“Doesn’t seem like the best idea to insulate your house so well you can’t hear the front door,” Luis said as he followed Karim in.
“Compromises had to be made,” Karim said. “When we were fixing it up, Julien was going through a huge opera phase. For my own sanity I needed to be able to go to the bedroom and not hear Madama Butterfly.”
Luis laughed. “I see.”
“We can still hear each other from a couple rooms away,” Karim explained as he led Luis to the dining room, “but from top to bottom or from one side to the other, blissful silence.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Luis said.
“Yeah so, you have a key, use it.”
In the dining room Julien was adjusting the table centerpiece, which today was a bouquet of white roses.
“Good evening,” Julien said as he finished fiddling with the flowers. “Ready for dinner?”
“Always,” Luis said, taking his normal seat, eyes sticking on the flowers. Karim headed through the doorway that led to the kitchen. “White roses,” Luis commented.
The table often had a flower centerpiece, but this was the first time it was white roses. Luis couldn’t help but think back to the story Julien had told him about how they’d gotten together.
“Yes,” Julien said with a secretive smile. “Karim thought it a good night for them.” His eyes met Luis’s.
Don’t read into that.
“Oh.” The question was on his tongue, but he kept it in.
“Do you like roses, Luis?” Julien asked.
“Uh, I guess?” Luis didn’t have any strong opinions on one flower over another. They were all nice, but he’d never needed to pick a favorite, nobody gave guys flowers.
Except Karim.
“I’m partial for obvious reasons,” Julien said, and the slow blink of his lashes made Luis want to squirm. “But my garden has a lot of different kinds of flowers. I should show you sometime. Maybe we could find you a favorite.”
The offer made the back of his neck hot. Luis didn’t need a favorite flower, but the way Julien was looking at him implied that he did. Impliedsomething.
Don’t read into it.
“Oh, okay. Sure.”
Then Karim was reentering with long plates of sushi rolls, and Luis forced a breath in to try and calm down.
There was no reason for him to feel… worked up.
##
“Done?” Karim asked as he started collecting plates.
Julien gave him a look.
“What?” Karim said. “You both ate, I’m hungry.”
“Have you even asked Luis if he’s comfortable being bitten by you tonight?” Julien said. “Maybe he’d rather I do it.”
Karim made a disgruntled sound. “But it’s my turn,” it came out almost like a whine.
Luis laughed as Julien raised a judging brow. “Who decided that?”
Karim froze, gaze shooting guiltily to Luis. But Luis’s stomach was stuffed full of sushi and he was feeling fond.
