Chasing Tide (A Merman's Tale And The Human Who Desired Him)

LUNCH DATE.

Chapter: 65.
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He was going to kill him.

Since the day he had refused the man to leave for his business trips, Matthew's life had become far more complicated than he had been anticipating. When he had mentioned certain details he left with April, he hadn't bothered to ask what it was about and now he regretted not asking.

Well, here he was, two weeks later, draped over his desk with an empty tumbler in his grasp. The stress was real.

During the last weeks, he had learned two things very well; for one, all adults were liars. Work was not fun. It wasn't even remotely enjoyable, especially if you happened to work for an overly demanding prick. And two, it was actually possible to be too exhausted for sleep itself. He hadn't had a proper night's sleep in nearly a week, what with all that had been going on. One; he hasn't been able to see the stone around his neck, Easton had assured him when he had asked if perhaps he had taken it off that he wouldn't do that, since the man had mentioned he couldn't get rid of the pendant and he had tried to but why it had become such a hard task to see it was something Alexander could not grasp his head around and two; Tide still sleeps, the stone in the ring still glows, the fog above the water along with the flashes of lights remained, it had him wondering for how much longer he needed to be asleep, and Easton was barely home in the last weeks, the project has reached its peak and he's always on the go, the last time they had shared a moment was that day by the poolside so with all this, his body was suffering the consequences.

If he had the energy, he would have strangled Matthew where he stood, but he could barely curl his fingers tight enough to hold a pen, so carrying out that vendetta would have to wait. Until then, he would be whispering sweet nothings to the blotter cushioning his head.

By eleven, he had been relinquished. Easton practically had to carry him to his room, under the impression that he was heavily drunk. He didn't have the energy to explain that he was just drained. Yeah, if someone could lock him away in a stasis chamber for the next two hundred years, that would be great. The sleep would be well beyond the degree of welcome.

That night, he slept in his clothes. It was the best sleep he had gotten all week, the sort that was so deep you didn't even have the pleasure of a dream. He had slept into the afternoon the next day, grateful for the fact that it was Sunday and that no work was required of him for that day in particular. When he woke, it was to find that he had half-undressed himself and that he had one new message awaiting his attention.

Bleary-eyed, he swiped over the notification and squinted at the tiny text.

Anonymous:

Damn, he still hadn't saved his contact yet. What kind of a person doesn't save the contact of his Boss and the man he's supposedly meant to be madly in love with?

'What are your plans for lunch today?'

Although he had kept to his word and not gone on the trip, he still avoided him the last few weeks and instead drowned him in work; it had somewhat made him the last person he wanted to hear from on his day off. He wanted to sleep. He wanted some peace. He wanted-

His stomach made some sort of angry, inhuman noise and it was followed by the horrid cramping that only came with serious hunger. Right. He had been subsisting on coffee for the majority of the week, and last night had been no exception. He had worked through lunch and dinner, then he'd had the nerve to sleep his way through breakfast. When he typed his response, he was careful not to sound too particularly concerned.

'Undecided.'

Ha. If a one-word message wasn't enough to imply he wasn't exactly up for chats, he didn't know what else would be.

Anonymous:

Damn, he really needs to save that number.

'CedarOaks an hour from now. Meet me.'

Groaning, he checked the time and inwardly scowled. Matthew was going to ruin his day off. Usually, he wasn't supposed to work Saturdays but having so much work left on his desk and knowing he didn't want to have them carried onto Monday he had worked Saturday and today he needed his break. This man was going to ruin it.

Perfect.

Instead of dwelling on that fact, he dragged himself out of bed, stripped out of his work clothes, and tossed them into a nearby hamper. A quick shower later and he was feeling a little more human. Face washed, teeth brushed, hair combed, there, now he even looked civilized, not that Matthew deserved it. Guess he still had an image to maintain, though.

Alexander kept it simple with a pair of close-fitting black jeans, a black tee, and a cardigan. Onto his feet went a pair of combat boots, and he had combed his hair into his favorite faux hawk, and took his leave, slapping a note on the fridge for Easton just in case he wondered where he had gone. Taking the forty-five minutes flight to the Marylands and back every three days must have had him beat to the bones since he was still in bed.

Alexander made a stop at the pool to send kisses to his lover before leaving the house.

Out in the city, it was chilly. He instantly regretted not having pulled on something a little warmer, but it was too late. He lived close enough to The CidarOaks that he could walk, so he wandered down the pavement with his shoulders hunched and hands buried deep into his pockets. At the very least, it wasn't raining today or raining yet. One glance up at the darkening sky told him all he needed to know.

The CidarOaks was a classy little two-tier establishment with a full lounge and bar on the second floor. Much to his surprise, Matthew wasn't there, because he'd been instead posted out front and looking ever so nonchalant beneath the day's gloom. Had he actually waited for him? Oh, this was going to be good.

Alexander decided right then and there that he wasn't going to get off easy and marched his ass right up to him. He had to put on the best-displeased expression he could muster and make him feel guilty for dragging him out on a day that was supposed to be solely his and his alone.

"What is it now?" He knew it sounded rude, but he wasn't in a polite sort of mood. "Going on another business trip? For your information, my answer is still the same as the last time."

"Well, no, I was going to offer to buy you lunch, but if you're busy, I can find other ways to spend my time." He said, oh so matter-of-factly.

Shit. Okay, stupid decision, but he was still dead wrong for disturbing him. "Oh. Well... I guess since we're already here, it's fine."

Matthew opened the door before him and he strode in with a quiet thanks, unsure what to make of his gesture. They found a table, parked themselves at it, and a waitress soon came by to set them up with menus. Matthew didn't even bother to look.

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