Hi Guys and welcome back to Class Vs Character! So this is a heavy Kames chapter, so I won't keep you!
Kendall was rapid in his saddling of Fable, something that James was even impressed by, especially when he made the cocky comment of "I'm ready sir" just to prove the point that he was done, again the word 'sir' also being used as a weapon against James. The older man was quick to catch on to the fact that this was no longer going to be a small jaunt around the estate, but rather a full on competition, one he would have to full out all the stops for. With Kendall riding Fable, James chose to ride his father's horse which, while slightly older than Fable, still had a lot of go in him.
When the two of there were ready, James lead then out of the stable, making sure his riding position was the image of perfection. Of course, he also noticed that Kendall's form was on point, and couldn't help but be distracted by how the muscles in Kendall's arms flex when he would pull on Fable's reigns. Due to James' distraction, he didn't notice the small log that his horse was approaching, and when his horse jumped it, James completely lost balance for a second before recovering.
"Pay attention Sir." Kendall said, riding close to James. "Horses can be wild animals sometimes" he continued, now gaining this own smug look on his face.
"Thank you, Kendall, I'll keep that in mind" James replied, a false smile on his face. When Kendall just chuckled, the two of them settled back into their original riding positions. "Kendall, if you'll follow me, I'll show you around the estate" James shouted, leading the two of them around the back of the house. Kendall was once again astounded by the size of the manor and how it felt like it towered above him. "Come on, let's continue" James said, before galloping away.
Kendall was quick to follow as James lead him round the side of the house and onto a small dirt path which trailed into an orchard full of apples, oranges, lemons and apricots to name a few fruits. "This is my mother's orchard" James began, slowing down so Kendall could ride alongside him. "Kind of like her pet project. I used to help her when I was younger, and sometimes still do on occasion. But mostly, she tends to it with the help of the gardeners. As you can see, she's likes her fruit. Most of the stuff in the house is from here, completely fresh normally"
Kendall was still in awe of the whole place. Sure, he'd seen it when he drove in yesterday, but he hadn't realised quite how far it had expanded, nor what the actual estate included. It seemed like the beauty of the place only seemed to get better, especially when his eyes landed on James. When James turned back, Kendall blushed a little, giving him a small smile which James was quick to return. "You're slouching" James stated, his smile turning smug as he said it. Kendall was quick to straighten his position and reminded himself to not get distracted by the beauty of the place. Of course that was easier said than done.
The two of them trotted through the orchard, and when they reached the other side, James began to pick up the speed again, something Kendall was quick to replicate. The two of them rode in complete silence, simply enjoying each other's company when they arrived at the next location on the tour. "As you saw on the way in, this is our lake" James said, as he started to slow down on his father's horse to the point where he could dismount. Kendall copied James, dismounting Fable as he followed James to a small building that was present by the side of the lake. "And this is our summer house." He continued, as he tied his father's horse against the hitching post present, making sure he wouldn't wonder off Kendall quickly followed suit, the competition being completely forgotten about as he gaped in awe at the building. "We don't use it a lot in the winter, but since the summer is beginning, I can imagine people will start to spend their days down here. Mother likes to sunbath when she can, and father tends to go fishing, seeing what he can catch. Normally, I just go for a swim or something" He said, as he took off his shoes and rolled up the bottom of his trousers. Kendall remained silent as he looked around, finally grasping the size of the place. His eyes land back on James, who was currently sat on the bank of the lake with his feet dangling into the water. "Join me?" James asked, nodding his head towards the water.
"Of course Sir" Kendall replied, taking his boots off, ones that he had worn all day. The feeling was superb, and as soon as they touched the water, his feet were overtaken with a soothing feeling like all the tension was being released. He let out a small sigh as he wriggled his toes on the water, feeling it travel in between them.
"So, how was your first day" James asked, trying to remove the silence between the two of them.
"It was nice sir. I've never worked with someone else, so it was nice to have some help. And it was nice to get to know all of the horses as well. I suppose the only downside was you scaring me twice" Kendall replied, teasing James slightly.
"What can I say? I like to keep you on your feet" James replied, turning towards Kendall, seeing that Kendall was already looking over him.
"Thank you for this sir. I don't know where I'd be now if you hadn't offered me the job. It was mighty kind of you" Kendall said, blushing as he looked down at the floor.
"James" he heard coming from the older male.
"Sorry Sir?" Kendall asked, causing James to chuckle.
"Please, call me James. At least when no one is about"
"Ok, well thank you then, James" Kendall said, his blush intensifying.
"You don't need to thank me Kendall honestly, you deserved this job. I saw how happy you were today, how happy you were when you were singing to Camille, and how happy you looked when you were riding Fable."
"I'm sorry you and Mr Logan walking in on us like that. I can't imagine it was that professional"
"You're seriously apologising for that?" James asked, shock in his voice. "I just said about how happy you looked, and you're apologising for it?"
"Sorry sir" Kendall replied, causing James to laugh.
"You're impossible, you know that right?" James asked, turning to see Kendall with a smug look on his face, with his eyebrow raised. "Were you teasing me?"
