CHAPTER 214: CHEERS TO MANY JOB REJECTIONS.

On the right hand of Reuben was a sunflower bouquet and he had a bright smile attached to his lips.

’I thought he said he was having a bad day?’ Charles thoughts to himself as he closed the distance between the both of them.

"Hi Reuben." Charles purred, waving his hands at Reuben who stood up from his seat to welcome Charles.

Reuben pulled out a chair for Charles to get seated and after that, he made his way back to his seat.

Exhale!

"Why do I feel like you were lying when you said you were having a bad day?" Charles remarked, arching a brows. "Your face is lit up, and that alone says something different."

Reuben let out a soft, low chuckle. "Hahaha... I am having a bad day," he said within a fist of laughter. "But that doesn’t mean I have to walk around with a frown stamped across my face."

Reuben laughter faded into a calm smile, but Charles could still see it, the subtle heaviness in Reuben’s eyes that hinted at something sad.

Reuben rested his hands on the dining table, fingers lacing together as he leaned slightly forward. the sun flower also set above the table.

"It’s been a while since I last saw you," he said, his voice calm but edged with something unreadable.

Charles gave a slow nod, shrugging one shoulder. "Yeah," he murmured.

Then his tone shifted, rising with a flicker of concern. "By the way, how have you been? What’s going on in your life?" Charles asked, his eyes scanning Reuben’s face as if trying to read the truth beyond the surface smile.

"I have been fine. Doing good actually but today..." Reubens words gators off from some seconds as he gulped down a mouthful of saliva while trying to maintain his smile.

From the observation of Charles, he could now tell that Reuben smile was a facade. He was indeed having a bad day.

"Hey, what happened? You are free to talk to me, and if perhaps I won’t mind if you also vent your anger at me." Charles warmly stated.

"Hahaha," Reuben burst out in laughter. "You’re just so nice and caring." Reuben complimented in the fist of laughter. "But umm, today I did got rejected from different companies."

"Huh?"

"Yeah," Reuben whispered, his voice dragging slightly. "I applied for a job position at several companies two months ago, and today... I finally got feedback from all of them. They each gave me—"

"A job?" Charles cut in eagerly, leaning forward.

Reuben’s slow delivery had Charles on edge, and he was desperate to hear the end of it.

But instead of confirming Charles word, Reuben let out a short scoff and shook his head, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "No," he said, almost laughing at the irony. "They all rejected me. Every single one."

From Reuben’s beautiful hazel eyes that radiant in the bright light of the restaurant, Charles was able to caught a glimpse of tears that were trying to escape the eyes of Reuben.

That alone was an answer that was louder than words itself.

The last time Charles and Reuben met at Ghal Restaurant downtown, the memory was still vivid in Charles’s mind especially the moment Reuben opened up about his job hunt.

Reuben had told Charles that he was applying for jobs using his school certificate, hoping to land something steady.

But until then, he was working nights as a bartender at a club just to stay afloat.

The determination in Reuben’s voice back then still echoed in Charles’s mind, making today’s rejection hit a little harder.

Sigh!

The shoulder of Charles dropped down in an exhausted sigh because he has no idea on what to do.

"This is cruel," Charles muttered under his breath, his brows knitting in frustration.

He stretched his fingers into the air, subtly signaling for service.

A waitress quickly made her way over, stopping beside their table with a polite smile.

Without wasting time, Charles glanced up at her and said, "Two cups of milkshake, please."

His tone was soft but firm and it was an attempt to offer Reuben a small comfort amidst the disappointment.

"Is that all you need sir?" The waitress questioned and Charles nod his head

When the waitress excused herself from Charles presence, he once more fixed his gaze on Reuben. "I... I honestly don’t know what to say." Charles whispered. "The... those companies are totally cruel for doing such things." Charles added.

He paused for a while, rolling his tongue deep inside his mouth before speaking up. "They’re stupid for not hiring a man with such potential," Charles scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. "They’ve lost a real asset, and mark my words—they’re going to regret it."

Reuben laughed, the sound light and carefree despite the sting of rejection. "I bet they will," he nodded, eyes gleaming with determination. "The moment they find out I’m working at a better company, they’ll wish they had seen what they missed. For now, let them enjoy the mistake they made not employing me."

"Hey! Don’t say that. They shouldn’t enjoy anything!" Charles snapped, his tone laced with frustration. "Did they even give you a reason why they didn’t accept you?"

Reuben gave a small nod, his smile tight and unconvincing.

He slid his right hand through his brown hair, pushing it back as if trying to gather his thoughts. "Yeah... they did," he muttered, the words clinging to the forced curve of his lips. "And you won’t believe the crazy reason that they all told me. I almost felt like if all the companies gang up against me."

"Who knows, maybe they’re scared of the greatness you’re destined for," Charles said, a flicker of defiance in his eyes. "They probably pushed you away because they saw you as a threat."

"Charles," Reuben chuckled, shaking his head with a teasing smirk curving his lips. "This isn’t some grand conspiracy theory. It’s real life. No one teamed up against me."

He leaned back slightly, voice light but edged with a hint of disappointment. "They just said I need more work experience. That’s all."

"Ohh," Charles mumbled with his lips curved into a circle. "How do they expect you to have working experience when no company wants to hire you? Or can you be able to use your bartender work experience?"

Reuben scoffed as he shook his head sideways. "Of course not." Reuben whispered.

He averted his gaze away from Charles as he stare at the waitress who was making her way towards his table with a tray that has two glass cup which is filled with milkshakes.

"Here’s your order." The young waitress stated as she set the two glass of milkshake on the table.

"Thanks," Charles mumbled with a smile and with a brief nod, the young waitress excused herself.

"Let’s drink to ease our minds," Charles said, trying to shift the mood.

Reuben raised his glass with a sardonic smile. "Cheers to more job rejections."

"What the hell, Reuben?" Charles snapped, his eyes narrowing into a cold glare. "Don’t say that. You’re going to land so many opportunities that you won’t know what to do with them." Charles stated as his voice was firm, dripping with unwavering confidence.

"Yeah. Sure thing." Reuben whispered and with that he clicked his glass to that of Charles. "Cheers to many more job opportunities I guess."

"Cheers." Charles purred in response.

They both sipped the cold milkshake in comfortable silence, but soon, the silence between them ease into light chatter.

After a while, Charles took care of the bill, his fingers tapping the table with a quiet confidence.

Together, they stepped out of the restaurant, the early evening sky casting a soft, dim glow as they walked side by side.

The time was already some minutes past four.

"So where would you be heading to?" Charles questioned Reuben with his brows tilted upwards.

"I... well, I have a side hustle job today. It start in an hour time and it just simply needs me to be a waiter for the night."

"Ohh, then what about your bartender job?"

"Today is my day off." Reuben replied as he stretched his hands towards the road to hail a cab. "And thanks for coming over to listen to me. I truly appreciate." Reuben purred.

"Anytime.’ Charles warmly replied.

As a white cab pulled over, Reuben slid open the back door, offering a polite smile. "Where do you live?"

Charles hesitated, glancing away. "Umm, you should go ahead. I’ve got something else to take care of."

Charles didn’t want to reveal his address—not yet.

Until Augustine made their relationship public, Charles intended to keep their world carefully hidden.

"Ohh, alright." Reuben stated as he slide inside the car seat. He was about closing the car door when all of a sudden he remembered something. "About tonight waiter job which i made mention of, would you like to join me?"

Charles opened his mouth to speak up when all of a sudden he heard the sound of his phone beep inside his trouser pocket.