The Dramatic Spiel of Arthur and Chardonnay~ (7,139 views)

Jason’s smile widened as he accepted he refill of wine.

”I’m in my 60s! If I want to drink until I die, I will! I didn’t live this long to be restrained on silly things like alcohol!” He said. He waved off the look that Arthur sent his look and took another sip of his wine, though when their entrees arrived he was deterred from the alcohol and instead licked his lips at the sight of his roast chicken before him. He told the waiter the appetizer was delicious as he he picked up a fork and a knife and cut into the meat, taking a piece into his mouth. It was very good – just as he expected from Chardonnay’s restaurant – the meat fell right off of the bone and melted in his mouth. He swallowed and expressed his compliments to Chardonnay, saying that this was the best chicken he’d had for a long time. ”Those youngins on their jet skis better watch out before I buy a pair with my retirement fund and make you two lovebirds drive me around the sea! We’ll have to put them in their place, Thomas.”

Arthur took his meal, but when he went to grab his fork he realized the waiter had stolen it when he took away their dirty plates. He felt bad, but figured a place like this must have a fancy dishwasher, so he took the other fork. It was smaller than he wanted and he wished he had the bigger fork but he wasn’t going to let Chardonnay knew he cared. He collected a few of the noodles around his fork and put them into his mouth, following the conversation, his lips twitching downwards slightly at Thomas’ comment. Friends? Him and Chardonnay? No. It wasn’t as though either of them cared about the other except for sex – not that Thomas knew about that. The only reason they communicated almost daily as because of safety reasons. How could he feel comfortable every night knowing that creepy guy might show up again? It wasn’t caring, he wouldn’t call it that, it was just... safety.

”Maybe even more than friends someday,” Jason added. Arthur exhaled at that. He loved his boss, but he really was too much sometimes. Kind of like Susan.

”No.” He couldn’t believe this conversation wasn’t gone yet. They were talking about their business plans, the future – what business did they have being paired up! They were a restaurant and a theater, that weren’t affiliated with one another in the slightest. Sure, in college they’d crafted a dinner theater type of building, but neither had any desire to actually implement it. Besides, that would require getting along civilly with Chardonnay and he was acutely aware f how impossible that was. Except right now, when they were distracted by the adults. And those few times after they had sex, when they’d banter and talk before they crashed.

”I mean okay, I saw some of those looks passed between you two, but okay. I’m just teasing!” Jason winked over at Olivia and Thomas, like he just told the funniest joke. Arthur didn’t know what looks he was talking about but just decided to change the subject.

”The food’s more interesting than your teasing. And it’s in better taste, too.” Maybe this wasn’t the best thing he’d had recently -- a few weeks ago, he’d actually sampled something just as good as this, maybe even better than this. But that didn’t need to be said, especially since he already felt irritated at having to compliment Chardonnay, even though her recipe definitely deserved it. The noodles were soft and the sauce was thick, and it was tangy, and there was so much in his bowl that Arthur was pretty sure he’d be bringing some home. Beside him, Jason laughed, and said ”can’t have any fun around here” as he cut another piece of his chicken. He then eyed Thomas and Olivia’s plates, asking them how their food was while Arthur made it a point not to look over at Chardonnay. He wasn’t sure what looks Jason was talking about, but he didn’t want to give the man any more ammo.

Jason insisted that he knew how to swim, and would not need a life jacket, even though he certainly would still need one anyway. But if the kids weren’t wearing life jackets he sure wouldn’t be – not if he was going out there to prove to them how much he could tear up the ocean, and make them go crying home and get off their beach! Jason was already thinking of all the margaritas he could drink sitting on a bar, with food before him. Maybe Thomas could open a little beach front stand and cook various food for tips! The idea made Jason laugh because he could see it happening – Thomas would be the type to do something like that out of kindness rather than a desire to profit – but he promised his friend if he wound up doing something like that he’d revoke his stand because that wasn’t what they would supposed to be doing when they were retired!

”That’s a tall order, Olivia, but if I have a lover by that point I’ll be bringing him along with me. Or maybe I’ll just find one there!” Jason grinned at the thought, though he couldn’t help but picture that wouldn’t happen. Still, he would love to give Olivia some company, driving the boys and their reckless jet skis around the ocean! But maybe just seeing them mess up in the water would be entertaining enough for Olivia! And who knew, maybe he’d find some supermodel native who wouldn’t mind keeping Olivia company, or becoming eye candy himself...

Jason laughed at the younger adults reactions.

”See! I’m saying, Olivia and Thomas, no one expected her to ever come around! Sorry, brat, but no one thought she would. But she did,” Jason gave Thomas a well-meaning grin. ”...and I know you were drunk that time, but according to Arthur, that – “

”According to Arthur, nothing. It was what it was, we were drunk, we made a mistake. It doesn’t mean anything now. We’re older than freshman in college. I thought this conversation was over.” Arthur felt his patience beginning to thin and took a few breaths, allowing himself a long drink of his water. He thought they were done with this. This wasn’t; a conversation he wanted to have in front of her parents and he couldn’t believe that Jason had managed to get Arthur to admit that he found Chardonnay desirable that one time, after Jason asked him about what he heard his employees gossiping about. It was a harassment policy, in case it was bullying or something of the like, but Arthur just told him he’d messed up and that he wanted to forget it. He said the girl he’d kissed was attractive but a pain in the ass to deal with and that really didn’t need to come up here, in front of her parents, or in front of her. He could feel the blush beginning to creep to his cheeks as Olivia bounced off of what Jason was saying.

But even if she said all that he really didn’t have anything to offer Chardonnay. Sure, he was going to own a theater someday, but she hated films. She was rich and spoiled rotten, could cook perfectly fine herself, hell, there was only one thing he gave her and that wasn’t something that would make her want to marry him. Of course he didn’t want that, either. There wasn’t anything she could give him either. She pushed him away every chance she got. She didn’t give him trust, and what good was anything without trust? They were opposites. This wasn’t like Olivia and Thomas’ love story.

”I’m flattered by that comment, Olivia, but there’s nothing we’d be able to give to one another in a relationship. So it’s a moot point.”

”Boy, relationships aren’t just about give and take. It’s about respect, trust, concern, and love,” Jason said. Arthur exhaled.