"I would never sir" Kendall replied, that smug look on his face.
"Impossible" James just muttered under his breath, as Kendall laughed next to him. The two of them returned to a comfortable silence, with the two of them scooting closer to each other as they did so. The pair of them laid back on the grass, watching as the sun began to set.
"It looks so beautiful here" Kendall said, as the sun began to descend behind the lake.
"Yeah, I know" James said with a small smile as he glanced over at Kendall, fully taking in the smaller boy's form. He was lean all over, and James could only assume that was due to the manual work he'd done for years. He noticed how Kendall's hair wasn't a bright blond, but rather a dirty blond and how his eyes were a green colour, one that James had never seen before. He found himself shuffling a little closer, so that the elbows were touching. After a while, Kendall finally spoke up again.
"James" he began rolling onto his side, so he was facing the older male. James did the same as the two men were face to face all of a sudden. Yet, none of them even tried to move away, nor dared too. "What's it like to be rich? To have so much money that you can do what you want" the blond continued, but James didn't sense any kind of jealously or envy within his voice. Instead he sensed innocence and curiosity, showing Kendall was being genuine with his question. James took a minute to respond, before letting out a small sigh.
"I mean, it's great. I live in a huge house with my own huge room. Like you said, I can do what I want, when I want and I have people waiting on hand and foot to do what I ask them" he began, before rolling onto his back, facing up at the sky again. "But it's also kind of…lonely I guess. I mean I'm surrounded by people all day but there not really my friends, and they don't really want to be there, it's more like they have to. Mother and Father are always busy with something, whether it's mother modelling or father trying to sign up for another political position, so I don't see them much. I have a university lecturer come twice a week, but again she's only here because she has to be. And apart from Logan, I suppose I don't have much in the way of friends" he finished, trying to avoid eye contact with Kendall. The two settled into silence for a few seconds, before Kendall spoke up.
"I want to be here" he heard Kendall say from beside him. "And I can be your friend if you want? I mean, if that's ok?" the voice continued to speak, and when he rolled back over, he saw Kendall was still on his side watching him.
"I'd like that" James replied, smiling back at him.
"I've never had a friend before either, so you'll have to teach me" Kendall continued, letting his thoughts run rampant. "I'm not really sure what friends do either. I mean, I suppose this is a friend thing to do isn't it? Laying here talking while we watch the sun go down together, and riding horses together, and scaring each other" he continued to ramble, and James couldn't help but listen to his voice, but most importantly, the innocence that came with it.
It was clear to James that Kendall was very much new to everything outside of work, and that made James' heart crack slightly. It was from then on, that James vowed to be the best friend Kendall had would ever have, introducing him to all kinds of new things and new places. He'd make sure the blond had the life he deserved.
"That's exactly what friends do" James began, turning to face Kendall. "But they also help each other in times of need, and are always there for one another, whether that be in body or in spirit. I'll always try to look out for you Kendall, no matter what" James replied, causing Kendall's blush to intensity.
"And I'll do the same for you, James, although I don't know how much help I'll be" Kendall replied, causing James to shake his head.
"It doesn't matter as long as you try" he replied, causing Kendall to nod. With that being said, they returned back to their original positions, with Kendall now essentially using James elbow as a headrest with their proximity to each other not that they minded. Kendall's mind was racing with the idea that maybe he was attracted to James after all, and maybe just maybe, that would be ok.
James was considering a similar thing, but he was getting used to the fact that he wanted to spend more and more time with just this one person. It was unusual for him, and something he'd have to get used to. The two of them let out a sigh in sync with one another, and both looked over at each other when they did, a small grin on their faces. The two of them would both describe the moment as perfect, but as we all know, perfect moments don't last forever.
The abrupt end to this one came when Kendall instantly withdrew his feet from the water, causing a huge amount of water to splash straight onto James. Opening his eyes to see why he was suddenly wet, he saw Kendall on his feet as he was scrapping them across the grass.
"What just happened?" James asked, feeling the water start soaking through his clothes, and running down his legs.
"There's something in the lake. It touched me" Kendall replied, still wiping his feet against the grass. James just chuckled as he shook his head.
"That'll be the fish Kendall"
"Fish? There are fish in the lake?"
"Yeah, that's where they live"
"But you said you swim in it? You swim with the fish?!"
"Yeah, they don't seem to bother me after a while, they're just curious"
"They're slimy, that's what they are. Slimy and wet, and gross and slimy" Kendall replied, as he finally stopped rubbing his feet against the grass.
"You know, I'd never pegged you to be someone who's scared of fish" James said, his voice returning to his teasing state.
"I ain't scared, James, just shocked is all. I ain't never seen a live fish, and I didn't expect one to nibble on my feet" Kendall replied, his voice serious as he stared back at James.
