The Dramatic Spiel of Arthur and Chardonnay~ (7,137 views)

Jason pat Thomas on the back before he pulled away from the man. He was much skinnier than Thomas was, but that didn’t stop him from saying how much thinner (and healthier) Thomas looked, from when he last saw the man. When he was called old, Jason protested but his protest fell on deaf ears. He wound up turning to the hostess and asking her, teasingly, if she thought he looked old. She laughed a little and told him he looked fine and Jason counted this as a victory!

Arthur smiled back and shook Thomas’ hand, and though he looked completely at ease to the men around him his heart was pounding in his chest. Especially when Thomas mentioned that he wasn’t surprised and that he and Chardonnay knew each other. Now that got a reaction from Jason. He was confused as to why Arthur would know Chardonnay. Before Arthur could open his mouth to try to explain something, anything, Jason spoke up.

”Wait, you know Chardonnay?” Jason asked, and Arthur knew that was coming. He exhaled and turned the smile towards his boss.

”Yes. We both attended Metric. We went our separate ways after we graduated.” Arthur said. That wasn’t technically a lie. They did go their separate ways. Chardonnay ran her own restaurant, Arthur worked as a manager, and their separate ways kind of... intersected every weekend that he went to her place or she came to his. But other than that they never interacted with one another. They knew next to nothing about one another. God, he hoped that Jason didn’t piece together that she was the one he’d complained about. The spoiled girl who he was rumored to be sleeping with. His coworkers who also attended the school had gossiped about that too, no doubt. Jason laughed at the declaration.

”Really? I’m jealous, I haven’t been able to see her in years! But not it’ll be a reunion for the two of you, too!” Jason meant well, as he laughed, but Arthur wanted to cringe at the statement. This could go nowhere but down south. ”Oh, I can’t wait to see them again! Chardonnay’s become quite a beauty from the pictures I’ve seen – and your wife, always beautiful, always charming. Can’t wait!”

Arthur decided, rather than thinking about how Chardonnay was probably taking a thousand years putting on makeup, to respond to Thomas’ other comments as they were lead towards a table.

”Oh uhm, thanks. I’ve kept my job at the theater since I graduated – “

”Yes, yes, he picks up my slack. Did I tell you, Thomas, that he was the one who settled that soul sucking Candy Company that was running me into the dust? They were anything but sweet! I understand not having any time because of a business, though – unfortunately I’m so old I have to leave it in my manager’s hands most of the time. But Arthur’s reliable. Always has been. I can trust him!” The men approached their table and Arthur felt apprehensive, watching the candle flick. Sure, being praised was nice, but in this situation, talking to Chardonnay’s father, it was so odd.

He took the seat beside his boss, who took the seat across from Mr. Nicholas. Underneath the table, Arthur fished his phone out from his pocket. Disguising it as leaning back, he glanced down and pulled Chardonnay’s number up. And then he sent her a text. don’t b pissd when u c me. It was lacking in grammar and that itself was enough to make him hate sending it, but he really couldn’t type properly when he didn’t want his boss or Mr. Nicholas to see him doing so. Once he sent his message he pocketed his phone again and ignored it. He’d warned her. That was enough.

”My sister still really loves to watch the shows you’re on, by the way. She’ll always comment when she sees you’re featured.” Arthur added, completely engaging in the conversation. He didn’t want to look distracted after all – and he wanted to keep talking, especially if his phone vibrated.

The praise from not only his boss, but Mr. Carmichael, made Arthur flush slightly. He really wasn’t expecting this, instead of it being about him he was anticipating the meeting being about the guy, about learning who he was, stuff like that. But of course his boss wanted to gush about him, and it was always nice to hear someone who he respected, who he knew built himself from the ground up, say that he had a mind for business. Thomas’ story was one that Arthur had heard that night during the family formal, and found himself fascinated by. The determination that he’d had to build his own restaurant, his own business, was something not even Arthur thought he could match. He kind of fell into a business, admittedly, and though he loved it there were lines set up, an establishment and a reputation funded. He didn’t build a business from nothing, though he couldn’t lie, hearing Thomas’ story when he was a freshman almost made him want to try.

So, despite his nervousness of Chardonnay coming to this dinner he couldn’t help but smile appreciatively over at Mr. Nicholas. Jason, meanwhile, affirmed everything that Thomas was saying and added that he’d been working with the boy since he was in high school, and was glad he decided to go into business.

”Thanks. I like working under Jason, I don’t plan on switching jobs for a while.” Arthur said, and Jason beside him smiled.

”See! I told you I’d get a protégé someday, Thomas! It only took me... 50 years?” He laughed at himself, waving his hand in the air dismissively. When the waiter came over and introduced himself, he looked nervous. Immediately Arthur felt a wave of pity for the guy – serving jobs were the literal worst. And this place had more of a standard than McDonalds or Burger King. And... It was really weird to be here, on this end of the wait staff. He wasn’t used to it, especially not a place as high end as this. When Thomas told the waiter they’d wait on the women Jason nodded and Arthur agreed as well, though he made sure to thank Walter himself even though Thomas already had.

It was after Walter left that he was conscious that almost every guest was looking at them. He bit his lower lip. Charodnnay’s family really was well-known, right? At Thomas’ comment about the Kardashians Arthur was surprised, but he let out a small laugh when he realized he was talking about Susan’s blog.

”Yeah, Susan. She’d be happy to hear your wife reads her blog. My sister’s always really liked Chardonnay when she had her as a student.” He didn’t know why, exactly, but she did. It was kind of weird. But, if it made Thomas’ wife happy when she defended her against the Kardashians that was good, right? And when he mentioned she read more of the blogs he wondered if she’d ever commented on one. Susan responded to bunches of commentators daily, but he never heard anything about her exclaiming Mrs. Nicholas loved her work. It wasn’t too long after that thought, though, that Thomas announced the arrival of his two favorite ladies. Jason jumped up too with a grin on his face, excited to meet them again, but Arthur was slowly dreading this moment. He stood up from the chair, too, not wanting to look odd (since he could sense all eyes of guests, again, on them all).

And then he saw Chardonnay and her mother walking down the hall, both in long gowns that looked too fancy to walk in. But of course Chardonnay’s took the cake. She always took the cake. Especially in that moment when she was looking at her father and her lips broke out wide, into an almost grin. She looked so spoiled, so over the top... just like a princess. He exhaled and didn’t realize he was being watched until he felt an elbow nudging him, and his boss leaned down to whisper in his ear.

”What was your relationship in college, exactly?” He asked. Arthur turned away from Chardonnay and her mother at the question, not noticing as her face fell when she saw him. At the confused look on Arthur’s face, his boss continued. ”You were staring.”

”I was not. I was watching them enter. I can’t exactly do that with my eyes closed.” Arthur frowned, but his boss didn’t look convinced. ”It’s just – just –“

Before the whispered conversation could continue, there was a loud thud and both of the men whirled around to look at the floor, upon which Chardonnay had fallen. There was a huge whisper in the crowd and Arthur’s jaw dropped slightly. Was...was this seriously happening? He wanted to laugh. Oh God he wanted to laugh and he disguised it with a cough, hiding his lips behind his hand as he did so. Did she seriously trip? Seriously? He warned her he’d be here! That was what the text was for! And she still had that happen?

Her parents helped her up – Mr. Carmichael was too slow to go, and Arthur was too distracted by the desire to laugh. By the time they got Chardonnay back to the table, composed, he’d composed himself too and was sitting in his seat.

