Chapter Two
Looking back in retrospection, Emil shook his head at the memories of that milestone. Nearly two and a half weeks had passed since he moved in with Lukas. Many things have changed- for better and for worse.
Everyday has been a challenge for me since I moved in with Lukas, Emil scribbled down in a pretty cursive font, I just… have to force away these forbidden feelings.
He paused, a dreamy expression plastered on his face, hand cupping his cheek. The way Lukas sways his slender hips when he goes back in his bedroom. I wonder what it's like in there...
He stopped writing when he heard a few knocks on his bedroom door.
"I'm going out to grab groceries. Need anything?" That smooth, addictive voice was muffled against the thick frame of the bedroom door. Emil set his pen down and shoved his journal into the desk's drawer. He walked over to open the door and appreciated the sight of Lukas standing there.
"Um," He tapped his chin, "oatmeal, licorice, maybe a pack of cola…" He trailed off, cursing the light blush that seeped into his cheeks. "Look, you don't have to go grocery shopping for me. I can get it myself." Lukas shook his head.
"I might as well, since I'm going there. Don't be silly, Emil."
"Ok. Fine," he bitterly surrendered with a shrug, "but don't forget the licorice."
"I'll make sure to forget that one."
Emil's mouth opened to argue, but calmed down when Lukas let out a small chuckle and turned to leave.
Once he heard the front door close, he hurried back to his desk to continue writing.
His delicious lips that just begged to be captured in a passionate kiss while he talked about something profound. Oh, his sarcasm. Sometimes I don't know if he is serious or not. I really like him. But… I don't think that he thinks of me like that. He probably sees me as a bro.
There was one thing that simmered in the back of Emil's mind. Something that he could not push away. The more he ignored it, the closer it got like an angry bee buzzing incessantly in his ear. He just wanted to swat it away. He resisted the temptation, because it would sting him. But it kept returning. Every day, or so it seemed.
Oh, did I forget to mention Lukas's best friend? I'll get back to that later.
Untamed blonde hair sprouted from his head; either from defying gravity or a ridiculous amount of hair gel. That genuine grin plastered on his face. His round, azure orbs gave the most beautiful ocean a run for its money. His charisma and warm personality could make one fall in love almost instantly.
His laugh- oh his laugh- it was hearty and pure. It was a sound that could cure chronic depression. He was memorable; never had an issue with making friends, and always knew how to raise your spirits and your cock.
"Emil!" He called out as the front door slammed behind him. "How's yer new job?" Mathias plopped down next to him, hooking an arm around his neck. "Heard from Lukas that yer a bartender now? Well, hook me up!"
Emil sighed out with a roll of his eyes at Mathias's outlandish request. Free drinks? Right, good luck with that one.
Lukas was busy in the flavorful, petite kitchen. The mouth watering aroma tangoed across the living room and around the two males on the couch.
"Lukas, I don't know what smells better? The food or you!"
Lukas rolled his eyes with a shake of his head and flicked the spatula around to sauté the mushrooms and onions in a homemade marinade.
"Shut it, idiot." Mathias pouted at the rejection, but shrugged it off as if he didn't hear him.
I don't like this guy. He's always coming over here… I "...don't understand it. What's he to Lukas?"
Mathias made a 'huh?' sound. His natural curiosity piqued at Emil's mumbled question that he miraculously deciphered at the last moment.
Oh, shit. I said that out loud, didn't I? "N-Nothing!" Emil slapped his hand over his mouth in horror, wishing that he could rewind and reset what happened. Alas, it was too late.
Mathias smirked and nudged him on his arm. "It's okay. I would want to know, too." Emil rolled his eyes; his cheeks flushed red.
"If I were in your position, that is." Mathias reasoned, pulling the smaller man closer to him so he could whisper in his ear. Emil stiffened up visibly, not appreciating the touchiness from the Dane.
"Lukas and I used to live together. The room you stay in-" He paused to read Emil's stunned reaction, "that's where I used to sleep. Sometimes."
Emil drank in this information, trying to register it as his eyes darted left to right straight ahead in the distance and his lips tightened into a line.
They lived together? Did something happen between them? Why did he leave? Why am I now just finding out about this?
"Oh." Emil poker faced. Beneath the surface, he was trapped in a marathon of questions. Biting the inside of his cheek, he looked from his hands in his lap to over where Lukas was shuffling around in the kitchen, dishes clanging and the aroma intensifying.
Lukas would have mentioned it… He was barely listening to Mathias at this point as his thoughts rambled on, but he didn't.
