That Stupid Little Waiter

Chapter 13 - Same Heart, Same Mind

"Vince... I think I've said this a lot of times, but to me, I can never say enough how much I love you."

Rody began to speak as he held both of Vincent's hands in his own, his eyes gazing deeply into Vincent's widened ones. In the time they had been together, exchanging affectionate words was nothing out of the ordinary, and in fact, it was something they would do every day, at any moment they were able to. Be it in the comfort of their own apartment as they lounged on the sofa together while sharing warm cuddles, throwing flirty lines at each other at work where they both were aware everyone else could see them but could care less, or even on the streets where their fingers would intertwined as Rody snuck a kiss on Vincent's cheek, it was as though the more time passed on, the less they gave a damn about what the world might think of time, and the more their love kept on growing for each other. Disagree with each other they might, have big arguments even, yet there was not a single second they felt their love wilting even after each hurtful word they gave the other accidentally or each action they wished they could take back. If anything, it just came back just as, if not more strongly after each apology, after each tearful time they made up, and after each time they could see each other proving their genuine desire to change not only through their word, but also their action. And so, with a blink of an eye, three years had passed, and even then, every time they locked eyes with one another, butterflies still flutter in their heart as though they were having their very first meeting all over again, feeling love at first sight striking them once more, an experience Vincent wouldn't ever get tired of.

But this felt... off, and Vincent wasn't sure what it was.

It was a well-known fact that Rody was, as the chefs would put it, the sappier one in the relationship. The guy could just randomly walk up to Vincent and either come up with the most flowery poem ever known to man about how lucky he felt to have Vincent as his own in the most nonchalant way as though completely unaware not everyone did that, or whisper into his ears that he wished to bed him that night as though he wouldn't do it anyway regardless of whether he gave a heads-up or not. Embarrassed moments with his face in his palms as his mind temporarily shut down to catch up as everyone else laughed in the background, Vincent had had plenty of times due to this man that he had decided to give his heart to, but saying he hated it would be a very horrible lie, because deep down he knew he loved it, and deep down his heart skipped a beat whenever he wondered what trick Rody had up his sleeves that day.

However, even then, this didn't feel like his usual antics. On his lips wasn't a teasing smirk, but a genuine smile with a hint of nervousness in it, his eyes looking away every few moment as though maintaining eye contact all of a sudden had become a difficult task like he hadn't been doing it every time he leaned in and told Vincent how he would never let him go even if the world tried to pull them apart. And in the middle of the kitchen too, when they had literally just closed up the restaurant for the day?

"Three years ago, I wouldn't even dream of having the chance to step foot in here, let alone talk to you. Yet turned out, despite the differences I thought existed between us, we're more alike than I'd ever imagine. Three years ago, I wouldn't even dream of being in your life as anything more than an employee you wouldn't bat an eye at, yet out of all the people in this world, out of the people you can have the opportunity to meet, out of all the people that... that I thought would be a better fit for you, you chose... me, and-and for that, I live my life every day as a fairytale that I didn't expect, but welcomed with all my heart."

Even as Rody said it with a seemingly confident exterior, Vincent had been with him for far too long to not notice the small quivers in his voice and the shake of his hands as they sweated. And a hopeless romantic Rody might be, it wasn't every day he would prepare such a detailed and long speech professing his love like they weren't dating already for years, like they were two friends wanting to take their relationship to the next level-