”Yes, all things Chardonnay and I don’t feel for one another. Just because we’ve matured enough to sit together at the table doesn’t mean that’s changed.” Arthur said, though despite the irritation in his voice, he could feel his cheeks peppering with color. Fuck. He never blushed over these accusations when they were in school. He felt like now that they were fuckbuddies he had more to hide. He was really tempted to steal someone’s wine and just down it, but he knew that wouldn’t end well. He still had to drive home. ”Maybe we can form some kind of respect for one another through being here, through running our own businesses in the future but we’d have no need to collaborate. Ever.”

At some point Jason had stopped listening and turned towards Olivia again. Arthur’s brow twitched.

”Stubbornness really never goes away. You might change your mind!” Jason said to Chardonnay. ”He’s an attractive young man, going places, I’m surprised he doesn’t have a line going out the door of suitors! And I could say similar for you.”

Arthur started to go over his recent sins in his head and was trying to figure out if he deserved sitting through this torture.

Arthur quirked a brow at Chardonnay when she downed the entire glass of wine, wanting to comment on it, wanting to tell her she should slow down. But then all eyes were on them again and he knew if he did express concern or say that they’d use that as fuel, say he was taking a special interest in her, when he really wasn’t. It didn’t mean he was in love with her if he didn’t want her to drink herself into a giggly, flirty mess. It didn’t mean he was in love with her if he didn’t want her to get alcohol poisoning or have to deal with the next morning hungover. Those thoughts made him frown because no matter how much he denied them, neither Olivia nor Jason would believe him. His irritation was temporarily broken by that weird little burp that came from Chardonnay after she finished her glass, something he never heard before. He had to stifle a small snicker behind his hand with a cough. He’d never seen her do that. The sound was pretty funny, and her shocked expression afterwards almost made him not want to turn away. But he did, and he wished he could tease her about it without causing her mother and Jason to comment on it, too.

But oh, God, why was Olivia so interested in this? Jason was always nosy when it came to him but as her mother shouldn’t she be more hesitant to picture Chardonnay in a relationship with someone? Especially someone who she first heard of from some drunken video her husband relayed to her, where he’d had his tongue down her drunken daughter’s throat? Why did Olivia and Thomas like him so much? Well, Thomas seemed slightly uncomfortable with the conversation and wasn’t saying anything, but he wasn’t objecting either. That her parents actually liked him made him feel guilty that they were hiding this from them. Olivia’s words to Chardonnay, too, struck him. She didn’t trust people outside of her parents, and he knew that, but he wondered if she had any friends. She probably didn’t. The thought... bothered him more than he wanted it to. He remembered the conversation she had with him while wasted about that creepy guy and she really... didn’t have anyone to tell. No girlfriends to invite over to have some company, no one to even talk about it to if she refused to tell her parents... he didn’t like that the thought bothered him now. In High School he knew she had shallow relationships and nothing more, ones with Chad and Shyanne and people of that caliber. She had enemies for sure. And in high school and even into college, he thought that was all her fault and that she deserved it. Who’d willingly want to spend time with her?

His thoughts on that had only changed that night a few years ago, when she had a nightmare in his bed, seeing her looking so upset and scared, it made him wonder how much she kept bottled up. Suddenly he wondered if she had someone... suddenly, he wondered if she was lonely like he was.

He felt like he didn’t have room to weigh in anymore, when he saw the look between mother and daughter in front of him. He wished he was a better speaker, and he wished he could change the subject away from this. He blinked at her comment that the things he listed would come with time but that was time he didn’t want to give to Chardonnay. He didn’t want to get close to her – he wanted her body, she wanted his body, and he didn’t want to trust her any more than he did. He didn’t expect her to trust him and he didn’t want to love her. He wasn’t naïve enough to think this was some romantic comedy. If his brain decided to get attached to her, and he found out, she’d cut him off without a backwards glance. This was temporary and when they moved past this sex-crazed point in their lives, they’d stop talking to one another. They’d delete each other’s numbers and move on. Jason had a point – Chardonnay could have any man she wanted someday.

”Relationships aren’t a requirement for happiness.” He said, in response to the entire prior conversation. He was glad when Chardonnay switched the conversation onto Jason and he exhaled. Good. Keep it there. Please. He tried to ignore that when she offhandedly said that he should go to other girls instead of her, if he was so desired, he felt a twinge of irritation. She really wouldn’t care if he got a serious girlfriend and ended this, would she? Well. It wasn’t like that was news to him. She could easily buy a vibrator or find a new fuckbuddy. She was hot. She wouldn’t have a problem securing someone else.

”Oh, me?” Jason seemed surprised by Chardonnay’s question and laughed. ”Well for one, it’s very difficult to find gay men interested in men my age. That’s not to say I haven’t had my fair share of relationships, though. But they’ve never lasted long.” There was something sad in his tone as he said that, as he swished the wine in his glass around and watched the wine move from side to side. He could see his reflection in the liquid, his salt-and-pepper hair and wrinkles standing out to him. Still, he cracked a grin. ”I guess I’ve just been busy with running my business for so long, I didn’t let myself fall in love when I was young. I let my chances slip by, the romances all fell, and now I live alone. You both have a point – I’m successful and happy. But going home to an empty house is very lonely, and I regret not looking harder for love when I was young. So I may just be projecting that onto you two! I mean well, I promise. I’ll apologize if my prying made you uncomfortable, Chardonnay! I haven’t seen you in so long and here I am, trying to set you up with my employee! Even if he is one of my favorites. I can’t help it, especially when I caught him staring at you when you walked in here. I just sensed something more there, is all, especially when I found out you two already knew each other.”

Arthur almost choked on a noodle.

”Where else was I supposed to look?! The floor? You should just go back to feeling lonely.” Arthur snapped. Jesus fucking Christ. No. This was not his fault. Jason rose a brow and Arthur shook his head, drinking some water to clear his throat. He felt a few eyes from the table beside them focused on him from his slightly raised voice, and exhaled to calm himself. ”Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. This is just a really uncomfortable topic.”

Jason burst into laughter, especially as Arthur’s face began to heat up more. He wanted to kick himself for watching the women arrive. He should have glanced at his phone like he wasn’t interested, no matter how rude it made him look.

”Mrs. Nicholas, how long have you been studying makeup for, again?” Arthur asked, desperate for any change in topic by this point.