”Ah, don’t be embarrassed by it! You should have seen me when I almost broke my hip skipping in here!” Jason said to Chardonnay. ”I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Jason Carmichael, a friend of your fathers! I haven’t seen you since you were a baby! Arthur here is one of my managers, I invited him along to make sure I get home safe! Aha.”

Arthur turned to Mrs. Nicholas first.

”It’s nice to meet you Olivia, you can just call me Arthur. I heard you follow my sister’s blog.” It was amazing how composed he felt now that Chardonnay had made a fool of herself. He turned towards Chardonnay and sent her a smile, because he had to act mature and composed for this dinner, right? ”It’s nice to see you again, Chardonnay.”

Oh, man. She wasn’t even looking at anyone. This was too fucking rich. Maybe part of him felt bad for her having tripped, but in the moment, it knocked her off that pedestal seeing her glide into the vicinity had put her on.

Mr. Carmichael laughed at the stories about him holding Chardonnay as a baby, and the way she tried to snatch his nose from him! The memories of holding the little baby in his arms were still so fresh, even though it had to have been almost twenty years now since he’d seen her. She really had grown up! It was so odd to see children who he’d known age. It was phenomenal, but at the same time, it was so humbling.

He remembered when he went to Thomas’ house. His nose, always very prominent on his face, had attracted Chardonnay’s attention and he pretended that she’d taken it! He held her high in the air until she threw up on him and it was disgusting, but he laughed anyway! He’d laughed and borrowed one of Thomas’ shirts (which was so much bigger than he was; Jason had always been terribly lithe). He said this all out loud in story form, his hands grabbing for the menu as he gave Chardonnay a friendly smile, oblivious to her animosity. He hugged Olivia back and took his seat between Arthur and Mr. Nicholas.

Arthur had come to this dinner thinking that it was going to be about business, about colleagues, but instead it seemed to be very, very family oriented. And it was... really unnerving. Especially when he shook Mrs. Nicholas’ hand. Though her comment about his sister and niece made a genuine smile light up his face as he agreed with her that they were both amazing.

”I’ll let her know. And Adelaide is adorable, she’s probably Susan’s favorite thing to write about.” He said. Family was definitely the most prominent topic on Susan’s blog. Family and rants, apparently. That post she’d written about Chardonnay was still viral, still widely accessed, though the buzz had long since died down with the Kardashians. But even as he said that, and settled down into his chair and took the menu into his hands, he really realized how... awkward this was. Especially when Chardonnay sat down beside him. God, he wished he could text her an explanation. He felt so... weird, sitting here, with Chardonnay’s parents. They regularly had sex, and with this setup it was almost like they were being paired up. Her parents didn’t know that they had sex or even communicated with each other, but that didn’t mean one little slipup and they would know. Though he was still entertained by the memory of Chardonnay falling on her face earlier, the nerves were beginning to settle in, especially after his boss’ comment. He hadn’t been staring. He also didn’t notice the necklace around Chardonnay’s neck or the way it glistened by her cleavage. That was definitely something he did not notice, not with her father and mother staring at him with smiles.

At Olivia’s comment, Arthur’s mouth opened in surprise. No. No. She was bringing up the video! His cheeks began to grow pink as his boss let out a loud ”oh, oh that’s who she was,” and started to laugh. Arthur’s cheeks started to darken at the sound and he closed his mouth, brow twitching when Chardonnay acted aghast at her father for telling her mother.

”That, I mean, uh,” Arthur cleared his throat. ”That was just a mistake. We didn’t really talk much after that. We had a senior project and then we graduated, and we – or I mean, at least I -- moved past that.” Yeah, they moved right past the making out and right between the sheets.

At Thomas’ comment, Arthur blinked, not entirely sure if he wanted to know. Still, he would do anything to get the subject off of him and Chardonnay, so he forced a smile.

”Really? Well uh, I guess you have a point. I’m a lightweight, so I’m usually gone within two or three shots.” He said, though, he had to wonder, he said he was glad that they hadn’t ended up like them? What did that mean? Did they... did they sleep together while drunk? Never mind. Arthur didn’t need to know that about her parents.

”Unlike me! I can handle 26 and a half beers before I get wasted!” Jason said. Arthur rolled his eyes and flipped the page of the menu. He stared at the entrees, but his eyes instinctively moved to the prices, and he started to feel anxious. Holy shit... how expensive was this food?

Arthur was glad that his changing of the subject worked. He didn’t think he could hear much more about that night he first met Mr. Nicholas.

Watching him (and Susan, too) watch the video was difficult. He was scared for his sister’s reaction, but more-so for Chardonnay’s father’s, if only because he had no idea how that would go. His worries weren’t helped when Susan burst out laughing at Chardonnay’s explanation and clapped her brother on the back, saying a congratulations, which made him go beet red. What the fuck?! Was his sister trying to get him killed? If not via Chardonnay herself, from her father. But Mr. Nicholas’ reaction was surprisingly calm as he laughed and admitted a few stupid things he’d done while he was drunk. Susan was right there to join him, saying that as long as the two didn’t go getting pregnant, they could make out all they wanted! Now that comment made Arthur slam his hand to his forehead and groan. He loved his sister, but she really was so erratic... Even at that dinner, the way that Chardonnay looked had been distracting, the way that her lips moved had been distracting, and the way that they angrily kicked one another under the table had been distracting. Kissing her at that party was what started this whole thing. This whole desire for her, to feel her move against him, to see just how much she wanted him... with her father and his sister there that desire hadn’t bene hard to suppress, but every time they’d had to sit beside one another in class, when they were finally paired, Arthur felt it. That stupid party that started all of this...

What on earth would this dinner be like if they didn’t fuck? If he just showed up, didn’t have her number, and then Mr. Nicholas’ family came? Would Chardonnay’s reaction have been to trip? Or maybe, in that case, she would have screamed. Or maybe if they had never become fuckbuddies, Arthur wouldn’t have come. Maybe he would have been busy, and not been able to make it. Or maybe he would have had a date, maybe Mr. Carmichael would have invited her, too, and that would have been really awkward, wouldn’t it? Especially if this came up and he had a girlfriend by that point.

He turned back towards Thomas at his comments, looking between him and his wife. He remembered seeing the portraits in Chardonnay’s condo. He really was meeting her parents right now, wasn’t he? What would they think if Chardonnay told them they were fucking? He knew that Thomas laughed at the idea of them kissing when intoxicated, but this was different. This was completely sober, full on sex, and though they did always use protection he just had a feeling Thomas wouldn’t like that. Not when he cared about Chardonnay so much, not when she was his baby girl, as Arthur heard him call her numerous times. He was so lost in thought he barely heard Chardonnay’s response to his comments, and he almost missed Olivia’s comment, so he just smiled in the hopes that would be enough. However he came more into the conversation when Thomas laughed and mentioned how often he drank.

Hm. Maybe Chardonnay got that from him, he thought, thinking back to all that alcohol she had stored away. Though when she suggested the strongest alcohol and ordered some his eyebrows rose in apprehension. He told Walter he wanted a glass of water instead (he was not touching alcohol when he had to drive an hour home) but didn’t look away from Chardonnay. Seriously? If she was going to drink, what would happen if she got intoxicated like she had when she confessed about that creep? What if she confessed more, or god forbid, what if she started hitting on him here?

”After that conversation, you really want to drink?” He asked, in a light tone, though he was sure Chardonnay would realize that he meant that because of the times he’d seen her drunk. He definitely wouldn’t let her go off her rocker tonight, even if she killed him for it. In the future, she’d appreciate it, especially when her parents didn’t know that she was fucking around with him of all people. God. She’d probably be ashamed to admit that.

