Here you'll find

 

Old Rose

 

 

 

Chapter 15

"Lunchtime, everybody…"

Dinn, lips rounded in concentration, walked with a cautious step from the kitchen, carrying a large kettle with both hands. He placed it in the middle of a table and heaved a sigh of relief. "Damn, that was heavy!"

Loren finished setting the table and gave it an approving look. "All right, everybody! Where's Samiel?"

"Right here," the chef announced from the kitchen door and removed his stained apron. "Today's special, fillets of sole and vegetables in Old Rose's very special sauce. If the gentlemen would please be seated?"

"No, you be seated," Arjan corrected. "Let me serve."

"Nobody's serving anything right now," Loren decided. "Let's just dig in, shall we?"

The four of them sat around the table, and soon the serving plates and kettles were being passed around it so that everyone could help themselves. For a good while the place was silent, save for satisfied hums and the sounds of eating, while the food disappeared at a brisk pace.

"Well, now I get it," Arjan grinned as he was wiping his mouth. "Even Dad and his friends hardly talked at all while they were having lunch, and now I know why. They were too busy enjoying!"

Samiel leaned back in his chair, looking pleased, and raised his glass.

"I'd better buy some more stuff for tomorrow," he said, "just in case we have again a few more people than we had the day before… Loren, have there been any complaints about the lack of a fixed list?"

"None," Loren assured him. "There was this one little group today who haven't been here earlier, and they did ask me what kind of a list we have for the evenings. Of course they were surprised when I explained to them that our menu varies daily according to what our chef finds at the market in the morning, but in fact they seemed rather fascinated by the idea."

"Yeah, I heard them say to each other that they need to come here again some evening," Arjan put in. "So, no, I'd say that we go on exactly like we've done so far. I don't mind typing the lists every morning."

"Well, good." Samiel sounded relieved. "I was a little afraid that the people would think it too – uh, capricious, or something."

"No, no," Loren laughed, "at least the regulars are quite delighted by it. When they marched in today, they asked me what today's surprise was!"

"Regulars… now that sounds a bit pompous," Samiel chuckled. "I mean, we've not been open for full ten days yet!"

"Oh, but they're regulars all right," Arjan protested. "If somebody's been here on five days out of ten, that counts as 'regular' in my books!"

"I agree," Dinn piped in. "Sami, shall I go get the dessert now?"

"You do that. Remember to be careful with the cellar door, though!"

"Ahh, so there is some of the mousse left!" Arjan rubbed his hands together as the boy vanished into the kitchen. "I was a bit worried that we'd run out before we get to have our lunch."

"I had to make more of it," Samiel confessed. "I thought that it really wouldn't do if we didn't get any, ourselves."

"That's very good of you, I must say!" Loren watched with greedy eyes as Dinn reappeared, this time with a bowl of something white. "Mmm… mousse…"

At last all the food had been polished off the plates and bowls. Arjan watched as Loren meticulously licked the last blobs of mousse from the big spoon, then nudged his leg with a foot.

"Hey, how about going to test either one of the last two rooms now?"

"Wha–" Loren turned very red very quickly and directed a kick at Arjan's shin, but the dark man avoided it by scooting back with his chair. "You..."

"Of course only after we've swept the floor and tables here," Arjan added, "wouldn't dream of skipping work! But, I mean, right now there's nobody's working upstairs. Tomorrow they'll be grouting the bathroom walls all day."

"I think I'll go clean the kitchen," Dinn said and stood up, blushing, but Samiel patted his arm.

"No rush, kid, no rush. Why don't you get us a jug of lemonade instead? We could go and relax in the garden for a while, there's no need to start getting ready for the dinner yet. And hey, you two, no fighting. Not even mock fights, okay? Try to remember that this is supposed to be the afternoon break. Resting, having fun, that sort of thing."

"You're right," Loren said but shot a dark glare at Arjan who spread his hands.

"Sorry, sorry, you know I love teasing you… Will I be forgiven if I clean this place now? Pretty please?"

"We'll see about that," Loren grumbled. "Though maybe we really had better take care of everything now, so we can actually have a proper break."

"You're right, boss-boy," Samiel agreed and stood up. "Hey, Dinn, it's not necessary to try and do everything alone!"

"No problem, I'm just fine…"

Loren chuckled, eyes following the boy who pushed the kitchen door open with a shoulder and disappeared, both hands full.

"He's so eager," he said.

"The boy's a jackpot," Samiel said with emphasis. "Quick to learn, hard-working, likes his job – told me so just the other day."

"Well, if the smile on his face when he comes to work is anything to go by, he's not lying, either." Arjan finished clearing the table. "Do you need help in the kitchen, Sami?"

"No, no, we'll be just fine. He'll do the dishes, I make some preparations, and then we'll have our break." Samiel turned to go. "And by the way, I suggest you do the same."

"We will."

Arjan followed the blond chef into the kitchen and soon returned with the cleaning equipment. In a companionable silence he and Loren set to work. They wiped the tables and floor, rearranged the chairs and replaced dirty tablecloths with fresh ones, then looked in satisfaction.

"Perfect," Loren said approvingly and glanced at the clock. "And it's only four… two hours until we open again."