”Online dating may have helped me, you know! I just wish it was there when I was younger. The ‘60s and ‘70s weren’t a very good time to be gay. At least not for me.” He remembered when Thomas had suggested online dating as they got older, as computers became more mainstream. By then Jason insisted he was too old and he didn’t trust a stranger online. But then what was he supposed to do to find a companion at his age? All of the people ‘coming out’ of the closet, so to speak, were young and while he was happy the future was changing, it was just difficult when the men his age who were divorced or single were all only interested in (typically, from what he’d seen of the ones they’d chased, younger) women. So adamantly he’d never signed up for any dating websites. He went to gay bars and met men there but they didn’t often result in anything long term. And the older he got, the less drinks he got from patrons across the bar. He got rejected more often than accepted and the ‘in crowd’ became the young, fresh faces, and he just conversed with the bartender more often than not (though unfortunately, the bartender was happily married).

Arthur felt the annoyance turning into regret, especially when Chardonnay laughed at his outburst and her parents kept those smiles plastered on their faces. He was glad that the issue wasn’t pressed farther – whether it was Jason’s loneliness or his relationship with Chardonnay – and as Olivia explained the origins of her interest in makeup he found himself confused. He never understood makeup very much, it didn’t look that complicated, but there was a whole school for it? Well, of course he knew there was theatrical makeup. Actors would never show up on stage or on film without it, or if they showed up, it’d be very blurred. And there was the cosmetology major at Metric, of course, but he just was always blown away whenever he thought that was actually something that could become a career outside of theater. He wasn’t blown away in a bad way, it just showed him how little he knew about makeup, he supposed.

He probably shouldn’t have been surprised by Chardonnay’s dislike of her freckles, but still, he was surprised to hear there was a part of her she didn’t like. Especially her freckles, which he could still remember scattering her cheeks and nose. It was especially weird because he liked them, the way they splattered like paint and gave her skin life he never knew it had. It made her look less polished, more natural. Her reasoning – that they made her feel like a hick – made him snort but really, he wasn’t surprised. She hated hicks after all. It wasn’t his business to say anything so he didn’t, especially since as far as anyone at this table knew, he’d never seen Chardonnay’s freckles himself.

”Freckles? Oh, I remember those, from the baby photos! I was wondering why I didn’t see any anymore!” Jason said, ”I wonder if that hiding magic would work for all of my wrinkles, too?”

He laughed at that, and especially when Thomas brought up the makeup look he’d sported.

”Those have got to be some of my favorite photographs of you, Thomas! Remember when I tried to buy a shirt off of the internet that had that image pasted onto it?” Unfortunately that fell through because Jason got confused with how ordering worked, and credit card, and just say bah humbug to it and found something else to order for Christmas instead. Still, that would have made one hell of a tee shirt! ”But Thomas has such a handsome face – when Olivia was done with it, he looked like a supermodel!”

Arthur found it hard to picture Thomas in a face full of makeup. But apparently the makeup applied to him had actually been good, according to Olivia and Jason’s commentary. Arthur could still remember that time he’d been babysitting with John and the girls decided to make them princesses – something he was very glad there was no photo evidence of. He and John had both looked like a tornado had wrecked them up. Adelaide and Annabelle were very much entertained by that, but the men were significantly less impressed with the end result.

”I’ve only met a few cosmetology students when I was at Metric, so I don’t know much about makeup except that my sister and niece love it. I guess there’s way more to makeup than I initially thought.” He said. Seriously, that stuff was trippy. ”Hey. At least she didn’t make you look ridiculous if it’s enough to get Jason over here swooning.”

Jason laughed again at that, and finished his chicken, washing down the last of it with a sip of his wine. ”I’d love to see you do his makeup again, Olivia! You should do it again.”

”Hmm. I suppose you’re right. It’s never too late to try,” Jason agreed. He could try, maybe he wanted to, but he also just didn’t want to bother anymore. He was tired of relationships, of never being able to find what Thomas had with Olivia. Because as much as he loved the two of them and thought they were a good couple together, he couldn’t deny that he was jealous of them sometimes. And every time he tried to find something real it fell through. The only relationship that hadn’t failed on a hostile note was his second, and that had ended on a depressing note, a note that had nearly tuned Jason off completely to other relationships after him.

He hadn’t realized he was gay in High School. He dated several girls casually, because he was popular and tall, with a mop of messy black hair and green eyes that seemed to attract girls to him like flies. He didn’t mind but he never felt anything for the girls, and Thomas had likely seen him with a few among his friend groups but the relationships all blended together. He first seriously faced his attraction to men when he was in college with an upperclassman boy who he found himself drawn to. Being with him was electrifying and kissing him was unlike kissing any girl he’d touched in his previous dating experiences. But their entire relationship had to be a secret, whenever either of their suitemates came over they pretended to be doing homework or watching a film. But in secret everything was fine and Jason was fine with keeping it a secret until everything was ruined when a girl asked his first lover out romantically. And despite the fact that they were seeing one another in secret, his lover said yes to the girl, explaining this to Jason as ‘a good cover up’. And, despite his reservations, Jason went with it for a while until he confessed he hated it, that he didn’t want to have their relationship hidden or to share him with some girl. His lover broke up with the girl but still refused to come out of the closet. He was scared to and while Jason was scared, too, that was when he made the decision to come out himself just to rub it in his lover’s face that he had the bravery to do so when he didn’t.

So he went to Thomas, who was still young, but for some reason he felt like this little brat who idolized him would have the best reaction to this. Or, at the very least, that this little brat wouldn’t realize what he meant. But he did realize what he meant. When Jason told him he could see the realization settle in his eyes and it was harder than he thought it would be to watch that admiration this kid felt for him diminish. Jason excused himself shortly afterwards and hated himself. He shouldn’t have told Thomas. Of all people, he shouldn’t have told Thomas.

But then Thomas surprised him the next day by not acting as differently as he had when he was first told. He still seemed uncomfortable by the idea, but he got better as the days went on and after two weeks passed, Jason decided that if Thomas would come around, his parents would, too. He was wrong.

Jason didn’t let his thoughts linger on his parents’ reaction to the news. He tried not to think about the looks of disgust his mother gave him, and the look of outrage on his father’s face as he smacked him and told him to get over this and fix himself. He didn’t let those thoughts and images, ones that plagued his nightmares to this day, settle in his mind. Instead he thought about how Thomas was one of the only people who had tried to keep the friendship going. He never relied on Thomas or his family for shelter, because by then he had his own job. He completely cut ties off with his first lover and, from then on, his dream of opening his own business had to sit in the back of his mind. He had to work to support himself since his family would no longer help. But he’d managed to do it, anyway.