Lukas cleared his throat from the entryway with crossed arms and an arched brow.
"Mathias." That's all he had to say to yank Mathias away from Emil's ear.
"The food's ready," he announced. His eyes swept over Emil and then to Mathias before turning back into the kitchen, "Emil, come help me."
There was a rectangular, wooden dining table to the right of the living room two meters away from the kitchen. Mathias leaped off of the couch like a frog, causing Emil to fall back from the abrupt movement.
"I'll help ya, Lukas!" His enthusiasm grated Emil's nerves. Standing up, he trailed behind Mathias. Observing the hand that traveled ever so slowly across the small of Lukas's back, he sensed a foreign sensation well up inside of him.
Helping him by touching him? Tsk. Just leave him alone already! His jaw clenched, chest tightened, and an urge to separate them slithered through his mind. He shook his head at his impulses, silently fuming. Instead of giving into the temptation, he decided to grab the dishes and glasses to set the table. The other two decorated the table with the dinner.
"I haven't eaten this good in a while!" Mathias laughed over a fork of baked salmon. Lukas plucked a piece of bread, looking at Emil carefully across from him.
Emil stabbed at the salmon on his plate, lavender orbs cast downwards, looking dejected. Mathias carried on a casual conversation with Lukas, who hummed periodically as his eyes returned to his plate.
You were here yesterday, and the day before. Just leave already. "Annoying…" Emil muttered under his breath before his cell phone started buzzing. He placed his fork down with an echoing clang to acknowledge the caller's name flashing on the screen. Both Mathias and Lukas stopped chatting idly and stared at Emil's avoidant gaze.
Oh no, not them. "I…I need to be excused." Why are they bothering me now?
"Emil, what's yer problem?" Mathias stood up from his seat next to Lukas. Emil stood and shook his head with the noisy phone in his hand. He didn't have to explain. Why? It was certainly none of Mathias's business.
This is a mess. He pushed in his chair and slid his finger to decline the second call. It was no use. They would persist. Something else was bothering Emil; not just the dreadful caller.
Something's not making sense. They seem close and I want to ask Lukas, but then that would make me-
"Emil," Lukas interrupted Emil's anxious thoughts before he could slip out of the dining area. He froze in place, phone shaking in his clenched hand. Lukas placed his utensils down on his plate, "...Everything's okay?"
"Please," he waved both of them off frantically, "I'm okay, really."
But he wasn't okay.
Later in the evening, Emil tugged on a white button up, carefully slipping the buttons into the loops and leaving an eyeful of his upper chest exposed. The light highlighted his prominent collarbones. After his legs were covered in a pair of fitted black slacks, he finished off his appearance with a black vest. Before he left his bedroom, he shoved his feet into black, non-slip shoes.
Meanwhile, Lukas was lounging on his couch, glancing from his cellphone and then back to the blank, flat screened television. The kitchen- Lukas's oasis- was sanitized and the dishes were rumbling in the dishwasher. Everything was peaceful; lights a low glimmer blanketing the living room. Sandalwood poured gracefully in the air, settling his bones and easing his mind.
He switched on the television and searched for something mundane to create background noise. As soon as the weather channel flickered on, he set down the remote and picked up his cellphone to play a newly installed game app. Several minutes passed before he glanced up to see his handsome roommate.
"Hey, Lukas…" Emil began, rubbing the back of his neck once he noticed Lukas's intense stare. "I'm leaving now."
Damn… He looks good. Fuck, my body feels... No, no, calm down, Lukas. He cleared his throat, looking down at his cellphone to refocus his emotions.
"Take care, then." He grabbed the chestnut throw blanket to conceal his evolving excitement against his soft, navy blue jersey shorts.
"Beer before liquor-" His stoic voice was cut off, making the phone in his hand lower to his blanketed lap.
"Throw up quicker. I know, I know." Emil smiled with a breathy chuckle and left his roommate to bask in solitude.
"Good," Lukas whispered to himself after the door shut.
The rushing wind combined with an evening drizzle fluffed up Emil's hair before he boarded the local train. Casually checking his cell phone, he noticed that he had five minutes to spare. It was not his ideal job. He would have preferred a work-from-home job like the one Lukas held for the past two years. The money wasn't bad, though. It helped pay his rent, food, and other essential monetary headaches.
