He couldn't keep his hands to himself as he sat in the restaurant inches away from the one man who never failed to make his heart thump and his insides flutter…
Tom looked unbelievably handsome tonight. Not that that was anything new…But… No one wore a suit the way he did. He was in all black, from his leather shoes, to his pants, to the pressed dress shirt he'd left open two buttons down so that Harry kept catching a glimpse of his chest. And with his jet black hair styled immaturely… Tom looked like a wicked, dark promise of sex and sin wrapped up in a polished shell. A shell that Harry knew first-hand housed a dark side unlike that of anyone he'd ever met.
As he continued to run his fingers up and down the back of Tom's neck, Tom shut his eyes and arched back a fraction into his touch, and Harry spoke,
"I've missed you."
Tom turned his head, and when he opened his eyes, Harry said,
"We need to talk about this, work out our schedules. Because I'm sick and tired of only seeing you for a handful of minutes here and there each day."
"I know. I'm sorry. This deal was…"
"Important,"
Harry said, and removed his fingers so he could reach for the hand Tom had resting on the table,
"I'm not just talking about you. I'm as much to blame as you are for our ships-in-the-night routine."
Tom frowned,
"No, you're not. Your hours never changed. Mine did."
"I know. But my hours are hardly conducive to a normal life."
Tom spoke,
"We both knew that when you bought the club from Blake… That's why I had the loft constructed over it because it's so handy. It allows us to meet up and stay in the same place the nights you work until closing."
That had been the arrangement, and it had worked perfectly for the first few days. He could be on hand as much as was needed, and as a new owner, Harry had wanted to do everything in his power to make sure Amour ran smooth and was a success.
But that want had been realized. During the week, the club was a hot spot for the young and middle-aged business crowd, and on the weekends, it was packed to the walls with anyone and everyone. He couldn't have been prouder, and a lot of that success was due to Tom helping him in any way he was able to and being one hundred percent supportive and understanding of the dream Harry had wanted to fulfil. Even when that had meant long nights and staying at the loft above the bar. But now it was time for them. Time to let their success enhance their lives, not hinder it.
Harry sat forward and looked at Tom,
"I want to hire a manager for the bar."
Tom was about to respond, but before he could, Sergio appeared and placed their appetizer on the table between them. They each served themselves a plate, and then Tom said,
"Isn't that what Gavin is? Did he do something wrong?"
Harry laughed as he put his napkin in his lap,
"Like what?"
"I don't know. But why else would you fire him?"
Tom picked up his fork and pointed it at him,
"Did he hit on you?"
It was classic of Tom to imagine the worst case scenarios and immediately grow possessive about him,
"No, he didn't hit on me."
Tom pouted,
"It's not that strange of a question."
Harry rolled his eyes,
"He was the part-time manager, yes. But I'd been thinking about hiring on someone full time. I offered him the position but he's going back to school next semester and handed in his two weeks' notice instead."
"That's just harsh…"
Tom said with a smile as he put his fork down and brought his napkin to his mouth. Harry nodded sullenly,
"Yes, it is."
"Let me get this straight. You want to hire a full-time manager so…?"
Harry smiled,
"So, I can get into bed at a decent hour with you."
The expression that crossed Tom's features was a mix of surprise and pleasure. Harry could see that Tom was happy about what he'd just said, but was also unsure if it was what Harry really wanted… It was…It really was…
"Are you sure?"
Tom asked as he picked his knife and fork back up.
"I am."
When Tom took another bite of his food and glanced at him, Harry smiled,
"The club is doing great. The staff are all reliable and well trained. It runs like a well-oiled machine, minus the fact I'll have to train a new person. But Tom… it's time."
Once Tom's plate was empty, he sat back and contemplated Harry with narrowed eyes,
"And you're not just doing this because of what's been going on recently? Because that was a one-off…"
"Was it?"
Harry asked, genuinely wanting to know if Tom was going to take any more big deals…
Tom shook his head,
"Yes, it was. I was just telling Stan how exhausted I am… I feel like an old man."
Harry smoothed his finger over the back of Tom's hand,
"You're not old…"
Tom winced,
"The truth is that this deal sort of stumbled its way into my lap. It started with Dumbledore and then snowballed…. I just wanted closure for us…This was all that it was…"
"But now your company is stronger than ever and there's bound to be more competition. Are you sure you don't want…"
"Harry?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sure. I don't want that. Yes, it was an incredible feeling taking over Phoenix Pharmaceuticals but I want more stability for us now…"
Just then Tom leaned over and fingered the hem of his vest,
"Is this tweed?"
Harry knew perfectly well that Tom was changing the topic so he simply went along with it,
"It is."
"This is really nice…"
Tom seemed sidetracked as he played with one of the four black buttons running down the center of Harry's body. Harry sighed,
"Tom?"
"Oh, right."
Tom sat back and removed his hand,
"It was a once-in-a-lifetime deal. One I don't wish to repeat anytime soon."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. You aren't the only one who missed this… Missed us."
"Glad to hear it…"
Harry said as their plates were cleared away, and Tom reached for the bottle of wine and refilled each of their glasses,
"So… if you're not going to be working any more crazy deals, I won't work past…eleven."
Tom inquired,
"Someone else will close for you?"
Harry nodded,
"Yes… And every other weekend off."
Tom's eyes widened,
"Are you serious?"
Harry smiled,
"I'm very serious…"
"So, Monday through Friday you'll be home before midnight, and every other weekend off?"
"Yes… That's the plan. Is that all right with you?"
Tom appeared completely gobsmacked, and when he finally recovered, he said,
"In all the time we've been together, I've never had you on the weekends."
Harry chuckled softly,
"Now that's not accurate. I'm pretty sure you've had me on every day of the week at some point."
Tom's lips curved,
"True,"
He took Harry's hand,
"You really mean it, though, don't you?"
"Yep. We'll be just like normal people."
As soon as the word normal left his tongue, Tom frowned, and Harry interlaced their fingers… He knew their relationship was anything but normal…They were not normal people…They were anything but normal,
"I'm sorry…"
Tom brought their intertwined hands to his lips and kissed them,
"You don't have to be…Your life would have been normal if I hadn't messed it up…"
Harry was about to answer when Sergio arrived with their main course, so he waited while their plates were placed in front of them, and then he turned to Tom.
Tom held Harry's gaze for one, two, three seconds, and then reached for his wine and swallowed it down. He was about to speak when Tom spoke,
"You need to eat, Harry."
Harry sighed before returning his attention to his plate. No amount of persuasion could ever rid Tom of the guilt that he seemed to carry around. He'd tried so hard and nothing had worked.
Tom loved him more than anyone ever had or ever would. He'd proven it time and time again in his actions… And that was all that he wanted and needed from him….
A normal life was something he'd craved once upon a time but he didn't want a life without Tom…Normal was just something that wasn't meant for him anyway.