Instead of that, he remembered the time that Thomas had innocently asked him one day, years later, what it was like to be gay. The question was so innocent it made Jason laugh hysterically. He wound up explaining that it was the same as being straight except that instead of lusting for hot women, he lusted for hot men and instead of boobs turning him on, it was abs. It was very funny to just keep describing things like that to Thomas, innocent and straight little Thomas. The little brat certainly had grown up by now, though, but he would always be a little brat to Jason!

”I was actually thinking about settling down with someone from Bahama. I’ll be his sugar daddy. And Olivia can look all she wants, but she can’t touch! And, oh, Thomas, don’t be mad your wife’s enjoying the view. And you can’t hog me! But don’t worry about being replaced. No one I date now will have half of the history you and I have together.” Jason said. ”If I had any skill using the computer back then I would have gotten it done! I almost asked one of my employees about it at the time but then that would have been scary for them, that was well before I became so relaxed! That was in the early days of my business. Maybe, still, if I figured it out, you could have sold those shirts as merchandise you’re your restaurant! Aha.”

Arthur looked back and forth between the adults as their conversation stayed, thankfully, away from matchmaking again. Or even if it was matchmaking for Jason, he’d much prefer that than matchmaking for him and Chardonnay. Though at Thomas’ question Arthur blinked, not... wanting to admit the truth but not wanting to lie either. He didn’t have much of a reason to lie anyway, and maybe it’d keep the conversation far from Chardonnay and him, so he just scratched the back of his neck and said something similar happened to him, once, but didn’t go into detail even though Jason asked what he meant by that.

Though, when he heard the conversation shift to exercise and Mr. Nicholas mentioned it he was reconsidering sharing more. That time that he and Chardonnay had been about to have sex when he called her up and she made up some excuse like jogging. Of course it was weird that she would have been jogging so early. He felt a flush coming onto his cheeks as he pictured that moment again, when she answered the phone and he glared down at her, angry, her toned stomach and breasts right there in front of his face, begging to be touched until she ruined the moment, and his neck was starting to flush too. Fuck, no. He remembered how her father’s voice sounded over the phone before he got off of her. Oh, no. He didn’t want to think about that now. Even though he wasn’t looking at her, Chardonnay had to be blushing about this, too, right?

”Uh, to answer you Jason, I mean, I wasn’t asleep, but there were no pictures taken. Two three year olds can’t operate a camera.” Thank God. He exhaled, glad Adelaide and Annabelle had never wanted to that again. He could still remember how ridiculous he looked in the mirror. Of course Adelaide had chosen blues and purples to match Elsa’s colors, and he was pretty sure it took well over an hour to get all of the damn powder the girls had gotten into his eyebrows out. Sometimes, he hated how thick those damn eyebrows of his were. ”...when Adelaide was young like that, babysitting her was enough of a workout for me.”

Arthur exhaled. Makeup on his skin wasn’t exactly what he’d call a pleasant feeling. Maybe he didn’t find it as itchy as Thomas did. When it was going onto his skin it actually didn’t feel that bad. The eyeshadow the three-year-olds had applied to his lids felt smooth, and it wasn’t until they tried to stab him with pencils that he had any objections about how it felt. And when Chardonnay had applied makeup to the hickey she left on him, the cool stuff she put onto his skin felt nicer, almost like a massage. He wouldn’t say he had a particular interest in makeup, but he liked to be touched that softly by other people, and definitely not in a sexual way. The next time Chardonnay had left an accidental hickey on his skin he let her apply makeup, again, to hide it. The only problem was hiding it after he went home, the next day, to go into work because of course the bruise hadn’t faded by then. More often than not he’d steal a little bit of his sister’s foundation (since they had the same skin tone there was no trial and error necessary) and it worked when he was over there. And then he googled ways to mask hickeys himself and debated how obvious buying himself a choker would be, but then he realized there was a reason he never wore chokers or turtlenecks – he hated them.

His struggles were worth it when he got his revenge on Chardonnay, though, watching her flush and throw pillows at him. He laughed at her and though she’d apologized for leaving a hickey on him (something that had shocked him to hear from her) he didn’t – he just explained it was revenge. He was somewhat happy it didn’t become a regular thing, but every time that she left one on him he was sure to leave one on her the next time they rolled around together. It was pretty useful that she was always too distracted to notice what he was doing to her neck but, then again, even if he felt her biting too hard on his neck Arthur never stopped her. It felt too good, and it was only after he was finished that he noticed any markings he had on his body fully.

”Yeah, I am lucky, otherwise my sister would have done what Jason tried to do to you and figured out how to get it on a shirt.” That would be miserable. She would wear it every day. Arthur almost rolled his eyes at the thought. Susan really was something. He loved her to the ends of the earth, but she was something.

”I’ll do it, and then when I finally figure out how to get those picture shirts, I’ll give him one to cover his abs with. Would that make you feel better, Thomas?” Jason asked, putting his finished plate off to the side for the waiter to collect. He turned towards Olivia again with a smile as she addressed Arthur, smiling at the stories she added to the conversation.

Arthur turned to face Olivia, noticing that he wasn’t completely done his plate of pasta while both she and Thomas already seemed done with their dinner. But he was full so when the waiter came around, he’d just ask for a to-go box. He put his fork down and wiped his mouth with his napkin. When she mentioned Susan’s blog and Adelaide he smiled.

”Yeah, Adelaide is adorable. I’ve always liked babysitting her, even if it’s a pain when she’s moody. She reminds me a lot of how crazy my sister is, sometimes, like she’s a mini-version of her.” He said. Even though it was stressful to babysit, and Adelaide didn’t always listen, and it wasn’t always just playing cute games, he liked to look out for kids. He liked to think it was good practice for whenever he was a father, or if he ever became a father. Right now he didn’t know if he was going to ever be a father or if he’d want it that intently, but right now he was focusing on his career. Dating, marriage, kids... that could wait until he was in his thirties.

Though he wasn’t expecting to hear baby stories about Chardonnay today. He had to admit, some of them were pretty funny. And given that he had experience with Adelaide doing similar things he could easily picture a little freckle-faced brat running around, screaming about how she wanted attention and doing other such things that a three year old would do. Chardonnay’s embarrassment only made him snort. Everyone had embarrassing baby stories. He was just thankful that Chardonnay and the Nicholas’ would never be at a dinner like this, except with Susan. The last story about her getting lost in a theater almost made him loose it – that was why she didn’t like them?! She’d gotten lost as a kid?! Holy shit. The fact that her screaming was what got her parents to find her again just made him fight back another snort.