As the train arrived at his destination, he couldn't help his thoughts from returning back to his roommate. He found Lukas endearing. Sexy. Irresistible. Breaking through Lukas's steel barriers was difficult, but he managed little by little. There was some tension lingering, but Emil concluded that it was probably his fault or all in his imagination.
Once he arrived at the hole-in-the-wall club called Bahama Mama's, he pulled the wooden door open with ease. There were a few old men drinking casually around the bar. Some of them glanced over their broad shoulders, undressing him with their glazed eyes.
"Emil! Come here." Lars beckoned him over to his office to discuss his second night on the floor. His training was finished and tonight was the real deal.
"Vlad is going to work alongside you tonight. If you need any help, don't be afraid to ask for his help. Time is money, so apply everything you've learned." Lars explained matter-of-factually, waiting for his response, which was a curt nod with a faint blush covering his cheeks at the closeness of their bodies in the tiny office. Well, it was more like a dingy, musty smelling closet with a large monitor that displayed where the cameras were spying. Layers of paperwork were pinned here and there against poorly aligned cork boards. It made him feel uneasy.
Back at the apartment, Lukas was prancing around his living room to chill Norwegian music. He adored the absence of noisy humans. The solitude. Staggering steps littered the floor, raspberry wine spinning inside of the glass, flushed cheeks, and a total loss of inhibition. The perfect concoction for a great night and bad decisions.
After the song ended, he gulped the remainder of wine and placed it in the sink to wash later. He bounded over toward the L-shaped sofa, grabbing his cell phone from the lounge table, and noticed a text from Mathias.
Hey, Lukie. Dinner was amazin' ty ;)
Deciding to ignore Mathias, he retired for the evening. He knew if he replied, Mathias would- without a doubt in his mind- chat with him all night long. That was not something that he planned to do; sober or intoxicated.
As he stepped through the threshold of his bedroom, he smiled to himself. He liked having Emil as his roommate, but the solitude was his definition of paradise. He could let his carefree side out in the privacy of his own home.
Through hazy vision, he stripped down to his red boxer briefs and sprawled out on his king sized bed and inhaled deeply through his nostrils before relaxing his bones with a rewarding exhale through his parted lips. His lids slid shut after he made sure that his phone's volume was lowered.
Emil navigated through the abundant amount of alcohol, bumping into Vlad a couple of times throughout the night.
"If you keep bumping into me," Vlad shouted over the deafening, club music while stabbing two red stirring straws into a dirty Shirley temple and a cranberry vodka, "I might get the wrong idea." He winked at his left eye at his elated customers, placing the mixed drinks down onto blue coasters in front of them. The girls squealed at their chemistry; tipping both of them equally.
Emil was not enthusiastic about Vlad's blunt flirting; it made him rigid and suspicious. He seemed like he wanted to get into his pants on their first night working together. He was approachable- yes, but the sexual innuendos creeped him out.
"Vlad!" One of his regulars called out, "who is the new guy?" Vlad smirked, glancing over his shoulder with a beer bottle. "Emil," he stated as the cap snagged off the bottle with a little hiss. He placed it nearby on a brown coaster, smirking deviously.
"Look, man... I'm trying to get lucky tonight." Vlad chuckled with a roll of his eyes at his regular.
"Too bad," Vlad said briefly while swiping a credit card to open up a tab for him, "I already have dibs on him." The raven haired man roared with laughter as he took a hearty swig of brown liquid and licked his lips.
Vlad continued working and purposely held Emil by his hips when he needed to go around him. Emil flinched, dropping a glass of gin and tonic onto the black matted floorboard.
"Stop touching me," Emil demanded over the music as he cleaned up his accident, irritation clear in his voice. "I just want to do my job."
Vlad held up his hands innocently before he strode over to a trio of girls, grinning widely.
The music came to a halt, temporarily confusing the dancing drunkards in the center of the club near the booming stereos.
Tino, the infamously good-looking DJ, called over the microphone when the clock hit 1:30 AM. "Last call for alcohol, last call for alcohol! So, finish up your whiskeys or beers. And don't forget to tip your bartenders!"
The pulsing music resumed and a swarm of staggers filed over to the bar to grab one last drink. Emil tipped a beer glass while the foamy stream of beer flowed out and he set it down in front of a misery stricken man. He was on his third beer. Emil decided to cut him off after the third one and poured a glass of water for the swaying man.
As soon as the last gaggle of girls left the nightclub, Berwald- the towering, intimidating bouncer of the club- closed the doors and locked all of the employees inside to clean up. He helped Tino with his equipment and they left together.