He didn’t think about that thought too much before Thomas spoke again, and he bit down on his lower lip at the offer. He stared at the prices, again. Of course he appreciated a free meal. He tried to tear his eyes off of the prices again as he considered options, but still, he found himself trying to look at the options that cost the least.

”Aw, thank you Thomas! I can always count on you for a free meal! Even if you aren’t the one cooking it! I’m so excited to try you cuisine, Chardonnay! I have no doubts it’ll be amazing.” Jason said. At Thomas’ comment he laughed. ”My liver is just one big IOU document! Ahah! But at least I didn’t get anyone pregnant when I was drunk! That’s something that I’ll always count as a plus.” Well, it would be difficult for him to impregnate someone even while drunk, because he was very much gay and not interested in the gender that got impregnated, but that was why Jason’s point was so funny! He laughed at his joke. Arthur didn’t and just thought this was bringing the conversation back around to the choices they’d made while drunk.

”The theater’s doing wonderfully! Arthur has another manager who works with him, Jasmin, lovely girl, I was sad she couldn’t come to the dinner today! She and Arthur here run the business so well I’m considering just keeling over and leaving it to them already!” He ignored the glare Arthur sent his way at the joke and just continued to laugh. ”we renovated the place not too long ago, it’s all up-to-date, and I don’t feel so old-timey anymore. I’ll miss the simplistic style of it, but if we want to keep in the business we have to appeal to people, right? Oh, now we have these fancy do-hickeys and TVs... if it wasn’t for my managers, they’d all probably never turn on! I can’t work the confounded things! But how about the restaurant? Any updates since the last time I was there?”

Arthur looked back over at Chardonnay at her retort. He could tell she didn’t know why he was here and he’d have to explain it to her... when his boss and her parents weren’t right in front of them. Sure, he could excuse himself to the bathroom to send her a text, but that would be rude. Not to mention, her phone might go off if she had it on her, and that would be even more suspicious, wouldn’t it? He didn’t know how intuitive her parents were, but sending her that warning text (that hadn’t helped her much in the long run, it seemed) was suspicious enough.

Arthur was very appreciative that he didn’t ever have to sit through events like this. Susan liked to embarrass him, sure, but definitely not to this extent. It was hilarious to see Chardonnay squirming so much beside him and he almost wanted to snicker, but he knew he couldn’t star eat her too much, because his boss was already trying to decipher whether or not they dated in college secretly. Oh, he could tell that was what Jason was doing. He was fooling no one. Arthur didn’t realize that Chardonnay’s conception was being talked about right now – he still thought his boss was trying to hint to what could have happened. And he was thankful it didn’t. The first time the two of them had sex was unexpected, but by the he had condoms on him. But if Chardonnay hadn’t mentioned them he would have forgotten – if they had sex in college, he would have forgotten – and that wouldn’t have ended well for either of them if she wound up pregnant. The thought was enough to make Arthur’s blood run cold. To get someone pregnant in college? He was very thankful they’d crashed, and hadn’t gotten any clothing off of one another.

But then Chardonnay spoke up and said something about her conception and he furrowed his brow. What? Who mentioned that? But he looked over at Thomas just as he looked at him and his boss. His boss was already laughing like a jolly old man, but Arthur’s face was just shock as he explained that she was named after the drink that got her parents wasted enough to create her.

”Jesus Christ,” He mumbled under his breath, bringing up a hand to rub his face. But in actuality, he was trying to hide laughter, and failing at it, too. ”...that’s how you got your name? That’s the most ridiculous story I’ve ever heard.” Trying to hide it made the giggles worse, but he was trying anyway, he was supposed to be professional but how was that supposed to happen when he just found out Chardonnay was named not because it was a pretty name, but because that was what her parents had drunken on the night of her conception? She was so embarrassed about this entire situation and that made it better. He remembered all of the times she’d been there to embarrass him and was thankful the shoe was on the other foot now. So to speak.

”Imagine if she was named after a Martini! We could call her Martin for short!” Jason said brightly, and that made Arthur’s laughter worse. Oh god. Imagining her with a name different than her actual name was funnier than it was knowing how she got the name Chardonnay.

While Arthur was trying not to lose his shit over this story, Jason was grinning over at Thomas. He loved hearing peoples’ reactions to that story! Especially Chardonnay’s, whenever she was told. It was so hilarious, he remembered, when Thomas had called him up and told him that they were pregnant and what they were naming the baby (and why). He’d never stop teasing them about it!

”I’m not stepping into it! I’m being dragged into it by my managers.” He clapped Arthur on the back, who was still grinning, but the laughter had subsided. ”You are always welcome for a free movie if you’d like – and, if you ever were to get bored during a film, you could always come to the lobby and chat with me! It’s awfully boring on the floor when everyone’s in the theater and it’s just us, walking around, trying to amuse ourselves!” Jason said, though he was certain Chardonnay wouldn’t be convinced.

When he spoke of Chardonnay’s restaurant, Jason looked around and despite himself, Arthur looked around too. It was very fancy, very much what he expected Chardonnay to come up with. Still, he was surprised she’d been the designer of everything. Sure he knew she designed the food but he assumed she hired someone to design the building and then she gave her input, which she just used the same food providers that her father did. Loathe as he was to admit, she wasn’t anything like she’d been in High School, and she meant she’d do well. Still. It was way too over the top. Way too... extravagant. It probably cost a fortune to put this place up and the only people who would ever eat here, given the prices, were rich snobs. That was her choice crowd, though. The exact opposite of him.

”Chardonnay! This place is amazing! I was commenting on the décor on our way in. And makeup! Really? I don’t use it, my wrinkles are makeup enough for me!” Jason said. Arthur glanced at his boss with a shake of his head, before he turned back towards Olivia.

”Really? My sister might like to hear about that, though.” He didn’t know the first thing about makeup, except for the times he saw Chardonnay applying it and watched, somewhat fascinated, as she changed her face completely. She was still beautiful but in a different, model-like sort of way... like she looked now. Makeup, he reiterated a previous thought from years ago, was some trippy shit.

This really wasn’t Chardonnay’s night, was it? She was getting embarrassing stories told about her, her parents were talking about her conception... Jesus fucking Christ. It was hilarious. She’d probably kill him for laughing the next time she got him alone, but he didn’t care. He was having too much fun laughing at her expense. And Jason was highly amused – he grinned over at Thomas and gave him the ‘thumbs-up’ pose. When Chardonnay dismissed the notion of going to the theater Jason didn’t look too disturbed, and Arthur was appreciative she wouldn’t be going. It would be pointless for someone as spoiled as her to actually try and sit down to enjoy a movie. She was so in love with herself it was hard for her to engross herself in the stories on screen. At least, that was what he was convinced of.

”Friends and family get to watch for free! It’s the employee discount, Thomas! But we do accept donations.” He laughed heartedly, and at Thomas’ jabs against him he pouted. He was not that hard to change! So he thought, anyway.

Except he really was. Jason had always been traditional in value – he liked to keep his theater looking old fashioned, even when he first built it, and that added to the aesthetic of the place. But as the years went on business slowed and the aesthetic was lost due to a lack of functioning. The theater a few towns over, his biggest rival, was under new management the year before he hired Arthur. They upgraded their entire system and slowly even the most loyal of Jason’s customers started to go over there for their enjoyment instead. He was oblivious to it at first and just assumed his drop in profits was due to a lack of interest. The theater remained modest until very recently, when he found out that his rival was getting all the business Jason lost.