”That’s what happens when you let go of daddy and mommy’s hands.” He said, ”You don’t like theaters because of that?”

Jason was laughing at the story, ”Oh! I remember hearing about that! Was that the last time the two of you decided to take her out to the theater?! Such a shame! You should have taken her to mine – I wouldn’t have let her get lost!”

”You’re more confident than I thought you were if you believe that this Bahamian man will be more interested in your makeup-clad face than me! I may have wrinkles, but I have a charming personality that’s sure to keep him interested! I was quite the looker when I was younger! Remember how popular I was?” Jason grinned towards his friend, though of course he knew all of the comments were in jest. He didn’t actually intend on getting his hot young beau a shirt with his best friend’s face on it, nor did he anticipate any hot man coming between Thomas and his wife. Those two were too devoted to one another! ”Thomas, buy a mirror and learn to see whatever it is your wife sees in you! Lord knows I can’t find it, though I’ve known you since you were a sniveling brat!”

At some point during the banter, Arthur had stopped particularly listening. Thomas and Jason talked like best friends and even though he had been invited here he did feel a little out of place. He wasn’t a son of either of them, and he had only agreed to come because he thought this would be a business opportunity. But it wasn’t and it quickly turned into... whatever this was. Arthur asked the waiter for a to-go box, saying thank you when he received one. He poured the remainder of his carbonara into the box and then gave the plate to the waiter, making sure the box was completely sealed.

When Olivia continued the discussion about his niece, Arthur smiled to himself. Of course he’d read everything that Olivia was referring to. It was apparent from the blog posts and from their interactions that Adelaide loved him. It was funny, how he’d disliked the very idea of her existing when he found out Susan was pregnant, but now she was so important to him. He knew he did a lot for Adelaide and Susan but Arthur always wished he could do more. It still pissed him off that Kasper hadn’t called Susan from Hungary at all, or sent a letter, or come over here himself to meet his daughter. Arthur didn’t understand why that was, but he knew it devastated his sister to be alone with a child.

”I always wish I could do more. Like track down her good-for-nothing ex,” He grit his teeth, remembering where he was, and took a deep breath. ”when Adelaide was a baby it was really hard for Susan. I guess that’s part of the reason I didn’t stay at the dorms a lot when I was a freshman. I didn’t like my roommates and I didn’t like leaving her alone. When I got my own apartment, I’d take Adelaide for the night. I guess that’s just how it is with kids – no matter how much you love them, you can’t be around them all the time.” Unless, you know, you liked being driven insane slowly, methodically, while listening to the My Little Pony opening over and over and over and over and over. The memories were nightmarish and was relieved Adelaide was less obsessed with that show.

Chardonnay’s defense of her childhood actions only made Arthur snort in amusement, especially when Olivia followed up the story with the fact that she’d needed a nightlight for a long time afterwards!

”I don’t know, as a kid I always found the dark more interesting than scary.” Arthur said, and it was true. As a child he didn’t mind being alone in the dark... probably due to the fact he was just used to it. He didn’t ever have a flashlight, not when he had his own room before his parents died and certainly not in the small apartment he and Susan had moved into a year later. Still, to imagine a baby version of Chardonnay to refuse to sleep until she had a nightlight lit up and on made him laugh.

”That’s a shame! The theater is a wonderful place! Maybe sometime you’ll be able to come visit mine. It’s very nice! And it’s not scary, I promise!” Jason said, enthusiastically. He requested a desert from the menu, while Arthur said no, but thanked the waiter for the offer. Jason tried to convince him to order a desert but Arthur insisted on not getting one, saying he was too full. Jason tried to say that it was fine, that he was too skinny and should work on expanding his stomach. But that thought just made Arthur cringe a little as he looked away, still holding firm to his no desert order. He wasn’t hungry. Besides, he saw the prices listed on the menu. Astronomically high. Even if this was Thomas’ treat, he hated the thought of getting a desert only to have half of it be thrown away, since it wouldn’t go in a to-go box, surely.

”Well that’s why you need that mirror! To see what she sees in you. Or maybe you can just take a look at one of your family portraits. Now that’s something that can give you confidence in your relationship, eh?” Jason pointed out, telling the waiter what it was he’d like to eat before he shifted to get comfortable in his seat, already thinking about the desert he’d be getting. He asked if maybe Arthur could change his mind and order a second desert, two for himself, but Arthur rejected that proposition and Jason frowned about it. Still, he laughed along with the older adults at Arthur’s expense, before the conversation turned to something he actually had no knowledge about – Arthur’s niece’s father.

Arthur could still remember the man clearly. He never liked him. For one, Kasper was rich and had no problem throwing his money around, especially for his nephew, that quiet guy Bandi. He had a daughter too, Adelaide had a half-sister, but Kasper couldn’t be bothered with her at all. He wondered how that girl was doing, if maybe Kasper had given her back to her mother yet, or if she was involved with his family at all. That there was no word from him, despite Susan’s countless phone calls and letters, made him furious. Susan didn’t want to think about it but the only reason Arthur would excuse this kind of ostracizing activity from Kasper was if the guy had died. And maybe he had. They didn’t know and that got on Arthur’s nerves. Even if he did kick the bucket, he couldn’t even have a family member send a letter to give his sister closure, could he? No, because he likely told no one about Adelaide’s existence.

”He says he left because of family issues, so I guess he doesn’t consider this a family issue at all. Apparently he couldn’t be bothered to come back. If you’re reading Susan’s blogs, you probably already know how hard it is. She’s already asking about him. So Susan has to tell her he left, sooner or later. She’s not going to like hearing it, but it’s not something Susan should keep her from knowing.” He exhaled, Olivia’s condolences for Adelaide growing up without a father really hitting hard. Especially because elatedly she was asking about him. He couldn’t take her to father-daughter events, she didn’t understand why she didn’t have a father for father’s day, and she wasn’t even sent a letter of explanation from Kasper. Even if he didn’t reach out to Susan, Adelaide was the one who didn’t have a father. He never thought he’d say this, but he was angrier at Kasper for that than leaving his sister. He knew his sister didn’t need a husband or a boyfriend. She wanted one, but she didn’t need one. But he knew the sting of growing up without a father. Though he didn’t want to go into a longwinded rant on it here, and Olivia’s next words caused the smile to come back to his face. ”It does mean something to me. Thanks. I started helping my sister out because I felt obligated but I actually like to do it now. I’m just glad she’s not obsessed with My Little Pony anymore, honestly.”

