“Is it working?”
“Today you get a pass,” she laughed, “but you better make it double servings.”
6
Alex
“I’ve never been a tea guy, but this…this is amazing.”
“Of course it is,” Arlo grinned, arm draped over his chair as he leaned back. “Everyone loves TeaMuse, Alex. It’s an indisputable fact of life.”
“Being in a relationship has done wonders for your confidence, it seems,” Jeremy said, carefully blowing the steam rising from his cup of tea. Even though he was my cousin and my closest friend, it felt as if I hadn’t seen him in years. With the amount of responsibilities I was juggling, each day that went by felt like a week. And that was why I didn’t have it in me to refuse his invitation for breakfast, especially because none of us had visited Arlo’s tea shop before.
Bringing the teacup to my lips, I smiled. The scent was sweet and subtle, but the taste was something else entirely. Before meeting Arlo, I had no idea that tea could be an art form by itself. He deserved all of his success, no two ways about it.
“I’ll let you know I’ve always been a confident guy,” Arlo told Jeremy, his cocky smile mellowing into a kind one. Folding his hands on his lap, he looked out the large windows of his tea shop, looking lost in thought. “But I’m definitely happier, though. Maybe you should give it a try one of these days, Alex. You must be tired of being single.” He returned his attention to me then, slowly taking a sip out of his own tea.
“That’s what I’ve tried to tell him,” Jeremy agreed.
“One of these days, yeah,” I echoed, shifting in my seat. What was it with people thinking I should get in a relationship? I had enough on my plate as it was, and the last thing I needed was to worry about making some guy happy. The way I saw it, I didn’t need that in my life.
“Whoa, don’t get so excited,” Arlo mocked me, his right eyebrow cocked as he looked at me. “Are you out of the dating game or something? You’re Monsieur’s right hand, for God’s sake. The Patrons must be asking you out every single day there’s an event.”
“I’m not a Consort, remember?” I asked, trying to think of a way to redirect the conversation. I had a long day of work ahead of me, and the last thing I needed was to think about my love life. Especially now that Neil had decided to make a move.
I didn’t like to think about him. Every time I heard his name, it seemed he lodged himself deeper and deeper inside my mind. As much of a cliché it was to say it, Neil was living inside my head rent-free. I thought I was strong enough not to let that happen, but a bottle of my favorite scotch had been enough to erode my resolve.
Instead of taking my ‘no’ to heart, Neil had sent me a bottle of single malt scotch and a handwritten note. “Sometimes a drink seems like a bad idea,” the note read, “but good company might easily turn it into a good one. But in order to find out, you have to risk it.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Arlo sighed. “You’re not a Consort, you’re busy with work, and you can’t be bothered. I’ve heard all that before. I know what it’s like to be consumed by work, Alex, and let me tell you…it isn’t pretty.”
“What?” I laughed. “Are you telling me you’ve found the secret to work-life balance? Do share.”
“I didn’t find any secret,” he merely shrugged, finishing his tea and setting the cup down on the table. “But being with Walter…man, it feels good. There’s more to life than worrying about business, work, or whatever. Took me a while to see that, but now…” He trailed off, his smile like a permanent fixture on his face.
Before I could stop myself, I felt my face contorting into a frown. I got rid of it before Arlo noticed it, but the damage was already done: somehow, I was envying whatever it was that Arlo had gotten. Wouldn’t it feel good to have some of that for myself? If two people like Walter and Arlo could somehow make it work, why couldn’t the same happen with me and Neil? It didn’t help that even Jeremy had managed to find someone to love. Maybe there was something wrong with me. Maybe I was, somehow, broken.
No, I couldn’t go there.
I wouldn’t go there.
“Well,” I finally started, pushing my chair back as I got up to my feet. “Breakfast was great. I gotta come here more often.”
“Makes for two of us,” Jeremy added.
“Well, show up anytime,” Arlo smiled as he stood up. He patted my back in a friendly gesture, then walked me and Jeremy toward the door. The tea shop was still closed, as he wouldn’t open for another half an hour or so, but he had made an exception for us. “Next time make sure you’re paying customers, though,” he continued, winking as he opened the door for us.
“I’ll even leave a tip,” I said, fastening my jacket as I stepped outside. The sun was already climbing up the clear blue sky, but the morning chill seemed persistent. Tucking both hands into my pockets to shield my hands from the cold, I gave Arlo one final nod and start making my way toward the club. I wasn’t supposed to be in for another hour or two, but with the gala drawing close I wanted to make sure I was on top of things. Besides, with what Monsieur had told me concerning the club’s future, I didn’t want him to think I was resting on my laurels. If anything, I wanted to work even harder than before.
It didn’t help that a lot of staff members had started calling in sick. Just like Neil had prophesied, the flu had started wreaking havoc among the club employees. Which was a complete nightmare: the annual gala was hard to organize on a normal year, but doing it while being this low on staff...it was a nerve-racking experience. And since I was hell-bent on making it happen anyway, I was slowly becoming the poster boy for being overworked.
To make matters worse, I was under the impression Monsieur didn’t have his A-game on. That was slightly disconcerting. The man was like a machine, always laser-focused, but it seemed like his head was somewhere else these past few days. Was he growing tired of running the club?
“Long day ahead of you?” Jeremy asked me.
“You bet,” I laughed, embracing him quickly as we promised to set something up soon.
Half an hour later and I was already inside the club’s elevator, my back against the wall as I waited for the doors to close. Slowly, they started sliding into place as I heard frantic footsteps echoing in the building’s lobby. A second later and a hand shot up between the small gap between the elevator doors, preventing them from touching.
“That was close,” I heard a familiar voice say, and my blood turned cold as the doors slid back to reveal Neil Macdonough in the flesh. I blinked, saying absolutely nothing as I took in every detail of his. From the way he had his long hair tied up, to the way his full lips so easily melted into a smile…God, why did this man have such an effect on me? And, more than that, what the hell was he doing here this early in the morning?
“Neil,” I finally said, my heart picking up the pace as he stood by my side. “Came to see Monsieur?”
“Maybe,” he replied, and I noticed a beige envelope on his hand. Then, he turned to me and offered me a teasing smile. “Or maybe I came to see if you changed your mind.”