"Great!" Arjan dried his forehead with a sleeve. "Come, let's go to our side. I might want a quick bath."

They slipped through the kitchen door and into their own apartment. After some splashing around in the bathroom, two wet and very naked young men chased each other up the spiral staircase and into Arjan's studio. There they proceeded to slap each other with towels until they finally collapsed into a huge old armchair and laughed until their sides ached.

"Now it's confirmed," Loren said when he was able to speak again. "We are crazy."

"Yes," Arjan agreed readily, "but then didn't we know it already?"

Loren wiggled into a more comfortable position and wrapped his arms around Arjan's waist, burying his face into Arjan's shoulder. For a while they just held each other, recovering from the towel-fight, but after a while Arjan opened his eyes and tried ineffectually to peer into Loren's face.

"Hey, is something wrong?"

"No," Loren mumbled into his neck.

"Are you sure?" Arjan nuzzled the blond head. "I don't think I quite believe you, baby."

Loren drew a deep breath. "I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what? That Rose won't make it after all? Well the beginning's looking good enough, so I don't –"

"Not Rose. Us."

Arjan frowned, trying to understand. "What? Aren't you sure after all that this is what you want to do?"

"I love every moment!" Loren's arms tightened around him. "This is exactly what I want to do! But – what about you?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You always wanted to be an artist, but now you're stuck here, with me and a restaurant and soon a hotel, too, of course assuming that anyone will ever want to stay in a hotel this high up, working every day, with no time to paint, and –"

Arjan managed to get his lips on Loren's and kissed him until they were both breathless.

"Shut up," he said gently when they finally pulled apart to breathe, "now you shut up and listen. For one thing, in case you haven't noticed, I'm enjoying this as well. More than I imagined. Yeah, I'm sure there'll be days when I grumble and bitch, but there'd be those kind of days anyway."

"Yes, but –"

"Didn't I tell you to shut up? Secondly, don't forget that we have these breaks, plus then there's Mondays. Thirdly..."

Arjan paused to kiss Loren again.

"Thirdly, how many times do I need to remind you that we're in this together. Of course I had no proper idea of what exactly we're getting into, but I sure would've been protesting a lot more if I'd thought that I was going to absolutely hate the whole thing. Did you hear me protesting?"

He combed golden curls away from Loren's face with his fingers and smiled.

"A lot of work, yeah, not to mention responsibility, and big debts and the company and all that. Still I'm sure we can make it, you and me. We're a good team, didn't we prove it already over the two years of traveling? We can make this work."

Loren pressed his forehead into Arjan's shoulder and sighed, but he was smiling again.

"When did it turn this way?" he murmured. "That I'm all nervous and you're telling me it's going to be all right?"

"Hey, hasn't it been this way all the while?" Arjan retorted. "Just remember, baby boy, that I'm here and I'm not going to let go of you very easily!"

He slithered down, onto his knees on the floor, arms still around Loren's waist, and laughed as the blond arched up against him. "Feeling better?"

"What do you think?" Loren spread his legs and clasped Arjan's waist between his thighs. "How does it feel, hmm?"

"That you're feeling better." Arjan's lips trailed down Loren's chest and belly. "And soon you'll be feeling even better."

About an hour later he let out a contented sigh, took a step back from the easel and set aside his charcoals. One more assessing glance at the completed sketch, then he kneeled down by the armchair and pressed a kiss on Loren's exposed neck.

"Wake up, Prince Charming!"

Sleepy blue eyes blinked open. "What..."

"I told you to wake up. We need to get dressed and open the restaurant."

"Oh!" Loren sat quickly up, but a glance at the clock made him heave a sigh of relief. "Phew, there's still plenty enough time."

"Wouldn't dream of making us rush." Arjan wrapped the by now dry towel more tightly around his hips and tossed the other towel to Loren. "You have no idea how delectable you looked, napping there... all flushed and sated."

"Shouldn't have let me fall asleep," Loren grumbled as he got up and donned his towel.

"Rubbish. Let's go now, we need another bath, too – hey!"

"Sorry," Loren murmured, arms around Arjan and whole body glued to Arjan's back. "I just want to tell you that I wouldn't know what to do without you."

"Don't even try, 'cause you won't need to," Arjan sighed rubbing their heads together. "Besides, without me you wouldn't be here. You'd be somewhere else and not know anything about Saygorr or Old Rose."

"Wouldn't that be a pity!" Loren pressed a kiss on the back of Arjan's neck. "Okay, I'm all rested and feeling great and ready to go!"

"So am I, baby. So let's go and get ready for the evening!"

"We didn't test any rooms today, though," Loren realized as they descended the stairs. "Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize," Arjan said and flashed a mischievous grin over a shoulder. "There's always tonight, remember. We close at eleven, and then we have twelve hours until Rose opens again."

"Not quite twelve," Loren corrected. "Remember that the guys will be here around seven or eight to continue work on the bathrooms."

"That's still quite enough time," Arjan said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "As long as we don't fall asleep there, of course!"

Loren shook his head and laughed as he followed Arjan into their very own bathroom, for the third time that day.



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