Standing outside the yogurt shop in the mall, Brandon waited for his boyfriend to return from the sporting goods store. The sweet yogurt tempted him but he was able to resist. Instead, he watched a lean man walk out of the shop, licking the swirled yogurt on a tall cone.. He had on tight dark jeans and as he walked away, Brandon couldn't help but watch.

"Watching the ice cream or the man?"

Brandon shrugged, acknowledging Seth's arrival but didn't provide an answer to the question. Instead, he focused on something else. "So, where did you want us to go next? You said you had one more thing you wanted."

"This way."

He followed, all the way wondering why he had been taken to the mall. When they reached the pet shop, his confusion increased. Walking through the small place full of cages, aquariums and walls of pet related supplies, he felt out of place. Seth had never talked about getting a pet or even liking animals. Brandon followed to the back and stared between his boyfriend and the dogs, waiting for an answer. Finally, he had to speak up. "Okay. So, what are we doing here? Are we getting a pet?"

"No, we're not getting a pet, at least not yet." Seth stared at the dog in front of him while he spoke. His tone was flat and at a low volume like he didn't want others to hear their conversation. His focus stayed on the black and white dog in front of them and he even put his hand up to the glass for a second. "This is an attempt at a nice bribe because my other methods aren't working."

"What do you mean?"

"You need to lose weight." Seth's tone remained flat. "It's not where I don't want to sleep with you but I worry how this will progress."

Brandon stared at him, stunned. "What? I've gained like 10 pounds at the most."

"25... So far." After a pause, he added, "I don't want to fight about it. I just want you to let me help you with your diet and for incentive, if you lose 20 pounds, I will get you a dog."

"I don't... but... fine, if it'll make you happy." Brandon didn't look at his boyfriend. Pressing his hand against his stomach, he wished he'd worn a baggier shirt. Maybe it would have helped.