It wasn’t all Arthur’s idea to modernize, but Jason was reluctant to hear opinions other than his, especially since by that point he imagined Arthur would be in a position of management over the theater someday. Jason still wanted to keep it simple, but Arthur suggested that they didn’t have to get rid of the simplicity – they just had to upgrade to better fabrics for the carpet, better electronics for the walls, and better lights for the halls. They upgraded their film projectors, too. The change was very difficult for Jason to watch happen but he supposed he was getting older, and when business started to come back as the Salem Theater became both convenient and upgraded, he realized he wouldn’t be there forever. If he wanted the theater to survive longer than him, he had to give in. And it wasn’t like the things that made the theater what it was, his original ideas, were compromised. The color scheme was still the soft green and beige, the walls were still textured to look almost like leaves along the walls. The paint was re-touched and it came back to life again. Many people had noticed the décor, people who had been coming for years but never stopped to notice it. Jason didn’t feel like a stranger at his theater, but he also didn’t feel as in control of it as he used to. Which was a very hard thing for him to give up. Despite these thoughts, Jason still kept his smile in response to Thomas.

”Arthur has a way of making me sense. Or, of showing me pictures of the competition. I may love my theater the way it is, but I don’t want my business to go under, now do I?” Jason said, laughing when he remembered that Arthur had driven to that very theater that stole the business and snapped photographs of the décor, of the TVs, of the halls. It was hard to see but it was definitely helpful in getting him to see sense.

”Thank you Mr. Nicholas, but like he said, the secret is just sense. He just didn’t realize where all his business had gone. Once I had his attention with the pictures it wasn’t hard to offer my suggestions for revising the place.” Arthur said, and to that Jason nodded and commented that he was very unobservant, unlike Arthur.

”Now, if you could use those negotiating skills of yours towards a girlfriend, you’d make me feel less guilty for stealing so much of your time lately, boy! Why was it that Erin girl never worked out? You looked good together.” Mr. Carmichael was back to joking and Arthur flushed, not expecting it to come back around to that topic. Especially not here. And when he glanced over at Jason, he was darting his eyes towards Chardonnay, no doubt still convinced that he was hung up on her, even after they graduated. Arthur took a long drink of his water when the waiter came back, in that moment wishing he could just steal some of the wine. He didn’t sign up for this! This was supposed to be a business meeting!

”I’m happy single.” He responded, ”...it just didn’t work. Nothing complicated about it.”

Jason didn’t look convinced, and looked towards Chardonnay as though he was going to ask her about something but then the waiter asked for their orders. Arthur was surprised it was a three course and furrowed his brow. Crap. A soup? An entrée? That was way too much food. He didn’t eat that much normally. What was less filling? Jason said right away that he’d want soup -- veggie minestrone – and an order of the roast chicken. The waiter turned towards Arthur, who really didn’t want to go next but he supposed he had no choice in the matter. ”I’ll have a salad, and uh, the Fettuccini Carbonara please?” It came out as more of a question and he cringed, but the waiter seemed to get his order down anyway. Arthur exhaled and poked through the desserts. Everything looked so... filling. He wasn’t going to be able to eat a dessert... maybe he could take it home for Susan or Adelaide to eat?

Jason nodded along to Thomas’ comments with nods and affirmative statements thrown in there. When the waiter left, he commented on a few of the meal choices, saying how he was going to be jealous when everyone else’s meal came, wishing he ordered everything! Though he knew he would love the chicken. He was too tiny to really eat everyone’s order, though, but apparently Jason was convinced he could do it. As the waiter left Jason said thank you and goodbye, and eagerly awaited their appetizer, his stomach beginning to growl.

Arthur tried not to notice Chardonnay whipping her head around to look at him at Jason’s comment, it would be way too weird for her parents and his boss if they saw him taking any kind of notice to that, but he could feel her gaze like a laser beam. He knew that even if she didn’t care about him in any sense of the word it would matter to her if he had a girlfriend. They were having sex, after all, and for all she knew he was single and he’d only been having sex with her. But if he had a girlfriend but didn’t cut this off, and had sex with not one person but two, well, that was a risk wasn’t it? Arthur definitely was not someone who wanted to cheat on another person. He was loyal. That was the whole reason he couldn’t date Erin. He took another drink of his water as he finally glanced over to Chardonnay, who he saw downing her wine. Seriously? He stopped sipping to raise his brows just as her father commented on it and poured her anther glass.

At Olivia’s question Arthur didn’t really know what to say, until Chardonnay made some smart comment. ”yeah, right” what? Did she think he couldn’t get into a relationship if he wanted to? This wasn’t college anymore. He wasn’t dwarfed by Chad’s presence, and the presence of all the conventionally attractive rich snobs. He’d matured since he graduated and he had a stable job now, making good money (even if he rarely showed it off, he did). He wasn’t very good at flirting, but he did get approached by girls at bars when his sister or Maxine took him to them. When he was drunk he was better at it, but even then he never really touched the girls. Maybe once or twice he let one lead him towards the music, to dance, but he never kissed any of them or let his hands wander. It wasn’t until he actually tried, when he considered seriously dating Erin, did he actually kiss someone other than Chardonnay. And loathe as he was to admit it, when it wasn’t her, he hated it. God. Maybe Chardonnay was just a really good kisser and no one else could compare. If that was the case, it’d really suck for him when he wanted to find a serious relationship.

”I’ve been on a few dates before but no, I’ve never had a girlfriend. I’ve realized I just prefer to be single for now.” Despite his anger, he couldn’t lie and say Erin was or had been his girlfriend. Maybe technically she was considered one, but he didn’t know. But regardless he found himself getting angry. Chardonnay had no right to be mad. He was seeing Erin when she was completely ignoring him. When she didn’t respond to him, not even to tell him she was busy. She just let him think that the sex was over between them and had the audacity to show up on his doorstep and drag him into a kiss.

What would he have done if he was dating Erin, and she pulled him into a kiss like that? He swirled the glass in his hands. He didn’t like to think about that too much. He liked to think he would have stopped the kiss and told her he was taken. But then, he’d missed her so much, that when she was there and wanted him he completely forgot about anything other than her lips on his and her fingers brushing his nape. It was for the best he told Erin he wasn’t interested.

When Olivia had mentioned Chardonnay was single, too, he knew where this was going. No. God no. Were they going to try to play matchmaker? He saw the look on Jason’s face. That was what he was going to ask Chardonnay earlier before the waiter came, wasn’t it? Oh, God.

”Well, a lot of people are single. My sister’s single, my niece is single, even Jason here is single. I don’t see why it matters whether or not she is, to me. From what I remember from college, I’m not her type.” Arthur tried to dismiss the notion with lighthearted jokes, but he was annoyed, because he hadn’t been paired up with Chardonnay in years and now he was falling victim to that again, except this time, because of her parents?

”Nonsense! There’s video recording of the two of you getting drunk, Arthur.” Jason said.

”And at the same party, I saw some kid humping a pole. Just because we kissed doesn’t mean we actually had any serious interest in one another. We said earlier it was a mistake. We meant it.” Arthur said. Jason made a ”feh” noise and turned towards Chardonnay.

”Since he so adamantly insists: what is your type, Chardonnay? Surely it’s come to your mind once or twice!” Jason asked, with a smile. Arthur resisted the urge to roll his eyes and just smiled over at Chardonnay’s parents, sipping on his water.

Oh God. Now they were talking about weddings.

