Friday, 23rd June 2022
"Are we visiting the house again?" Jamie asked, dropping into his seventh burpee.
"What is your obsession with visiting the house?"
"I want to see what's happenin' there."
"Every fucking day?"
"Yep," Jamie popped the p sound as he bouncing up to standing again.
"Does it hurt yet?" Roy asked.
"Yes."
"Liar, keep going."
Jamie rolled his eyes.
"You can't spend forty-five minutes inspecting every fucking change today, I'm going to choose some bathroom shit so they can work out where the pipes are going to go."
"Mint, that sounds like fun."
Roy opened his mouth to explain Jamie wasn't welcome when Jamie grinned widely at him before grimacing as he came out of the burpee.
"Now we start counting," Roy said. "Twenty, count them."
"One."
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"I've never been in a bathroom showroom before," Jamie said, walking in with wide eyes. "Where do we start?"
"I have a list," Roy pulled out a piece of paper.
Jamie grabbed the paper and squinted down at Roy's handwriting. "Worse than a fucking doctor. Let's start with the bathtubs…have you ever tried a clawfoot tub? Especially the nice big ones? Where are they?"
Roy was about to answer when Jamie spotted the sign and bounced off towards the bathtubs. Roy sighed and followed along behind the younger man. By the time Roy was there, Jamie was inside the largest clawfoot tub, only his stupid hair visible.
"That's not the sort of tub I am looking for."
"Why not, get in, this is amazing."
"I'm not getting in."
"Come on, don't be a party pooper, get into the tub, it's big enough for two. It's nicer if you're all snuggled up and naked but try it. Get a nice bath bench/table thing for the middle where you can have a glass of something. I reckon babies could be conceived in a tub like this."
"I'm getting a standard bathtub."
"Boring, which one's the standard bathtub, I'll try that one too."
Roy walked him over to the bathtub he normally purchased and pointed it out to Jamie who clambered inside, his knees up above the line of the tub as he rested his neck on the back.
"Really?" Jamie asked.
"It's a good size for kids."
"Yeah, in the main bathroom. You gotta put a proper bath in the ensuite for the adults…and a sexy bath is even better."
"A sexy bath?"
"You ain't never had a bath with someone, have ya?"
"I tend to get clean alone."
Jamie rolled his eyes. "This is a good one for kids, yeah, but the other bathtub is an investment and will be a selling point when you're finished."
"Your husband is right," a sales assistant said, coming over to stand with them.
"He ain't me husband," Jamie said. "He's me coach."
"Apologies, but he's right, buyers love a clawfoot tub, and the one you were trying is our most popular model."
"I don't think it needs to be that high end, I'm not sure I even need a bathtub in the ensuite."
"Course you do," Jamie said, rolling his eyes. "Adults need their bath too."
"What is with you and a fucking bathtub?"
"I love a bath, so relaxing, ya can read in there, ya can have a friend in there, ya can just escape the world. And when it's really fuckin' cold it's the best way to warm your bones up."
Roy growled down at Jamie.
"You just don't like knowin' I'm right," Jamie told him.
"I might get a bigger tub for the ensuite," Roy grudgingly said.
"Mint, what's next?"
"I have a meeting with Robin," Roy said, turning to the sales assistant.
The sales assistant's face dropped. "I'll go and get her."
"He was hopin' for your commission," Jamie told him.
"I always come to Robin."
"'Course ya do."
"What?"
"You're a man who has a guy for everything."
"If I find someone who is good at a job I keep using them."
"Roy," a younger woman with a bright red bob walked over to them and held her hand out to Roy.
"Hi, Robin."
"Hello, Robin," Jamie said, climbing out of the bathtub and standing next to Roy.
"You're Jamie Tartt," Robin said, then flushed.
"Yeah, I'm here to help Roy pick out bathroom supplies. We like that claw-foot tub."
"Fucking don't," Roy growled looking back at Jamie.
Jamie nodded at Robin. "We do."
"Come through to my office, I have the dimensions you sent me so we can start planning the bathrooms."
"That sounds so cool," Jamie said, elbowing Roy on the way through. "Do you do it on the computer, because old man Kent needs something he can touch."
Robin smiled at him. "I do a model on the computer, yes."
"Did Roy cry the first time you told him he couldn't have a paper model?"
"Fuck off," Roy growled quietly.
Jamie laughed.
Jamie sat close to Roy's side so he could see the screen.
"This is the ensuite," Robin said. "I would suggest a double sink, storage behind the mirror with four press to opendoors, heated towel rack against this wall, bathtub against the window."
She dropped the clawfoot tub in.
Roy growled. Jamie bit his lip to keep from laughing.
"Will there be enough bench space if there is a double sink?" Jamie asked.
"That's why you have behind the mirror storage," Robin said.
"Yeah, but if ya wanna straighten ya hair you need space."
"How much space would they need?" Roy asked.
"Do you want a double shower head in the shower?" Robin asked. "If you do, and we do it against this wall, I think you can have this whole wall as bench and sink which would ensure plenty of space for anything needed on the bench."
"Yeah, double showers are mint. But, you have to make sure to have them on separate lines or one of you gets a cold arse."
Robin was making the changes as they spoke.
"It's not your bathroom," Roy reminded Jamie.
"I'm just helpin'," Jamie turned to Robin. "He doesn't get that the big clawfoot tub is a selling point for people."
Robin looked between them.
"Fuck!" Roy exclaimed.
Jamie laughed. "I knew I was right."
"Fine, put the damned bathtub in," Roy said.
Jamie winked at Robin.
"Make the bench a little wider?" Roy suggested. "And is there a sink you can recommend that would look like a match to the bathtub?"
"Definitely," Robin changed the dimensions of the bench. "Do you want the normal fixtures?"
"Oh, are they black? Roy?" Jamie turned to look at Roy. "Do you have black tiles too? You know what would be awesome, some of those designer tiles that create a nice pattern, then white tiles on the walls, maybe ones with a little texture."
"No, I use a simple white tile on the walls and a plain marbled grey tile on the floor so that it holds up well and whoever moves in can just match it with whatever towels they want."
Jamie rolled his eyes and let out a huff.
"Shall we move onto the main bathroom?" Robin asked.
"Roy wants his normal bathtub in there," Jamie said. "And his normal everything else, I bet."
"They are reasonably priced and good quality," Roy defended.
"That's exciting," Jamie said, with a smile to let Roy he didn't mean it.
"They are very good choices; do you want the normal set-up?" Robin asked. "It's a slightly smaller room than the one we're doing in Hounslow, but the same design will work."
"Hounslow?" Jamie asked.
"My other project."
Jamie looked at Roy for a beat and then waved a hand. "Robin, take me to the fixtures for the ensuite, I want to feel them."
Roy opened his mouth.
"Of course," Robin said, scribbling a note and then pushing out from behind the desk.
Roy stood and followed.
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