No Reservations For Love

The internet found out before Ethan could even delete the texts.

Someone - probably Jerry and his ego - had leaked screenshots of their old messages. The captions were nasty, painting Ethan as some desperate clout-chaser clinging to the hem of his rich ex's designer trench coat.

#EthanBites was trending. And not in the good, sexy way.

William found him sitting on the bakery floor, hiding behind a flour sack, phone in hand, fingers trembling.

"They're saying I used him," Ethan muttered. "That I faked my career. That I'm hopping from rich guy to rich guy like I'm a damn-"

William took the phone out of his hands, calmly put it on the counter, then sat next to him on the cold tile.

"You done spiraling?"

Ethan blinked. "No."

"Okay," William said. "I'll wait."

They sat in silence for a beat. Ethan's eyes burned. He hated this part - the exposure, the shame, the way people thought knowing one piece of you meant they could define the whole story.

"You think they're right?" he asked, not looking up.

"No," William said instantly. "But even if you had used him, I'd still be more concerned about the fact that he's human garbage with a Botox problem."

Ethan barked a laugh, short and wet.

William nudged him with his knee. "You built your channel yourself. You hustled. You taught yourself how to shoot, edit, brand. You made content people actually love. That's real. I've watched your videos. And not just the thirsty ones."

Ethan turned. "You watched my videos?"

William coughed. "For research."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

William looked away. "And because you're cute when you talk about churros."

The bakery was quiet. For once, no flirting. No teasing. Just two men sitting in a puddle of flour and feelings.

"I'm scared, William," Ethan admitted. "What if this ruins everything I've built?"

William looked at him, deadly serious. "Then we build it again. Together. With better lighting and fewer shirtless shots."

"Hey-!"

"I said fewer, not none."

Ethan blinked. "You'd really help me start over?"

"I'd help you burn it down if that's what you needed."

And suddenly, Ethan kissed him.

It wasn't hot. Or wild. It was just... soft. Slow. Safe.

Like William was the calm after the storm. The oven light in a dark kitchen. The warmth that didn't demand anything but presence.

"Thank you," Ethan whispered against his lips.

"For what?"

"For not treating me like a bite-sized snack."

William grinned. "Oh, I'm still gonna devour you. But with respect."