“Why did you never go to college?” Josh asked after the movie they’d watched at his place.

They’d been going out for a little more than a month now and after that first date Justin had never brought up his concerns and worries about his job, too embarrassed he’d let them out that first night. He didn’t talk about his days at work all that much either although Josh knew for a fact that it still bothered him. Josh had told Justin about his classes somewhat and Justin always listened with interest. Today had been the same and Josh decided to ask why Justin had never gone to college seeing how interested he was.

“Couldn’t afford it. I moved here when I graduated high school”

“What about your parents?”

Justin shrugged. “We never got along really well, they never understood me, the fact that I’m gay didn’t really help our bond go stronger either. I moved as soon as was humanly possible”

“And you got a job as a model?” Josh inquired. Justin shook his head.

“No. I tried to find a job when I got here but it wasn’t easy, all the things that paid good money required a degree I didn’t have. I got rejected a lot till after… four months I think some guy approached me and asked me if I ever thought about being a model” he answered.

“It seemed interesting and it paid good money so I gave it a try. I got more and more assignments and the man who’d signed me was happy but I wasn’t, not really” Justin explained, he remembered that time.

At first it had all seemed exciting, new and interesting but after a while the novelty wore off and it had gotten less interesting. The assignments were all the same, appealing to mostly teenagers, luring them to buy the products with his pretty face. He felt like a piece of meat more and more every day. However after almost two years of being a model he was almost certain he wasn’t smart enough to do anything else. If you got treated like a child that didn’t understand anything, people simplifying their sentences for you as if you wouldn’t understand otherwise it wouldn’t take long before you believed them, thinking you really were not smart enough to do anything else.

His agent didn’t help either, he actually made it worse, was the first one in line to tell him not to think about doing something else because he wasn’t smart enough to do it.

“I’m sorry but I’m gonna quit” Justin told Mr. Hemming, his agent, apologetically but not really. He was done with this business. He hated it.

“And what do you think you’re gonna do then?” his agent sarcastically asked him. Justin didn’t known what to say.

“Do you remember why you became a model?” Mr. Hemming asked knowingly.

Justin eyed him, sadly looking away from those taunting eyes when his agent cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows knowingly.

“Because… I couldn’t get a job” Justin answered reluctantly.

“Exactly so what makes you think that will be different now?” he taunted and Justin dropped his head knowing the man was right, why would it be different now? It wouldn’t so he stayed.

Mr. Hemming nodded satisfied. “Exactly”

“Why don’t you do something that will make you happy then?” Josh asked.

“Like what?” Justin asked him, turning his head towards him.

“I don’t know something that you want to do” Josh said. Justin turned his head away, staring out in front of him, nodding slowly.

“I got you something” Josh told Justin as soon as Justin was out of his jacket. Justin looked surprised.

“Why? It’s not our two month anniversary is it?”

“No, no, not for another week but it’s got nothing to do with that” Josh denied.

“Hold on” he said before he went to the kitchen table where he’d placed the present so he could give it to Justin.

Justin had been on a business trip the past week and that had given Josh some time to think about their previous conversation. Where in Josh had advised him he should do something that would make him happy. He didn’t know if Justin had thought about it, he’d been busy working the past week but Josh had thought about it and he had the perfect gift to encourage him.

“Here” he said with a smile as he offered Justin the blue paper wrapped object. Justin smiled as he accepted it, surprised to find it so heavy.

“Thank you” he told him gratefully, not knowing why he deserved a present but curious what Josh had gotten him. He tore away the paper, his mouth dropping wide open. He looked up at Josh, eyes wide.

“Wow” he breathed.

“Do you like it?” Josh asked, not entirely sure the shock was a good thing. Justin’s eyes grew even more.

“Like it? I love it!” he exclaimed.

“This… this is amazing!” he continued. He was holding a book, and not just any book, he was holding The Encyclopedia of World History, 1243 pages long, 4 inches thick.

Josh smiled, happy Justin liked it. Justin met his eyes, beaming, he put the book on the table nearby and launched himself at Josh, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you!” he whispered sincerely before kissing his cheek and then when he pulled back kissing his lips, thanking him properly. This was amazing.

Josh smiled as Justin pulled back. “You’re welcome, I’m glad you like it”

Justin still smiled, like a little kid who just got a new toy.

“I like it, a lot!” he told him again, as if it weren’t obvious that he loved his present. He eyed Josh, his eyebrows furrowed, the smile sliding a little.

“Why did you get me this?” Justin wondered.

“You need to do something that will make you happy” Josh stated, simple as that. He had experience with that, being a lawyer wasn’t awful but it hadn’t been his choice and although it didn’t make him utterly miserable it didn’t really make him happy either. It should though and he wanted Justin to feel as happy as he felt when he finally studied his passion; architecture.

“Well you told me you liked history” Josh shrugged.

“I can’t believe you remembered that” Justin said surprised. Josh smiled.

“Of course I did” Justin passed him another smile.

“I wasn’t sure what part of history you liked best so I thought I’ll go with world history” Josh explained. Justin’s smile couldn’t have been bigger and there was only one thing he could say.

“Thank you”