Arthur closed his eyes and exhaled, feeling his nervous beginning to skyrocket. Why did this conversation have to come up? No matter how much he and Chardonnay tried to change the subject, they always swung it back around to love. To romance. It wasn’t that Arthur didn’t want to get in a relationship someday – he very much did – but he just didn’t want it right now. And especially not with Chardonnay, of all people. She was very anti-relationship and he understood that, not just because she said it here, but from what she’d admitted to him when she was wasted off her ass, scared of that creep, who was the reason she texted him every night she got off of work. She had trust issues. Which he could understand, in a sense.

When it came to the motives of people, he doubted them, too. That was probably why he hated the rich people he came to interact with so much. He couldn’t trust that any of them weren’t the exact same type of brat who had bullied him in grade school. They only cared about money and fancy toys. When they got older, all they cared about was money and sex. Even at Metric the overwhelming majority of students were devoted to themselves, and those who were popular came from loaded families. No one ever went into a friendship at Metric just to find a friend. It was purely for the benefits that having a connection with someone would give them post-graduation. But still, despite that... Arthur had befriended Maxine over the course of his college career. He’d made acquaintance with his fellow business students, and the professors, they were people he could trust. He definitely didn’t have trust issues like she did, but he could understand them, and he didn’t find anything wrong with her reluctance to try for anything.

But, going back to what was so awkward about this... Arthur didn’t want to hear her mother tell her that she’d get married someday. He didn’t want to hear her say that because that meant thinking about the far future, if Chardonnay ever did cave and marry someone (Chad popped into his head as the groom, much to his own personal irritation) where would he be? Dating someone else? Married? A father? He didn’t know. He didn’t know and he didn’t want to think about it and he sure as fuck didn’t want to think about Chardonnay in any kind of wedding dress while they were regularly fucking. They had no intention of being serious about one another and it was just odd to hear her parents visualize her getting married someday. And then Thomas mentioned grandchildren. Arthur choked on his water at that, and Jason laughed at his reaction. It was so odd to imagine Chardonnay as a mother, so impossible, that it was just... shocking.

Despite himself, Arthur couldn’t resist peering over at Chardonnay to see her distraction while Jason cracked a joke about adopting some grandchildren himself. He expected her to look annoyed flustered, bothered... but instead she looked paler than she normally did and he felt time freeze for a second at the look of horror that crossed her face. It just gave him a gut feeling, like something was wrong. He blinked and didn’t take his eyes off of her shaking hand as it lifted the wine glass to her mouth. That wasn’t what he expected. And since they were regularly practicing the ‘baby making’ process, or however one wanted to put it, her fear just... unnerved him.

”Well, it’s not like getting married or dating someone is the only thing that can make you happy. What’s important is family.” Arthur said, and at least that was his opinion on that matter. He had his sister and nice, and Chardonnay had her parents. He expected that, along with the waiter dropping off their appetizer (which was something he’d never seen before and thus didn’t reach over to try one immediately), would make the conversation fade. But Jason just laughed.

”Well said Arthur, but making a family is important, too! Take it from an old, single man, kids.” He laughed, and Arthur felt a little bad, but... still. Whether or not either of them wanted to stay single didn’t matter. It wasn’t like they were impossibly old. It wasn’t like there was no chance either of them could move on and find someone someday.

”I think our careers are taxing enough. There’s no need to try and talk about romance. Relationships take dedication and that’s a strain we – or, I’ll just speak for myself – that’s a strain I don’t need right now. I don’t think it’s wrong for either of us to think that way.”

Jason helped himself to two of the appetizers and chomped down on one, moaning about how good it was. Arthur took one but didn’t eat it yet, and just let it sit on his plate. But, if he wanted to change the subject, he should probably try it and comment on it. So Arthur chomped down on it and the texture was a little odd, it felt like money, going down his throat in copious amounts and landing in an uncomfortable pit in his stomach. His taste buds commended the flavor, though. ”These things are good, aren’t they?”

Jason was currently eating his second one, and nodded his agreement. ”Just don’t wait too long, boy. By the time you two hit your thirties, you won’t be as young and attractive as you are now! You don’t have forever.”

God damn it. Arthur felt his eyebrow twitch.

This was excruciating to listen to. Thomas and Olivia meant well by their comments, and Jason... was just looking for amusement. Deep down he had to care. When he first took Erin to the theater when the two of them went to see a movie together, he was so excited to meet her and talk to her. He was normally friendly, so Arthur just assumed it was that, but maybe he did feel guiltier than Arthur thought he did. Even when he was only a part-timer, Jason expressed interest in his social life. And that was, unfortunately, when he actually told Jason about who Chardonnay was.

It started with some rumors the other part timers were talking about on a day Arthur wasn’t scheduled. Jason had gone up to him afterwards and asked about it and that was when Arthur went on a longwinded tirade about how he made one mistake at a party, one mistake that resulted in him getting caught on video with someone he didn’t care about or know, with his tongue down her throat and now he couldn’t get away from the rumors even if a miracle happened. He’d complained about her, all right: that she was spoiled, cruel, and selfish beyond belief. She refused to own up that she’d been the one to kiss him and she was in just as much shit as he was but somehow she still managed to make it worse for him simply by opening her mouth. He didn’t ever mention meeting her father, which was why Jason was so shocked when Thomas mentioned it. And now that he was thinking about it, how badly had he spoken about Chardonnay in passing to his boss? His boss, who shouldn’t have any connection to her at all! That he and her father were friends was an oddity itself! Never mind that they’d be involved in a dinner together, invited to the same meal, that he was here in her goddamn restaurant and eating her too-fancy-for-anyone appetizer. If his boss got mad about this later, what would he say to him? How was Arthur supposed to know he’d be faced with Chardonnay again outside of school?! How was he supposed to sit at the same table as her, with his knee almost touching hers, as her parents joked and laughed about dating and relationships and begged her for grandchildren? He clenched his hands into fists on his kneecaps. This wasn’t fair.

Though he couldn’t lie – the comments Jason and her parents were making about age being fleeting made him bite his lip in aggravation. He knew that was true. His sister had been looking, avidly looking, for love since she was in her twenties. But she never found it, not one that lasted, not until Kasper came and left and the thought made him bite down harder. He knew it wasn’t directed to him at all, but Chardonnay’s response to her parent rebuttal repeated in his mind.

”I know, one day I won't want to be alone surely, but I think I will. It's a lot easier to deal with myself with nobody else, and to be honest I'm fine with it” she’d be fine with being alone, Arthur knew she would. Even in school she never had any friends. She had her parents and then no one. But he really was her opposite. He couldn’t stomach the thought of being alone. He had his sister but she wouldn’t be around forever. His niece would become her own person. And Maxine... she was a wanderer, always going here and there, never sticking around for very long. He was something that kept her grounded at times, and gave her a roof over her head when she was going through a rough patch, but she might just never come back someday and just take off across the sea, only keeping contact via text. It wasn’t that he loved Maxine in that sense, but he just couldn’t stomach being alone for too long. He wasn’t clingy. But the thought that the fact he wouldn’t be desirable when he hit his thirties, the age where most people were in serious relationships already, scared him. He wouldn’t be sought out at the bars, he wouldn’t be awkwardly flirted with or called cute. Girls like Erin would be taken, and he’d just be alone. When Chardonnay got bored of fucking him he’d be completely alone. He’d be able to spend time with his family but he’d come home to an empty apartment, and do nothing but work during the lull in-between.

Arthur had zoned out during the entire conversation, oblivious to Jason’s commentary on the stories the Nicholas’ told. And, had he been listening, Arthur might have cracked a small smile. Though it’d be odd to imagine that the couple he was hearing about were the producers of the single most annoying person he’d ever dealt with on the face of the planet, their stories would have fascinated some part of him.