Lars was in his office, assessing the business's profits and glanced at the large monitor that spied on his employee's actions. He rolled his eyes when he saw Emil bolt three feet in the air from Vlad spanking him with a twisted up, wet towel.
"Idiots." Lars snorted, eyes focusing on his laptop once again as his fingertips typed away.
By the time Vlad and Emil wiped down the bar top and sliced the last lime, Lars handed them their tips from the credit cards and waved them off after his inspection of their cleaning.
Goosebumps raised as the midnight chill splashed their exposed forearms and the distant cheers of party goers drifted through the atmosphere. Vlad slid his arm around the shorter man's slender waist with a friendly, closed smile. "Emil, do you have a ride?"
Extremely uncomfortable with the contact, his feet hastened their pace to disconnect his sneaky hand from his waist. "Don't concern yourself with me, Vlad." Vlad arched a brow at his indifference, deciding to shrug and divide their paths when Emil stepped to the right.
"See ya next shift then," Vlad said and waved at the Icelander, pressing on his key fob to unlock his sport car's door with a noisy double beep. He got in his car and proceeded to leave, watching in his rear view mirror as Emil crossed the crosswalk in the direction of the train.
Exhaustion could not even explain what Emil felt- he was two steps beyond that line. All he could remember was boarding the train, eyelids shutting and cracking open every time the intercom sounded off, and shivering as he walked into the apartment complex.
He pushed the key in and jiggled it twice before the lock gave way and pressed the door open, the echo of metal hinges alerting Lukas. Emil toed off his shoes and flexed his sore feet, hearing a satisfying crack from his left foot. Flicking on the light switch, he yawned and stretched his arms over his head, squinting his eyes from the blinding glow of fluorescent lights above his head.
Lukas lifted his head from his pillow; the click of the bathroom door roused him from his slumber. Tossing under the navy blue throw blanket, he tried to resume his rest. He clutched onto the material as the waterfall of water roared against the wall.
"Y'gotta be fucking kiddin' me," groaned Lukas when his blurred vision registered the blinking, neon numbers. Yanking the blanket over his head, he released a whine. As soon as the shower ceased, Lukas drifted back to sleep. Fortunately, it was the weekend.
Two weeks later, the trees' leaves browned; shedding and raining to the Earth and leaving behind the secrets of late summertime. Exhilaration surged through Lukas's bones as the windows were pushed up and the screened patio was pushed aside.
Reminiscing dragged the corners of his mouth down. It wasn't the refreshing breeze that combed through his locks; it was the plaguing thoughts of his past. His past never left- it was always shoved in his face. The desire to push it away was as strong as steel.
Twisting away from the screened door, he decided to wake Emil. It was almost noon. Lazy boy.
Raising his balled up fist to eye level, he started drumming it until he heard a few curses in a foreign language. He stepped backwards when the door swung inwards. Emil hardened his sleep-ridden eyes before rubbing them to sharpen his focus.
"Can I help you?" His words were grounded out- he was clearly not a morning person. Lukas towered over him by three inches, eyes lowering curiously at his raging morning wood.
"Looks like yer awake," he noted casually with a smirk, "in more places than one."
It took Emil a moment to register where Lukas's attention was directed. Flustered beyond belief, his hands slapped over his erection. He wanted to sink into the ground, away from Lukas's prying eyes.
"Don't be so weird!" He shrieked, swiftly turning away. Lukas grabbed his forearm to prevent him from hiding what was natural.
"Don't be such a prude."
"I don't have to be doing what you tell me!" Lukas enjoyed Emil's little outburst; an indecent glimmer in his eyes at his defiance. He released Emil's arm and crossed his arms against his chest.
Pivoting on his heels, Emil slammed the door in his smug face. A tingling sensation traveled through his system.
He was looking at me differently. What's he thinking? With a shake of his head, he collected a clean set of clothes. It's all in my imagination. He's probably just teasing me. But why? I don't deserve his attention.
Sighing out through tight lips, he cracked the door open to check if the coast was clear. Lukas was out of sight. Wasting no time, Emil scampered over to the bathroom and twisted the doorknob. The resistance of it and the echo of a stream irked Emil. Lukas knew damn well that he needed to use the bathroom.
Inside of the bathroom, Lukas smiled to himself as he fixed himself and washed his hands. Payback...
Before Emil could open his mouth, a soft click reached his ears. Lukas emerged from the bathroom, a mischievous glint fleeting in his eyes that Emil witnessed. It was gone before he could blink.