Arthur could have snorted at Chardonnay’s comment. Of course they were very different. From the very second they met they were opposites. She was a spoiled brat, he was a frugal hothead. She was a daddy’s girl, he was an orphan. She was rich, he was poor. She hated people, he hated being alone. She liked to cook, he liked to run a theater. And now, add another thing to that list: she disliked the dark and he loved it.

”That’s an understatement.” he said in response, and Jason cracked some joke about opposites attracting that Arthur glared at him for. But luckily Jason had learned his lesson with the last uncomfortable pairing up discussion, so he didn’t linger on the subject and instead focused on the comments about the theater.

”Oh, I understand! I won’t be offended if you don’t come by, of course. But you are always welcome to come by! I suppose outside of Metric, you’d really have little reason to come out to Salem. But if you do happen to be in the neighborhood, please! Swing by!” He heard Chardonnay’s comments to the waiter, and looked around. ”Is Heather this manager that your father told me you’d hired for some help?”

Jason grinned at the comment and remembered getting the cute Christmas cards from his friends throughout all the years. He wished, really, that he could have been over to visit more often. He couldn’t believe that by the time Chardonnay reached elementary school he had just been too busy to see her. He could still see her grow older with every Christmas card the Nicholas’ sent him but still, that he’d never gone there in person?

For the duration of his early business days he was taking trips all across the US. He ran his business over the phone with one of his trusted managers, and went to film festivals galore. It was for the sake of his business, he told himself, though it was also for himself as he met men and rarely had to pay for his own hotels. The men involved in the arts, he quickly realized, had their own underground gay community and that helped him get around. He didn’t necessarily proclaim his sexuality to everyone at the festivals, because of the negative stigmas still in the air, but he didn’t necessarily hide it. But while he was here and there he never stopped to visit with Thomas as his friends’ restaurant went up and became functional, and started raking in more and more customers and reviews. He exchanged the occasional letter but otherwise went months and years without direct communication, save for postcards. It was a miracle, though, that they managed to remain so close despite these long gaps of no conversation.

”I’ve always liked children’s movies! The songs are adorable.” Jason said, which resulted in a deadpan look from Arthur.

”Adorable? You’ve obviously never dealt with an actual kid who listens to it for three and a half hours on repeat.” Arthur said. Jason laughed at that.

”You’re still a kid, kid.” He said, which resulted in Arthur’s deadpan twisting down into a scowl as he said something about himself not being that young. Jason brushed it off and continued. ”Besides, like I said, Thomas over here was always a brat to me! I babysat him all the time! Though I have to give him credit, at least his interests as a kid weren’t songs.”

As Heather walked over to the table the entire table glanced over at her. She looked young, and Arthur was surprised at that because if anything, he expected Chardonnay to only entrust her business in the hands of an older employee, who didn’t have a hair out of place on their head and one who spoke with firm conviction, not nervous hesitance like Heather was giving her now. Of course Chardonnay regarded her the exact way he expected to see. She was so bossy, but seemed even bossier here. Jason looked impressed as he looked between Chardonnay and Heather. He had to admire Chardonnay’s demanding attitude, because he didn’t actually have an attitude like that at all! But it was probably because he didn’t that his suppliers had walked all over him until Arthur stepped in.

Jason smiled at Chardonnay until he heard Heather ask them how the food was and he sat up straighter.

”Ah, yes, it was wonderful! Arthur’s even taking some of it home, please tell the chefs it was scrumptious. And I’m very excited to try the chocolate cake I ordered!” Jason said, already with his fork inside the cake, ready to take a bite. Arthur nodded his agreement with a thank you, and said the service was excellent, before he took a sip of the water and glanced back over at Chardonnay, who was still looking at Heather with narrowed eyes. He still couldn’t believe she picked someone who seemed so young to manage the place while she was gone. Whatever. That was her business. And, while he was fairly strict with his employees, he couldn’t help but critique how she was talking to the girl. She definitely could use a little slack, especially since the place still looked pristine and highly function. But, that wasn’t his place to say, so he took another drink.

Jason consumed his cake eagerly, almost too distracted by it to focus in really on what was going on in front of him. Sure, he was listening all right, but he was mostly gushing to the waiter before he left about his good the cake was. Once the waiter left and Heather remained his focus traveled to her, and he took a sip of water to wash down the cake in his mouth. He glanced over at Arthur who was no longer watching Chardonnay but he could tell that he was listening. When heather excused herself the men said goodbye to her before Thomas turned the discussion towards Chardonnay’s treatment of her employees and asked for some advice from Jason.

At the question Jason laughed, waving his hand in the air.

”Thomas, you are asking the wrong person! That was always my downfall as a businessman – I’m too nice. It was actually impressive to watch Chardonnay handle her manager so strictly! That is something I could never do myself. Even when people just don’t show up for work, I always wind up forgiving them... I’m too empathetic. Maybe you should take a leaf from your daughter’s book, eh, Thomas?” Jason wiggled his brows over at his friend. He turned towards Arthur, ”I think Chardonnay’s already got managing her employees down to a tee! ”

”I agree with Thomas.” Arthur said, bluntly, something that startled Jason. Arthur had been pretty complacent the entire dinner and he honestly just expected Arthur to laugh it off or brush it off. It wasn’t as though he had a serious interest in Chardonnay’s business, or so Jason thought. He leaned back in his chair. Arthur glanced away from his boss and over at Chardonnay. ”I don’t think you shouldn’t be so hostile.”

”Keep in mind, Chardonnay, he has no room to speak. He made a part timer cry!” Jason said, his tone still humorous. Arthur looked irritated at Jason’s interjection, but he couldn’t deny it.

”That was once and it was a mistake. There’s a reason it hasn’t happened again. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be strict. And it’s not that you have trust them fully. But you should give them respect. If she was hired by you and hasn’t lost her job, she can probably work well under pressure. But when the second she comes over here you start staring at her like a hawk, hounding every word out of her mouth, it shows you doubt her. And employees aren’t going to want to respect a boss who thinks they’re incompetent.” He exhaled and didn’t look away from Chardonnay. It was almost like when they were in college and had to work together to come to some conclusion by critiquing one another. He was doing that, except here. It was weird to be at such a formal setting, with her parents and his boss present, but that didn’t deter him that much. ”Just look at the wording you just used with her. ‘Are you sure you’re capable’. I know you’d never let anyone you didn’t think could do that run your restaurant without you. So you should probably try to make that clear to your employees, or they’re going to lose their confidence and their performances will suffer.”