”That’s probably my favorite story you’ve told me – the heel one! Aha. If it were me by that point I would have backed off. No need to break my nose! But that’s why the two of you are still together. It’s real.” He winked at his friends, and Arthur said nothing. Maybe he should consider a relationship. Maybe he should call things off with Chardonnay and just try to ask out Erin again. Maybe she’d agree – maybe she didn’t hate him anymore.

He glanced over at Chardonnay again at her last comment. No. He had years to think about that, right? And he’d find someone who’d make him forget all about Chardonnay eventually. For now single was best and even if he was thinking about that this wasn’t the time to make a decision. Not when he could feel eyes at the table dart his way following Chardonnay’s statement.

”I agree. But, uhm, congratulations. To you two.” he said, a little too dryly. He grabbed his water and downed the glass. He watched as Chardonnay filled yet another glass with wine and wanted to stop her but then he knew he couldn’t... her parents knew her tolerance better than he did and her father was pouring her a glass. It made him uncomfortable, though. His throat was still dry despite the water and he drank some more.

”She’s making a cookbook? I’m impressed! Is there any particular theme, Chardonnay?” Jason asked. The mention of a cookbook didn’t surprise Arthur at all. He had actually sampled her food on occasion when he went to her condo. He remembered the first time he went. He was so confused that she was feeding him but she told him he just wanted opinions on her food from an ‘ordinary person’s’ perspective. Arthur agreed, enjoying the food, and usually enjoying her afterwards.

”I’m not surprised. She would be giving people instructions from the pages of a book.” Arthur said. Though he knew about the book itself he didn’t know anything about her chosen themes or specifics like that... he just remembered what she fed him which all kind of blended together in his mind. Jason laughed at the comment, keeping his eyes focused on Chardonnay,

No matter how little he knew, or wanted to know really, about Chardonnay’s cookbook, he’d rather be talking about that than anything else. He did listen to her comments though and Jason’s, too. Jason expressed more interest in the book, especially after he’d been offered a free copy. Arthur didn’t know why, Jason didn’t cook. Numerous times, he’d been to Jason’s small house and had seen the state of his dust-filled kitchen. He wound up bringing him leftovers sometimes when he went over from Susan’s meals (she’d gotten a little better at cooking from when Arthur was young, for Adelaide’s sake, he assumed) so it wasn’t like he was poisoning his boss. Jason always seemed to appreciate them.

”I would love a copy, if you’re willing to give one to me!” Jason said, and Arthur had a feeling if he was given a copy Jason would love it, and exclaim his love for it, and then it would sit on his shelf for years and years, never touched once except perhaps to leaf through for the pictures. ”I love a good home-cooked meal! I take it nothing you serve here would be in the book, right? Such a shame, because I love the way this appetizer is prepared!”

Arthur narrowed his eyes over at Chardonnay at her comment, but it was harmless, really. A bit annoying to hear, but harmless. Besides he’d made some smart remark to her. She didn’t seem as fearful as she had a few minutes ago. Still, he couldn’t get the image of her when Thomas asked about grandchildren out of his mind. She seemed better now, but. Who knew?

Thomas’ comment surprised Arthur. He hadn’t expected the man to remember such a minuscule detail from the conversation they’d had, all those years ago.

”Oh, uh, yeah. I cooked a lot for her when I was a kid. She worked a lot, so I taught myself how so she didn’t have to. But I’m not an expert or anything. I only followed recipes, anyway.” He could still remember when he was young, when Susan would come home so exhausted she wouldn’t make anything. She’d keep the fridge stocked with every intention of cooking but just couldn’t do much of anything after the long shifts at the factory she worked at, where she’d been on her feet all day, no doubt doing her own job as well as everyone else’s, because they were lazy and she was so helpful. If he didn’t learn to cook, they never would have had a home cooked meal.

And at first it was atrocious. Arthur consulted their mother’s old cookbook, one Susan kept, and tried to make cheeseburgers. It resulted in charred meat and cheese melting onto the skillet, so badly that it was now scarred. Susan laughed at it and said she enjoyed it but that her brother didn’t have to keep cooking family meals. She tried to get home earlier after that, to cook herself, and that got on Arthur’s nerves because he just made more work for his sister. She wasn’t the best cook, so after a failed attempt at a pot roast, she gave up again. Arthur took up the reigns, but he was a fast learner. He managed to cook a chicken pot pie. It was sloppy, there was too much filling and too little dough at parts, but it was good, edible. And even though he was too young to probably be using a stove while Susan was out at work he didn’t care and made sure she came home to food every day, something that she started to appreciate the better he got at cooking.

Still, he wasn’t some expert on food. He could only follow the recipes in his mother’s cookbook, and ones he found in other locations. He never spiced anything up himself or added his own personal touch – he just made it the way it was supposed to be. Sometimes he’d just make pasta or macaroni, and even though it was a kid’s meal they always wound up enjoying it just the same and having leftovers, to boot. Arthur would take the leftovers to school, because he never bought school lunch. When his sister gave him money for it, he snuck it back into her purse when she wasn’t looking. Sometimes he didn’t eat at school, but he didn’t mind. He’d just skip lunch and play on his battered GameBoy in the corner.

”Recipes like the ones Chardonnay will have in her cookbook! So there’s no excuse not to get it when it comes out!” Jason said. Arthur had a feeling Susan would go out and buy the cookbook, because she was just like that. She always noticed when her former students did something. Chardonnay’s restaurant, Amy’s photographs in magazines... she really noticed them all.

”I don’t cook as much anymore because she’s not as bad as she used to be,” Arthur said, and Jason laughed like something was funny at that, ”She’ll probably buy a copy herself when she finds out it exists.”

He prayed they didn’t offer to get her a free copy. He really didn’t want to explain to his sister why the Nicholas’ were asking about her, though, he supposed he’d have to be explaining this dinner. No use in lying, especially not if anyone mentioned this in tabloids. He knew the Nicholas’ were well-known, plus Chardonnay’s little trip earlier hadn’t gone unnoticed. He might have been photographed in the background. The thought made him uncomfortable.

”How long until it gets published?” he asked everyone, but mostly Chardonnay. He’d like a rough estimate for when to expect his sister to go crazy... and besides, he couldn’t help but be a little curious. He’d tasted a lot of the pieces that would be in it.

Jason pouted slightly at the mention that nothing served at the restaurant would be in the book, though the pout quickly faded as he enjoyed the food he’d eaten and took a third piece of the appetizer, Arthur’s second piece, the one he hadn’t been interested in touching. It wasn’t that the things weren’t good, because they were, he just had a small stomach. He managed to finish the one he’d grabbed and then when the waiter came back around, he thanked him for refilling he water, and took a long sip of it to wash his mouth out.

”That makes sense, though! I’ll just have to come up here more often if I really wind up enjoying that chicken!” He said. He probably wouldn’t be able to get up here very often, not unless the Nicholas’ came to town again. Arthur could potentially give him a ride down, but it was an hour away after all and Jason certainly didn’t want to steal any more of his employee’s time than he already seemed to be doing. He glanced between Arthur and Chardonnay again, no doubt that he wanted to find a way to bring the conversation back to them dating, but also not wanting to piss them off too much. It was funny though! He never expected for Arthur to actually know Thomas’ daughter. And the more he thought about it, the better the two of them looked together, too. It was such a shame they were so adamantly against it! He should probably try playing matchmaker a little less, anyway. There was a reason his employees rarely told him about their love lives, after all.