"Well, if you aren't scared, then why don't you help me feed them. We keep some fish food in the summer house in case we want to during the summer" James replied, before returning to his teasing voice. "But, if you're scared, you don't have to"
"I said, James, I ain't scared. And I'll happy feed em'" Kendall replied, causing James to nod his head over his shoulder before walking to the summer house. When they stepped instead, Kendall was instantly in awe again, with the place being twice if not three times the size of the room his mum and Katie shared. The decorations were all bright colours, obviously representing the summer, and the room had a sofa and a few chairs, as well as a small decking that went out over the lake. The decking had a small barbecue, as well as a couple deck chairs.
"Summer's the only time we actually cook for ourselves" James said, as he noticed Kendall looking at the barbecue. "It's kind of sad actually. I'd love to learn how to cook like Carlos does, his meals are always so good"
"You could always ask him" Kendall said with a shrug as he walked onto the decking. "I'm sure he'd be willing to teach you. I mean, you know Carlos better than I do, but he seems like a great guy, so I can't imagine he'll say no" he continued, as he stared out on the lake. Now he was looking for them, Kendall could see all the fish swimming around. Some were a bright orange colour and huge, while others were relatively smaller and a multitude of colours.
"Maybe" James said, as he walked next to Kendall, holding a small tub in his hand. "Here, grab a handful and just throw it in" he continued, before grabbing a handful for himself, and doing exactly that. Kendall noticed how all the fish raced towards them and swam right up to the surface to get the food. Kendall followed James' instruction, throwing a load more food in, and the two of them stood there peacefully as they watched the fish swim about eating the food. Kendall laughed as one of the bigger fish essentially rammed one of the smaller ones out of the way to try and get the last piece of food, and James' couldn't help but listen to Kendall's laugh. It sounded so genuine, like at that moment, there was nothing else bothering the young man, like he was truly content.
When nightfall finally descended on the estate, the two of them decided to call it a day. As the rode back up to the house, they both exchanged a few sneaky glances, but neither of them said anything until they reached the stable. With James' dad's horse and Fable back in their pens, Kendall began to lock up the stable.
"You know, I really had fun today James" Kendall said, trying to use James' name as much as possible before he had to say sir again. He liked the way it sounded when he said it.
"So I did. It was nice to spend some time with you, outside of work you know" James said, briefly forgetting the two days they'd spent together on the train. Of course, that was still in some sort of formal capacity, due to James' dad also being in the carriage. "Maybe we could do it again some time?" And that caused Kendall to blush massively, as he nodded his head.
"I'd like that James" he replied, causing a smile to grow on James' face. "I best get to sleep. I've got to get up early tomorrow. And Fable's gonna need a proper wash tomorrow"
"Of course, good night Kendall" James replied, nodding his head towards the younger male, before the two of them went their separate ways, both of them currently sitting on cloud 9 at the thought of spending more time together. As Kendall walked back into his room, he found Carlos sat on the bed with a notepad, as he tapped the pencil against his bottom lip.
"You alright there?" Kendall asked, causing Carlos to snap out of his own little world.
"Jesus… Yeah, I'm just trying to come up with some new recipes" he replied, setting his pencil and notepad down. As Kendall sighed, Carlos was quick to question him. "Rough day?"
"Long" Kendall replied, a small smile growing on his face. "But not too bad for a first day"
"You know, a shower always helps me unwind, and let some tension out. The towels are in the bottom cupboard there" Carlos replied, pointing to a small draw unit.
"Thanks" Kendall replied with a smile as he grabbed the towels and made his way back to the door. "I'll see you in a minute"
"And you'll tell me all about your day" Carlos replied, causing Kendall to blush as he shut the door. Making his way to the shower room, he could hear a couple of showers already running, but he didn't expect the site he was greeted with. As he walked in, he saw Bitters with only a towel wrapped around his waist, so luckily, he didn't see much.
The blond gasped, before putting his hand over his eyes in an attempt to shield them from the site. He eventually made his way over to the shower where he instantly felt dirty, more from the site he'd seen than the actual dirt covering his body. Twenty minutes of boiling water and a bar of soap later, and Kendall's body finally felt clear but he doubted whether his mind would actually recover. Of course, he was being massively dramatic but this was the first time the blond boy had actually seen anything like that, so it was a bit scarring.
He spent the rest of the night describing his day to Carlos, but he purposely felt out the parts about the two of them laying on the grass together or feeding the fish. He wanted that to be his and James' memory only for some unknown selfish reason. He could only hope that James felt the same. The did mention how James wanted to learn how to cook, and while Carlos seemed shocked at first, he said that he'd be willing to help, something that Kendall was happy about, but also became slightly jealous over.
So there we have it! By far this was one of my favourite chapters to write for this story so far, as I found Kendall so adorable and sweet and innocent! Let me know what you think!
A massive thank you to Guest, Winterschild11 and RainbowDiamonds for reviewing the last chapter, and I'm glad to see you enjoyed it! The two of them have definitely met their match in each other, as this chapter shows in the beginning at least. I'm also glad to see that you enjoyed the introduction of Logan into the story!
In other news, E3 are currently live streaming their press conferences so I am watching them all since I am a massive video games nerd! It's worth it though, as I am so excited for some of the games that have been mentioned!
I will see you guys on Thursday for the next chapter of Rekindled, but until then
TTFN :D