He stopped talking and rose his brows over at Chardonnay, expecting some kind of a retort that he had no idea what he was talking about. He’d fire right back at her if she did. Jason looked from Arthur over to Chardonnay after he finished speaking, then glanced over at Thomas.

”Well, even if you don’t have me on your side, it looks like Arthur agrees with you!” Jason said, his cake already nearly gone on his place. It wasn’t his fault it was so tasty!

”Oh, I suppose you have a point there!” Jason said, and that, in essence, basically summarized his whole stance on the situation. He was nice and understanding, and in this moment he went with whatever was easier. Still, he hadn’t expected Arthur to take Thomas’ side especially given how he had handled the suppliers with such malice. He expected this was an area that Arthur and Chardonnay would agree on and he was slightly worried, too, that someday Arthur would become too strict with his workers and that the experience of being there would change. So he listened to Arthur’s words with a smile on his face, his interest peeked when Chardonnay retorted back.

Arthur felt his brows rise when she (in a hostile manner) stated she wasn’t hostile towards her employees. He didn’t believe her for a second. It wasn’t a secret that she held this place to an almost impossibly pristine standard. And it certainly showed. Everything was clean and spotless, the food was delicious, and the service was impeccable. Despite that, though, running a long term business based around a dictatorship wouldn’t last, he was convinced. He listened to what she said with his fingers drumming softly on the tablecloth.

Of course she wouldn’t get the benefit of actually showing an employee that she respected them. She had never been on the working end of the situation, had she? She didn’t know what it felt like to work for hours upon hours for a boss who didn’t give a shit about your personal accommodations and skill sets. Sure, she said it was implied that she respected them, that they were hired and should assume that just because of that they knew their value, but seriously? That was such a spoiled snob’s point of view.

”I never accused you of being a brute.” He certainly wanted to, but he hadn’t. ”You say that just because your employees were hired by you that they should believe you respect them, and that no commentary from you is good commentary. But that isn’t going to last for the long-term. People are fickle, especially when it comes to their bosses. They’ll stop trying to impress you when they feel like you don’t appreciate them. Even if you pay them well and give them benefits like and no doubt do, they’ll quit the second they find a job that treats them better and offers the same benefits. I’m not telling you to coddle them, either. Showing people respect is not coddling. It’s respect.”

At her next comment, though, Arthur’s eye twitched. This was a five star restaurant, not a theater... so what?! The theater wasn’t as high end as this place was, certainly, but it wasn’t low end. Did she think that the theater was so relaxed that anyone could get away with anything? It wasn’t! She kept putting down the theater, the fucking theater she’d never set foot in because she was too scared of the goddamn dark. She had never been there so what room did she have to talk about it? The place he worked at, the place he would one day own? Oh, he already felt his temper starting to flair and it took all of his willpower to calm down enough to think, to not fly off the handle at her words and lose face. Especially when Thomas agreed with him, still. He clenched his fingers into a fist and took a deep breath before he continued.

”Is it easier, then, to constantly lose people due to a lack of loyalty? Is it easier to retrain new hires when all of your employees decide to go off and find somewhere better to work, somewhere that actually respects them? If you’re so adamant about keeping this restaurant as a five star place, wouldn’t getting new chefs be problematic? Or a new manager? If you hold too tight of a leash on people, without giving them a worthwhile reward to work for, they’re not going to see the point of staying. If you don’t treat your employees with respect, you’ll run your own business to the ground without any help.”

Arthur didn’t catch Thomas’ encouraging look at first, he was too focused with narrowed eyes over at Chardonnay. But after a second he felt eyes on him and glanced over at Thomas and cleared his throat, though he was glad he had Mr. Nicholas on his side, still. Jason looked pretty neutral, but he shrugged at that.

”I’m not offended! I think with a restaurant, it’s an entirely different type of business than mine. So I really can’t say, but I think Chardonnay’s been running this place just fine, so far.” Jason said, as predicted, a perfectly neutral comment.

Arthur didn’t pay very much attention to the other inhabitants of the restaurant by this point – in fact, he almost forgot he was at a formal dinner with Chardonnay’s parents and his boss. His body was turned towards hers, his eyes focused on her face, narrowing with everything she said. Even before they started fucking he’d always felt this class divide between the two of them. It was when he was arguing with her, especially about their respective businesses, that he really felt it. His eyebrow started to twitch, and Jason coughed quietly, his fist over his mouth, looking between Arthur and Chardonnay but not weighing in on the argument. What had started out as offhand comments by Thomas and himself turned into this.

”I’m not telling you to give out golden stars when people do a good job. That’s not the kind of reward I mean.” Oh, Jesus fucking Christ, she had to bring up the crying thing, didn’t she? He would have glared over at Jason if he wasn’t so pissed off at Chardonnay right now. He said that was a mistake, and it was. He felt horrible afterwards and it wasn’t his fault the kid was texting during his shift! His eye twitched again and he pointedly ignored the comment because he’d changed from the manager who would yell at some part-timer. He’d changed and if he snapped at her about that then that would mean he was making this about something immature. So instead of commenting on it his eyes just narrowed more. ”They might not have left because they need the income. Obviously this place pays well,” why the fuck else would anyone work for Chardonnay, he thought, but didn’t say because that would be petty and he was better than that (so he liked to think). ”You’re not giving them respect. You say you are but that’s not what respect is. When she came over here you treated her like a child going off to her first day of kindergarten. It’s all about word choice. You asked if she was capable of doing it. You could have confirmed with her in a way that wasn’t so demeaning. And don’t try to tell me that’s not demeaning, because it is.”

Speaking of demeaning – he almost snapped at her next comments and his nostrils flared. Just because he didn’t own a business himself yet did not mean he didn’t know what he was talking about. She always did this! Even when they were younger and working on projects, she never heard him and just stuck to the topic! She always had to invalidate him, she always had to say his opinion didn’t matter because he was lesser than her. He didn’t look away from her narrowed eyes. Maybe if she didn’t put him down every chance she got, he might have considered her points, and maybe she did have one, about having to tighten the reigns as a business owner. And he did respect the way she didn’t take anyone’s shit. He liked that about her and at the same time, he hated that about her, because she never wanted to listen.

