The Hots (mxm)

21. T-bone Steaks (Alec)

   "Alec! Wake up! The steaks are burning!"

   Suddenly, I am taken out of my daze by Danny's yell, just on time to see two extremely expensive t-bones burst into flames on the grill.

   "Oh my God!" I gasp, grabbing a bottle of water, ready to splash it over tonight's blue-plate special, which needless to say is completely ruined.

   "Noooo!" Daniel shrilly screams and snatches it out of my hand a second before I manage to do what I know very well to be the worst thing ever when an electrical appliance is involved.

   He covers the blazing meat with a stainless steel dome lid, extinguishing the fire and looks at me in stunned disbelief.

   "What's the matter with you? Have you hit your head recently? If you did, it must have been pretty hard. Putting sugar instead of salt in a Caesar salad is one thing, but turning two hundred euros into ashes..." He palms his face and sighs deeply. "It's getting too expensive to work here. I can't afford it."

   "I'm sorry, Danny!" I start apologizing, mortified by my own stupidity. "I'll pay for everything. We don't need to share."

   "Oh, shut up!" he grunts. "This is not the point. Of course, we'll share. And why the hell are you running to the bar every time you want some water? The fridge is full of bottles, just at your fingertips."

   "I'm dating Sam," I mutter under my breath.

   "What?" My friend leans closer. "Could you, please, repeat that?"

   "Sam is my boyfriend," I say louder, still careful not to attract too much attention.

   "The big guy," Danny bellows. "With the tattoos... the one with the glares? Ohhh, now I understand! So, it was a date, after all."

   "Shh! Would you keep your voice down," I hiss. "I'm not ready to share my love life with the entire staff. Yes, I'm dating the big guy. Why not? What about it?"

   "Whoa, easy tiger! Why are you so defensive?" He raises his hands. "Love life, huh? I'm happy for you, silly. It was about time to find someone. It's just... you know...Sam? Really? He's... scary."

   "No, he's not," I snort. "It's you. You feel intimidated by him because you don't know him the way I do. Speaking of which, it's time you two start getting along better."

   "Wait a second!" Daniel steps back. I really startled him this time. "I'd rather stay out of this. Is it that serious?"

   "Stop being overdramatic," I scold him. "We can just have dinner together to break the ice. You're my best friend. You two should start getting along. Ella is invited too, of course. We can go out or I can cook something nice in my apartment."

   "Something like high-priced, burned steaks?" Danny finally smiles, although the traces of horror are still visible on his face. "Fine! I'll do it only because I like you. Do I have to give him 'the talk'? 'I'll beat the shit out of you, if you hurt my friend' and so on?"

   I rise a brow and watch him make a clown of himself. He gets the message pretty quickly and pats me on the back, "What about this weekend?"

   "Oh, sorry!" I answer apologetically. I'm really surprised how easily Danny agreed to this dinner. I suspect it's because he fears I'll complain to Ella, if he refuses. She can be much more intimidating than Sam. I've seen it. Unfortunately, I'm about to cool his 'enthusiasm'. "We'll have to do it next weekend. We're leaving for the countryside tomorrow?"

   "No way! Sam invited you on a trip? Already?" Daniel bursts into laughter, shaking his head. "Sorry, but you're like a married couple... the countryside... I just can't... Will there be a hotel with spa therapy and massages?"

   His cackle dies like a flame in the wind, the moment Sam peeks at the door. Suddenly, it becomes very urgent to flip the new stakes on the grill.

   My poor best friend is still uneasy around my... Aaaah!... hooot boyfriend. The thought immediately makes me grin from ear to ear. Is it wrong to show off? I feel a burning desire to scream to the top of my lungs, 'Do you see the big, tattooed, hot stuff over there? A perfect ten, right? He's my boyfriend. Yes! Mine!'

   It becomes pointless to shout all those things when the said stunner grabs me by the waist and plasters a long, juicy kiss on my mouth. I hear unnaturally loud rattling of kitchen utensils behind my back and a few gasps. That is it as far as discretion goes.

   "Sam," I whisper in his ear, "I thought we decided to keep out of sight at work. You said you didn't like people to judge you."

   "I changed my mind," he shrugs his shoulders. "With the amount of water you drunk today, just to see me, I was starting to worry you'll turn into a frog. Not that I wouldn't kiss you to bring you back, my prince."

   "Stop it! I'm sure I'm as red as the lobster in the pot over there," I hiss. "And don't even think about putting your hands further south than my waist."

   Sam immediately stops the invasion with a guilty look on his face.

   "You're cute," he mumbles.

   "You're hot," I answer.

   "You're in public," we hear the voice of our boss.

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Photo by Kesu01 from istockphoto.com

A/N

Hello, at the end of chapter 21!

Thank you so much for reading and supporting! ❤❤❤

Alec and Sam are now official.

What do you think of Alec's best friend reaction? 😂

Would you like some adventures in an idyllic countryside? 😜

Share your thoughts, ask questions, and criticize if you think it's necessary.

And don't forget to vote if you liked the story.

Love: Anny