”Susan would love to get a copy of the book. But you don’t have to give it to her, I could buy it for her.” He said, though he didn’t doubt they’d insist that it just be a free book. He felt the need to offer to buy it even so, though, even though the idea of purchasing Chardonnay’s book made him frown. He didn’t want to buy anything of hers – he worked his ass off for his own money and he wanted none of it to go to Chardonnay – but if it was for his sister he’d make an exception. ”Adelaide loves to cook. Well. She likes to attempt to cook.” He remembered when they were making her birthday cake a few years ago and she was so enamored with the key lime flavor, only because it looked like snot. The thought made his lips twitch up a little. ”She’s got a short attention span and likes to mix things up, but I’m pretty sure if she gets that cookbook, Susan’ll put it to use.”

Though that thought would be odd... very odd. Often when Susan was watching TV with Adelaide and Chardonnay’s restaurant was mentioned she’d ask her if she remembered her, and Adelaide did, a little bit. When he first heard Adelaide say she remembered the girl he’d had a project with, the ‘Chard-nay’ that her Uncle Artie had been arguing with. Arthur wished she’d forgotten. He wished she didn’t remember that unique name of hers. Having the cookbook, Susan might ask more about her. And those were questions Arthur didn’t want to answer because he’d be fucking her for a long time, still, or at least as long as Chardonnay still wanted him. He wasn’t willing to give up the sex just because it might be awkward if his sister bought a cookbook... but whatever. Four months. That wouldn’t happen for four months.

Jason turned towards Chardonnay at her question, surprised she asked but then again he shouldn’t be, really. It was odd they knew each other! Thomas was a restaurant owner and he himself was a theater owner... ”We were neighbors for a while, actually. We’re not that far apart in age now, but when you’re a kid, that tends to stand out more. So we were never in the same classes, but we had the same teachers. They’d tell stories about me to Thomas! And then we wound up both having dreams. Dreams that got us laughed at when we were young. But we kept in contact even when we got our degrees. Though to you two, it must be weird for a theater owner and a chef to be so close. But we’ve actually helped one another a lot, because eat the core of our jobs, it’s a business. No matter how different they are on the surface.”

He grinned over at Thomas. ”And we don’t talk often anymore. We’re too busy. But we still learn the big things about each other! Like when Thomas told me he got Olivia pregnant I almost tripped right onto train tracks! You picked the worst time to call me up!” Jason threw his head back in laughter, clapping his hand to the other man’s shoulder. ”But, you know, I was very glad to have met Thomas. I don’t know where my life would be now if there was no one who told me they believed in my ridiculous dreams like he did.”

Jason laughed harder at Thomas’ chiding, and though his friend was right, he couldn’t help but think it was somehow his fault that he almost got run over by a train! He could still remember where he had been – he was far up in Massachusetts, when he was living in a small apartment with one of his boyfriends under the guise of just being roommates. At that point his dreams of owning and running a theater had taken a small detour as he was trying to save up to buy the building he wanted. It was older and bank owned property, but still more than a modest dishwasher could make. At that time he’d moved so far away on a whim. As a young man, Jason was very whimsical.

But then, of course, he got that call while he was waiting for a train and playing by the yellow DO NOT CROSS line. He and his boyfriend had gotten into a squabble that was leaving him questioning his stay up in Massachusetts and when he got that call from Thomas, it flipped his world around completely! He laughed hysterically, almost fell into the tracks but was thankfully saved by a police officer, and informed his friend that he would be coming down immediately to see him and Olivia again, and celebrate! He broke up with his boyfriend and packed everything into a few suitcases. He quit his job and drove all the way back to California. Within the week he was there to reunite with Thomas and Olivia. And when Chardonnay was born he was ecstatic! But by then, he’d managed to get a loan that guaranteed him purchasing the building he had in mind for the theater. He paid for the instillation of things but the decorating and architecture was mostly done by himself to save on labor costs. As Chardonnay grew older he came around a few times but when business picked up he had to spent less and less time with Thomas. The two of them were always good at being estranged from one another for long periods, so it was of no surprise when as the years trickled on they became Christmas cards to one another, the occasional phone call of well-wishing, and then with the age of technology, email buddies. Of course they knew a lot about one another’s business and the state of the familiar troubles, but had rarely actually met face to face.

The news that Chardonnay was his boss’ godchild (or, not officially, but still) made Arthur choke on his water at the same time Chardonnay did and then turned to her father. Holy shit. How the hell did the world hate him this much? To make his boss of all people her godfather? What would their relationship be if that actually... was implemented? They would have had to see each other more often. Would Arthur have quit his job to get away from her? He didn’t know. He didn’t like thinking about it and he sure as hell knew he didn’t like how close his boss was to Chardonnay’s parents.

Close enough to practically be her godparent. If anything happened to her parents, he would have known her much differently. He never had any godparents of his own (if he had, his relationship with his sister would have been drastically different) so he didn’t know what that kind of a bond was like. Then again it wasn’t as though Chardonnay knew until now, either.

”Well, we’ve been there for each other for a long time. I used to just think you were my minion. You were so small, but still hung around with me! I took advantage of you a lot.” He laughed at the memories. But even though they were joking about that they really were the first one to know anything about the other. When Jason had come out of the closet when he was in his mid-twenties, the first person he told was Thomas. And the second people were his family, who had a much less favorable reaction and disowned him from then onwards. Jason told his friend about that, too, and when he was at his lowest point then it was his best friend’s words of comfort that got him thinking on his toes again and didn’t let him give up his dreams of owning a business someday. And now, here he was, proud of himself.

”When you told me you had a girlfriend I didn’t believe you! You were never good at charming the ladies! So I thought you were kidding around but then you introduced me to this beautiful woman and I had to ask her, ‘hey! Are you blind?’ and that was when I first met Olivia, too! I was very amused by the story about her heels, you know. I still don’t know why she agreed to marry him but I haven’t seen a couple that happy in my whole life. So I can’t rub it in his face too much. But I of course missed talking to you! I just got so busy with the business, and you with your daughter and business. But we definitely can do this more often.” Playfully, he bumped shoulders with Thomas. ”You wanted in on the prank! Don’t act like it was all my idea, Thomas! But my classmates sure liked your input. Your parents trusted me but I’m still not sure why: remember when I was supposed to be babysitting you but you ran down the street? I got my butt handed to me that night on a silver platter!”

The laughter resonated throughout the table and Arthur exhaled, listening to the conversation. It was so... odd that they were close but it was a good thing, he supposed. But if they hung out more would more dinners like this happen? God, he hoped not. He glanced back over at Chardonnay briefly, his eyes drawn to her necklace before he glanced away. He’d have to make excuses to get away from these types of dinner again, if his boss did invite him. He still couldn’t believe that his boss actually knew Chardonnay’s dad this well.

Jason wriggled his eyebrows over at Thomas when he admitted he wanted to be cool when he was younger, completely unsurprised at that. Thomas had been such a little follower as a kid, one who Jason had initially pegged as a brat, who just liked to follow him around. As a teenager Jason loved to be the center of attention so he allowed for this to happen, and loved having someone to show the ropes.

He was really shocked when he met Olivia, when such a beautiful woman actually wanted his little underling that way! It was weird it picture Thomas in a relationship back then but now it was impossible to picture him outside of it. When he thought about Thomas he usually thought about Olivia, and vice versa. He was used to the things he got in the mail from the two of them not as individuals but as packages and family photos. He grinned at Olivia’s words.

