity, jumped onto his bed, her eyes flickering with the word 'gossip':
"Mom said you have a lover, right? Show me his face! Is he handsome? How old is he? Where does he live? Blah blah…"
Enda: "…"
I don't have a lover yet; I'm still afraid of being single here.
Oh, to add, his uncle's entire family knew his sexual orientation, so he didn't have to come out or anything.
He was a very lucky person, wasn't he?