“He really loves you,” Luis said, and he hoped it didn’t sound too wistful.
“He does, as I do him.” Julien paused, then looked at Luis closely. “Well, I just came to tell you that Karim’s starting on dinner, so it should be ready in about an hour. I need to do some very riveting chore tasks, and was wondering if you’d like to join as company. I promise not to put you to work.”
Luis was already rising to his feet. “Oh yeah, I’ll come. And you could, uh, put me to work. I like being helpful.”
Julien gave him another assessing look. “Do you? Well come along then.”
They started upstairs going room to room. Some rooms needed curtains opened or windows cracked for fresh air. In thelibrary, Julien directed Luis to a dust cloth and the right set of shelves while he tidied up the books and papers.
“I’m always surprised how messy things get despite it being just the two of us,” Julien said.
“I get that,” Luis said, working the cloth carefully around the shelving, making sure not to disturb the books. “There’s a lot to maintaining your own place though. Especially something as big as this.”
Julien hummed in agreement. “We tried a cleaning service a few times, but it never stuck. Karim hated having people in the house, and I never quite felt like they did a good enough job.”
Luis looked over his own work with sudden uncertainty. “Uh well, you’ll probably have issue with mine then too.”
But as he finished, he felt Julien’s presence behind him. Right behind him. A hand reached around Luis to slide over one of the dust-free shelves.
“No, I don’t think so,” Julien said, tone rich in Luis’s ear. “You take well to instructions.”
Luis swallowed around a lump. “Oh,” he said, because his brain had stalled.
“You’re doing a good job,” Julien said. Then he was stepping away, taking all that heat and presence with him.
Luis quietly sucked in a fresh breath, berating himself. All Julien had done was stand by him, and he was acting like a swooning maiden.Get it together.
“When you’re finished with the cloth, please drop it in the laundry basket in the hall,” Julien instructed.
“Okay,” Luis said, and got back to work.
They fell into a flow after that. Room after room Julien gave instructions, and Luis did his best to follow them. He must’ve done okay, because Julien’s pleased smile followed whenever they moved on to the next one.
Downstairs, there was laundry and sweeping, plant watering and mail collection. There was Julien’s guiding hand on the small of his back, his low, approving tone as he praised Luis for doing exactly as he was told.
Warm pleasure filled him up. It was nice, being able to help, being able to do something right. Luis hadn’t realized how badly he needed it.
When the smell of food began to waft through the house, Julien wrapped up their cleaning, guiding Luis first to the bathroom to wash his hands, and then to the dining room table.
Karim served biryani, Julien praised how helpful Luis had been with chores, and Luis tried not to melt down through his seat under Karim’s watchful, hungry gaze and Julien’s sweet, approving one.
After dinner, Julien suggested they go out to the garden.
“Luis browsed it earlier, but I believe a proper introduction is needed,” Julien said with a smile.
“Alright, just a sec,” Karim said as he picked up the dishes to take back to the kitchen.
They waited on him, Julien prodding Luis to finish his water while his gaze never left Luis’s face. Luis did his best not to squirm under the attention.
“Let me show you my prized possession,” Julien said when the three of them stepped outside. He gestured to a corner of the pergola that Luis had missed on his earlier venture.
Tucked there was a long-leafed hanging plant, all green with no flowers.
“It’s called the Queen of the Night,” Julien said. “And it blooms only one night a year.”
“Oh wow, really?” Luis stepped closer to look.
“We’ve missed the bloom the last two years,” Julien said with disappointment. “But I hope this year I’ll have better luck.”