”All you ever do is consider everyone below you. You’re doing it right now, to me, and that’s all you ever did to me when we were in school. But I’m not going to put up with it. You’re right, I don’t own a business yet. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’ve been considering buying the business since I was a freshman in college and I’ve learned from my own experiences what works and doesn’t work, from the employee’s perspective, and as I move up the ranks. Yeah, I’ve made mistakes, but I learn from them.” He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her trusting comment. ”It’s not about trust or not trust. It’s about addressing that woman like she’s a child versus actually talking to her like a capable adult.”

Oh, she wanted to tell him about how skewed his way of thinking was? Arthur rose his eyebrows in irritation and question. Though in contrast to when they were younger, he found his mind taking in her entire face rather than just her lips and the angry way they formed words. He could see the way her lip pursed and the effect it had on her cheek, he could see the way her not-entirely-blue eyes lit up with irritation as they narrowed over at him. He didn’t know how he felt about that, and had he been able to make note of the subtle way her brow twitched when she was irritated when he was young? He was all too aware of the way her muscles tightened and she shifted. And like any time they argued together it felt like they were the only two people in the room, though he was aware of the people silhouetted behind Chardonnay’s shoulders, the other customers, ones he wouldn’t dare raise his voice near.

One thing he hadn’t expected to have any effect on him, though, was the way she said his name. She’d said it today and it didn’t make him flinch. She said it when she was addressing Jason and her father and even him, casually, but for some reason it was different now, it made his palms sweatier than he wanted them to be, and it almost threw off his entire train of thought. Even if she’d said his name during the dinner she hadn’t been looking at him like that and he could tell from just the tone, she wanted to refer to him as Jackass rather than his name. The only other times she was directly looking at him when she said his name was when she moaned it – one of the only times she used it aside from today – and that wasn’t something he wanted his stupid mind to jump to right now. God. Before he started sleeping with her, was he this much of a pervert? He didn’t think so. It irritated him how much he liked hearing his name come from her mouth, and the thought made a faint blush appear on his cheeks, one he tried to write off as just his irritation beginning to peak.

”You can ask someone if they can do something without putting it in such rude terms. Not even just rude – hostile. You could easily look up better words to use for that instance in a thesaurus,” He said, frowning as she spoke, though, she had a point about the locks and the extra security measures... and that wasn’t what he was arguing with her about! At least, that wasn’t how he saw it. ”I’m not saying you don’t need to be cautious about locking up. I’m talking about the way you treat your staff. This and that are entirely different things. But just like you were in school, you’re too spoiled to even think about what it’s like from the other side. You could have asked her if she remembered how, or asked her if she was all right to do it, not are you capable of locking up, seriously? You picked her for a reason, she’s got to be capable, so maybe you should let her feel like she is.”

Around then was when Walter returned and Arthur blinked, and snapped his attention back to the table. He saw Thomas, Olivia, and Jason looking at the two of them pretty intently (though Thomas turned to address Walter). Arthur’s face flushed darker as he turned to face the table rather than Chardonnay, and he cleared his throat. He avoided looking at Walter, but he muttered a thanks before he took a generous gulp of his water. Shit. Thomas was treating them to dinner and here he was, picking a fight with his daughter! What the fuck was wrong with him, seriously?

Meanwhile, Jason grinned and rose his brows at the two before, glancing over to Walter.

”Yes, the desert was excellent, thank you!” Jason said. He glanced over at Thomas. ”Thank you again for treating us, by the way!”

And he thought this was awkward before. Arthur felt his eyebrows twitching together and his cheeks darkening the longer he sat there with Olivia and Jason’s eyes on him. He hid his face with one of his hands, still angry at Chardonnay, still embarrassed about his own perverted thoughts, and still annoyed that she didn’t listen to him. They were completely different people like that. He was just glad that neither of the older adults were bringing up their squabble or anything. How many times in college and high school had someone accused them of being married because they bickered like that? But that wasn’t what marriage was. Maybe that was how it was on some TV shows, and sure, couples had spats, but Olivia and Thomas were the epitome of a romantic couple and they hadn’t been at one another’s throats all day. It might have been weird to think that about Chardonnay’s parents, but it was true. Anyone who accused him and Chardonnay of being married seriously had a warped definition of the term.

He agreed with Olivia’s comment to agree to disagree, but what irritated him was Chardonnay’s retort. Seriously? So. Fucking. Spoiled. His flush started to fade as he frowned, and he had never wanted to flip a table more than he did when she gave him that forced smile and insulted him. His little theater?! Was she fucking serious? She had no idea what that theater was, what it meant or how to run it? He’d love to see her spoiled, pompous ass try to run that place for even a day. She’d run it to the ground within two hours. If there was something in his life he was proud of it was that place, where people could go for an escape from reality, where they could enjoy a film and she just knocked it down and belittled it every chance she got. Spoiled fucking brat. She didn’t understand anything about it or why he loved it. So she had no room to talk about it like it was little!

Instead of flipping the table, though, he returned her fake smile with one of his own, despite the fire in his eyes that wasn’t going away and clearly indicated he wished he could say more.

”Of course you don’t. It was just my opinion.” He said, almost spat. So spoiled she couldn’t talk to anyone. So spoiled she had no friends and pushed everyone away. So spoiled she couldn’t treat her employees with the respect the deserved and he felt sorry for the waiter when he came back and took their food, and that girl Heather. He couldn’t stand Chardonnay, how she refused to take him seriously, about how even when he made perfectly valid points she just brushed them off and told him he was wrong. She was such a thorn in his side, so impossible to convince of anything, and he wondered then why he didn’t just give up talking to her completely after this. He could delete her number, he could not respond to her texts (assuming she ever texted him again after this), he could stop sleeping with her... but then a thought crossed his mind, and it wasn’t desire. Not really. It was the way she’d paled when her father mentioned grandchildren. He knew there was something wrong about that reaction. She would have normally gotten angry at the implication and brushed it off, maybe blushed a little since they were sitting next to one another when they regularly performed sex. But there was something that still made his nerves flip, and made him think maybe something was wrong, something that scared him.

When Thomas spoke to Jason, the other man’s laugh echoed around the vicinity again.

”Of course we need to do this again! My, I want to go to Vegas and play the shots! I’ve always bene a lucky man,” He stretched and reached for his suit jacket, getting up out of his chair to button it up. He almost felt forward, which caused him to laugh. ”With my old age, unfortunately, also comes clumsiness!”