”I’m not surprised. There wasn’t a time Thomas wasn’t cooking! Except when we told him it wasn’t cool,” Jason said. As a young man he’d been ignorant and at first, he’d often told Thomas that cooking was something that a woman should do, that he was setting himself up to be someone’s housewife. But that was when he was a teenager, right as Thomas was learning to cook, and the second he was able to taste his friend’s cooking for the first time he demanded more. So the annoyance at Thomas’ cooking talent faded away almost immediately. ”But that cooking, I’m telling you! Whatever Thomas made you, it had to have been even better than the first food I got from him. Which is saying something. He might’ve been young but that boy could cook! I’m not surprised you decided to give him a chance afterwards!”

He grinned when the soup arrived for him and took a small spoonful, enjoying the food. He and Thomas were the only ones to get a soup and he commented on that briefly, before he started laughing to himself as memories of the time he’d pranked Thomas into peeping on the girls came back into his mind.

”Thomas! I almost forgot about that and I’m trying to eat! Why’d you bring it up here?!” Jason was cackling and Arthur looked surprised that had ever happened. He glanced over at Thomas with his eyebrows raised in surprise, and then he looked back over at Jason. This was a... new side he was seeing to the both of them. Jason was normally pretty friendly and open, but never usually this full of laughter. There was a twinkle in his eyes that wasn’t there when he was at work. Though when he was at work there was no doubt that Jason loved the business but he did taken it more seriously... way more serious than he was acting now, anyway. ”We all called you ‘Peeping Tom’ for at least a year! I’m still surprised you never ratted us out, though. But that was when we started to respect you, you know, before that you were just some little kid that liked to follow me around. You proved you had guts, even as a little brat. Guts that made us like you.”

Arthur took a bite of the salad, still looking between Thomas and Jason. Jason was still laughing about the peeping tom incident, but then he turned towards Chardonnay after taking another spoonful of his soup.

”And his guts definitely made their way to you, even though you didn’t find yourself manipulated into spying in any locker rooms... I hope. But it takes guts to run your own business, I always thought you wanted to take over your father’s when he retired. But this place is amazing,” He looked around at the décor again in awe, the lights above reflecting on the spoon in his hand. ”When was it you decided to run your own place, Chardonnay? I’ve never had an opportunity to ask you!”

Arthur listened to the banter going back and forth between the adults while stabbing at the leaves of lettuce. It tasted all right for a salad – he was never a huge salad eater anyway – but the texture was nice in his mouth. He didn’t notice Chardonnay examining him and what he was doing until he heard her voice interrupt his focus on Thomas’ story, and he turned to look over at her for the first time since the adults had started their nostalgia stories that were pretty interesting to hear, even if they were coming from his boss and Chardonnay’s parents of all people.

”What? It’s just a fork?” Arthur stared at the fork in his hands and then at the other forks beside his plate. He saw another smaller one and narrowed his eyes at it. Who... who the fuck used more than one fork at a meal? It was so unnecessary! If his fork got messy with dressing before the entre came out, he could easily wipe it off with a napkin. He frowned over at Chardonnay, not even believing she’d call him out on that. Why would she even notice he was using the wrong fork? How could she notice that from such a distance? His forks weren’t anywhere near her, either. He glanced at her fork as she took a bite of the salad. Then he glowered and made it a point not to switch his forks, and to keep using the one he was currently using. Such a god damn waste of dishes. Everyone here was so spoiled, just like Chardonnay.

”We were very disappointed when we didn’t get to see the pictures! It wasn’t even worth the trouble by that point. For all your guts, you still couldn’t make it out of there undetected! It’s because you make a rookie mistake! Oh, not that I encourage that behavior. Not anymore, anyway.” He laughed and then turned towards Arthur and Chardonnay, but once again he caught sight of Arthur looking in her direction. He looked a little annoyed but Jason wasn’t sure by what, and he saw a confident look on Chardonnay’s face, so he gently kicked Arthur under the table and gestured in her direction when Arthur’s gaze turned. When he saw what his boss did, Arthur’s expression fell to an annoyed one before he forced a smile and looked away. He didn’t know what his boss was intending to prove, but whatever it was, it wasn’t working. He was only looking at her because she’d made some smart ass remark about forks being important... what a joke.

Arthur listened along to Thomas’ comments about peer pressure. He didn’t have any stories like Thomas did apparently (thank god for that). He didn’t really care what others thought of him. In college he wore the same shirts once a week, and the same jeans. He devoted himself to studying and yeah, while he had gone out of his way for other people before, he wasn’t looking to earn cool points or anything like that. Being ‘cool’ or ‘popular’ never interested him from the beginning. He glanced back over at Chardonnay when she spoke (still using the ‘wrong’ fork for his salad) and the subject changed to her owning her own restaurant. He had figured, of course, that she’d had business projects besides the ones with him. He wondered how those went. She no doubt ruled them all with an iron fist, letting her partners do nothing as she created her own version of a restaurant, one that was an early draft of the building he was sitting in right now. He wondered how her partners had been. Had she met any cooking partners who actually helped her ideas grow? Or had she just run the whole show with a whip? Somehow Arthur thought the latter was more in character, but for all he knew, she could have a plethora of cooking connections and other business partners.

Jason was also looking at Chardonnay, looking impressed, and happy.

”Really? Well that’s a great setup you have there! Owning a restaurant yourself certainly suits you! And your father’s restaurant will be in good hands when he finally decides to go on indefinite vacations out to the Bahamas to show off his retirement,” Jason said, giving his friend a wink. Speaking of leaving things in good hands, when the conversation shifted to Arthur, Jason’s smile grew wider as he leaned back in his chair.

”Oh, uh, I’ve been talking with Jason about this for a few years now. When he retires, I’m going to buy the theater from him. So, I’m planning to take it over.” He said. It wasn’t anything too fancy, owning a theater, but he’d learned how to run the show from studying under Jason. He knew what to do and he could do it well and films had always held an important value to him, one that he knew made him want to do something with them and keep doing something with them. He didn’t want to be in any – though he could act he hated it – and he’d never been good at directing. He was good at reviewing films but writing was like pulling nails to him, god awful and atrocious, and he much preferred to exhibit things and showcase the films rather than actually be a part in any of them.

The conversations had first started when he was a freshman in college, actually, at the point in his career when Jason started to trust him with more. As he got older Jason was always concerned about what would happen to his theater after he was gone and he said he’d probably be selling it and, on a whim, Arthur asked if he could buy it someday. Having blurted it out, he became flustered, but Jason admired that ambition. He told Arthur if he got his degree, and kept his job, and earned enough money to purchase the business by the time he retired, he’d have no objections selling it. It started out as a bit of a joke, at least, that was what Jason thought, but Arthur took it more seriously than he thought he would. He set up a bank account, in which he deposited money he wasn’t using towards rent and utilities to save up for the eventual purchase he’d be making. He knew that in order to compete to a bank that might want to buy the building from Jason, he’d need to pay a lot of money. And he only had a few more years until his boss decided to retire. But that didn’t scare him – he knew what he was doing, and his boss was understanding about giving him time to earn money. Jason felt glad that someone seriously wanted to continue his business.

”See, Thomas? This is why I definitely wanted to bring Arthur here, no matter what. He’s gonna be my successor! He’s as close to a son inheriting my place as I’m gonna get.” He clapped Arthur on the back, and Arthur hesitated with a leaf of lettuce stabbed in his fork. His unreadable expression was lost on Jason, who was just focused on his buddy. ”I told you when we were younger I’d have to sell the business when I retired, I never thought I’d actually be happy about doing that. But if I’m selling it to someone who actually cares, instead of the bank or some Cineplex, it actually won’t be a bad trade.”